The Hearing – A Legal Podcast
Thomson Reuters
The Hearing is a legal podcast from Thomson Reuters. Listen to insightful discussions with lawyers, legal experts, and other interesting people connected to the legal industry. We delve into anything and everything – trailblazers in the law, the latest insights on legal innovation and trends, and how the profession is evolving. With hosts based in the UK and the US, we cover issues around the globe. Our hosts: Becky Annison – Trained at a London law firm before moving in-house. Spent 12 years as a senior solicitor in a large international company, before joining Practical Law's In-house practice area team. Now, as Head of Engagement for The Chancery Lane Project, Becky uses her knowledge of contracting and law to help tackle the climate crisis. Janelle Wrigley – An attorney based in California. As head of the Antitrust & Competition team at Practical Law, leads a team of lawyers producing practical guidance for competition lawyers worldwide. Previously, Janelle was a litigator at the US Federal Trade Commission and at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York. Jennifer Thibodaux – An attorney, speaker, and writer based in New Jersey. A member of the Litigation team at Practical Law, where she creates procedural and substantive content, plus professional development resources. Previously, Jennifer was a partner at Gibbons P.C. in Newark, New Jersey, focusing on commercial litigation. Lauren Sobel – An attorney, editor, and frequent presenter on trending legal topics based in New York City. At Practical Law, she uses her experience as a litigator and federal law clerk in multiple jurisdictions to help other attorneys in their practice. Before joining Thomson Reuters, Lauren was a partner at Shutts & Bowen LLP in Miami, Florida, specialising in business litigation. Teneé Frazier – An attorney, editor, and speaker based in Alabama. As a member of the State and Local Government team at Practical Law, she uses her expertise in municipal law to produce substantive content for local government attorneys. Previously, Teneé was Assistant General Counsel at the Alabama League of Municipalities. Yasmin Sheikh – Executive coach, trainer, consultant, and speaker, with a background as a lawyer – practising for 12 years in a large international law firm. Founder of Diverse Matters – which helps promote equality, diversity, and inclusivity within organisations. Yasmin is also a former vice chair of the Disabled Solicitors Network at the Law Society of England and Wales. Find out more about The Hearing and other Thomson Reuters podcasts at tr.com/thehearing.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 21, 2021 • 38min
EP. 79 – Freddy McConnell
This episode's guest doesn't give up: he didn't give up being himself, he didn't give up his desire for children and he doesn't give up fighting for others, even when that means taking the government to court. Yasmin is speaking to journalist, trans activist and father, Freddy McConnell. Freddy is a dad who gave birth. This story is excellently told in the film Seahorse, which documents his journey to becoming a single dad. Yasmin was also keen to talk to Freddy about his court battle to be named as the father on his son’s birth certificate. They discuss Freddy’s discovery of the legal realities for trans parents in the UK, and how the legal system views men who choose to give birth. Freddy's journey through the courts isn't over yet and he’s taking his case to the European Court of Human Rights next. He's part of a global LGBTQIA movement trying to use the legal system to help every family be recognised as their everyday selves.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Jun 7, 2021 • 53min
EP. 78 – Stevie Ghiassi (Legaler)
Question: What do the Iranian national football team, NFTs, Hotel Rwanda and Andy Murray have in common? Answer: Stevie Ghiassi, Co-founder of Legaler and Legaler Aid. And Joe’s guest this week! In this episode, Stevie chats to Joe about his unlikely journey from running a chain of souvenir shops to becoming a legal tech entrepreneur. He also talks about the important work that Legaler Aid is doing, and ways in which legal tech and blockchain have helped them pivot after Covid took away traditional fundraising streams. Yet again we’re seeing innovative ways that cryptocurrency and blockchain are being used, and how they offer real opportunities for the legal industry.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
May 17, 2021 • 36min
EP. 77 – The impact of AI and algorithms on the fairness of our justice systems
THE CROSS-EXAMINATION – We, along with the rest of the legal industry, have talked at length about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on our profession. But this time we concern ourselves not with the efficiencies of machine learning and automation, but instead with potential injustice and the need for vigilance in the face of seismic developments. AI is already being used extensively in areas like recruitment, policing and the courts – as it's often assumed that machines, unlike humans, are objective and neutral. But, as this episode discusses, computer algorithms can easily perpetuate and amplify human biases. Becky Annison and our three guests – who are each working to understand and fight against algorithmic injustice – discuss the causes as well as the cumulative and damaging effects of coded bias. The computer scientist and digital activist Joy Buolamwini describes this phenomenon as the "exclusion overhead" – the cost of systems that exclude and discriminate against those with experiential differences who are outside the code writing room. CONTRIBUTORS:- Sandra Wachter, Associate Professor & Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford - Kristian Lum, Research Assistant Professor, Dept. of Computer & Information Science, University of Pennsylvania - Ivana Bartoletti, Technical Director - Privacy, Deloitte; Visiting Policy Fellow, University of Oxford
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
May 3, 2021 • 41min
EP. 76 – Laura Bates (Everyday Sexism Project)
