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 current 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. 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
Jan 22, 2024 • 32min
EP. 143 – Fiona Rutherford (Justice)
This episode’s guest is Fiona Rutherford, the Chief Executive of Justice, a UK law reform and human rights charity. Justice strives for a fair, accessible, and equal justice system and is also the UK section of the International Commission of Jurists. Fiona chats to Yasmin about a landmark report the charity recently published addressing the erosion of the rule of law in the UK, which you can access here: https://justice.org.uk/the-uks-longstanding-commitment-to-the-rule-of-law-is-under-grave-threat-according-to-landmark-report-from-justice/.
The pair also discuss what it really means to live under the rule of law and have access to justice, Fiona's career journey from barrister to policy and advocacy work, and a particular case that deeply impacted Fiona and motivates her work in helping to make our justice system more humane.
Jan 8, 2024 • 38min
EP. 142 – Mirna Santiago (Girls Rule the Law)
Mirna Santiago, a lawyer and DEI expert, talks about her commitment to busting bias as a Black Hispanic woman. She discusses the biases in the legal field and the importance of mentorship and allyship. Mirna also shares her motivation to become a lawyer and introduces her nonprofit, Girls Rule the Law, which empowers underprivileged girls. The organization provides mentoring and internship programs for girls interested in pursuing law.
Dec 18, 2023 • 27min
EP. 141 – Dan Neidle (Tax Policy Associates)
This episode's guest pulls off the impossible: he'll make you wonder if maybe you should have been a tax lawyer. Dan Neidle is described by some as “possibly the UK’s leading tax lawyer”. After spending 25 years at Clifford Chance, including as their UK head of tax, he set-up Tax Policy Associates – a not-for-profit company aiming to improve tax and legal policy and educate the public.
Dan chats with Becky Annison about the fascinating and complicated puzzles he enjoyed solving for clients in practice, why he chose to retire (while still in his 40s) to focus on public policy and advocacy, and why tax law is far more interesting and important than you might think.
Dec 4, 2023 • 39min
EP. 140 – Laura Arnold (Arnold Ventures)
In this episode, Lauren sits down with billionaire philanthropist and former lawyer Laura Arnold, co-founder of Arnold Ventures. Arnold Ventures has spent over $2.5 billion (USD) on more than 3,200 projects in many areas of need, like criminal justice reform, healthcare, democracy and contraceptives, to name a few. The organization, which in part seeks to change laws, was founded on the belief that bipartisan policy is the most sustainable change you can make as a philanthropist. Laura and Lauren talk about what makes Arnold Ventures unique in the philanthropic world, including its structure and its evidence-based approach to philanthropy, as well as how Laura and her husband John began their journey as world-renowned philanthropists.
For more about Arnold Ventures, see https://www.arnoldventures.org/.
Nov 20, 2023 • 50min
EP. 139 – Linzi Bull (Penningtons Manches Cooper)
Modern families come in all sizes and configurations – and often the law is playing catch-up with the issues raised by contemporary family relationships. In this episode, Linzi Bull, partner at Penningtons Manches Cooper, chats with host Yasmin Sheikh about her modern family legal practice. They focus in particular on the complex legal and ethical issues that surround surrogacy law in the UK, the emotional connections involved in representing families, and the gaps in the law surrounding polyamorous family units.
(Please note: The UK government announced on 8 November 2023 that the Law Commission proposals on surrogacy, which Linzi and Yasmin discuss, will not “be taken forward at the moment.” (https://lawcom.gov.uk/project/surrogacy/)
Nov 6, 2023 • 39min
EP. 138 – Hannah Gordon (San Francisco 49ers)
What does a 20-year legal career in American football look like? How does a lawyer rise through the ranks to become Chief Legal Officer for a team? And what is it like for a female lawyer to achieve this in a male-dominated arena? In this episode, Jennifer sits down with Hannah Gordon, Senior Advisor to the President of the San Francisco 49ers, to find out the answer to these questions – and more. Jennifer and Hannah chat about the intentionality in Hannah's career, including her decision to pause and pivot following the birth of her second child, the importance of networking, and what lawyers can learn from professional athletes. Hannah also shares the motivation for her book, SZN of Change, and explains why lawyers should prioritize joy.
Enjoy this conversation with one of (American) football's most influential women, according to https://www.nfl.com
Oct 23, 2023 • 49min
EP. 137 – Jolyon Maugham KC (Good Law Project)
How many of us would have the courage to blow up our careers and get back onto the path we dreamed of in law school? Jolyon Maugham KC, founder and executive director of the Good Law Project, did just that. Good Law Project (https://goodlawproject.org) is a publicly-funded not-for-profit organisation, based in the UK, that uses the law to campaign “for a better world”. Jo speaks with host Becky Annison about his transition from successful tax lawyer to outspoken public interest advocate. They talk about the ethical obligations of lawyers in choosing their clients, Jo's motivations in writing his new book Bringing Down Goliath, and how the Good Law Project chooses its cases to achieve maximum impact.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Oct 9, 2023 • 42min
EP. 136 – Bret Parker (New York City Bar Association)
This episode's guest is Bret Parker – Executive Director of the New York City Bar Association and a man who epitomizes making lemons out of lemonade. Bret's diagnosis of Parkinson's at age 38 inspired him to live by the motto “Do epic sh*t.” So far, this has included skydiving, a triathlon, and running 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents – all while battling the disease's symptoms. Lauren sat down with Bret to talk about his diagnosis and journey since. They also discuss what the legal industry could do to help accommodate those with physical and cognitive challenges.
To learn more about Bret's story and how you can help support Parkinson's research, click here: https://give.michaeljfox.org/4448
Sep 25, 2023 • 43min
EP. 135 – Lubna Shuja (Law Society of England & Wales)
In this episode, Yasmin sits down with Lubna Shuja – the outgoing President of the Law Society of England and Wales. Lubna is the first Asian, first Muslim and only the seventh female President in the Law Society's nearly 200-year history. The pair reflect on Lubna’s term as President – what she’s achieved, what her typical working days have been like (hint: long!), and why she never gets tired of talking about diversity and inclusion. They also discuss the importance of making mistakes, and what Lubna has learned by having one-on-one conversations directly with Law Society members.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Sep