Yasmin's guest this week hardly needs introduction – we're speaking to feminist icon Laura Bates. Laura is founder of The Everyday Sexism Project, a catalogue of day-to-day instances of sexism and gender inequality. Laura talks us through the events that led to her setting up the project – events that were so everyday, so commonplace, that she almost didn't notice. On her website, Laura describes these types of incidents as “so-used-to-it-you-almost-just-accept-it sexism”. But, as she explains to Yasmin, she couldn't just accept it – and so one of the greatest feminists of our time got going! Yasmin talks to Laura about her work with the legal industry – an industry that often doesn't think it has a problem with sexism; that doesn't believe harassment and inequality can happen to lawyers. They also discuss her new book, Men Who Hate Women – a shocking exploration of extreme misogyny.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Apr 19, 2021 • 1h
EP. 75 – Andrew Fletcher (Thomson Reuters Labs)
To those listening in the future, the level of excitement about our brief Easter hiatus to see friends and family might seem strange. But, future listener, these are strange times indeed. We don't even have hoverboards yet. Our future podcast friends might also find it strange that we're still discussing whether lawyers actually need artificial intelligence. Joe's guest this week is Andrew Fletcher, Director at TR Labs. He points out that the trust we place in our lawyers will soon begin to assume their ability to tap into a knowledge base far wider than can ever be gleaned from books. Lawyers will need AI and legal tech to tap into this information, interpret it and then join the dots on behalf of their clients. Andrew talks to Joe about how TR Labs is taking curation of big data to the next level, how to make sure an AI can be trusted, and the kinds of innovations that are just around the corner. Spoiler: there's still no sign of robot lawyers, but we do have a Joe-Bot.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Mar 22, 2021 • 39min
EP. 74 – Will Moy (Full Fact)
Did you know the moon landings were faked? Or that The Beatles never existed? And do you remember when conspiracy theories were much more innocent? In this episode, Becky talks to Will Moy, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Full Fact, about the perils of misinformation in the digital age. Full Fact is a British charity that checks claims made by politicians, public institutions and journalists, and claims made by viral content circulating on social media. Will believes “bad information ruins lives” by promoting hate, damaging health and hurting democracy. He and Becky discuss how the law and lawyers have been caught up in this problem, and what we can do to help tackle it.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Mar 8, 2021 • 56min
EP. 73 – Federico Ast (Kleros)
Here at The Hearing HQ we've really missed travelling. So being whisked (virtually) to Buenos Aires for this week's episode was a real treat! Meet Joe's guest, Federico Ast, the CEO and founder of Kleros. He's deeply intelligent, thoughtful and one hell of an aggravator in the world of justice. Federico has a philosophy-centred approach to improving judicial systems around the world, and talks to Joe about how deliberative democracy can fast-track access to justice. Kleros is an online dispute resolution system based on blockchain, crowdsourcing and game theory. We hear how Federico has used his experience of the Argentinian economic collapse of the 90s to problem-solve dispute resolution for the internet age.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Feb 22, 2021 • 38min
EP. 72 – Joeli Brearley (Pregnant Then Screwed)
Imagine being fired, by voicemail, after telling your boss that you're pregnant. It seems like something from a different era, or at least, akin to a bad dating story. Yet this is exactly what happened to this week's guest, Joeli Brearley, the CEO and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed. Joeli sits down with Yasmin to talk about how her high-risk pregnancy prevented her from taking legal action and how this lit the fuse for Pregnant Then Screwed. They talk about taking the government to court for discriminating against women in the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and the (very relatable) stress dreams that came with it. Joeli is a powerhouse with a huge social media following, and this episode also looks at what it’s like dealing with trolls and how she wants to change the workplace for mothers, no matter how messy it gets or how many people it upsets.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Feb 8, 2021 • 57min
EP. 71 – COVID-19 vaccines: will they unite or divide us?
THE CROSS-EXAMINATION – The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is giving many of us hope right now. But are vaccines about become the next divisive issue to affect our professional and personal lives? Companies might well see vaccines as the golden ticket to getting staff back to a normal working environment, or indeed back to work full stop. But what happens when employees choose not to receive the vaccine, or refuse to disclose their vaccination status? In this episode, Becky talks to Joe Nicholls, from Wards Solicitors, and GoodCorporation’s Debbie Ramsay about this new wave of legal and ethical issues that businesses, and society as a whole, must grapple with. CONTRIBUTORS:- Debbie Ramsay, Director, GoodCorporation- Joe Nicholls, Partner & Head of Employment, Wards Solicitors
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Jan 25, 2021 • 51min
EP. 70 – Karim Sabbidine (Thompson Hine)
On The Hearing, we've talked to people at the top of their game about their experiences of lockdown. We've gained advice from experts on how businesses can best weather these unprecedented times. And this week Joe chats to Karim Sabbidine, an associate at Thompson Hine, about what COVID-19 means when you're at the legal coalface. Pre-pandemic, life as a New York litigator was a heady mix of high pressure and excitement – tiring yet fun. But for Karim it quickly transitioned to being cramped in a small apartment with two equally busy flatmates, while trying to navigate a virtual trial. Karim has an international and multicultural background, and has an enviable résumé of on-the-job training. He talks to Joe about the realities of being a litigator, the benefits of writing every day, and why it's important to always dress the part.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
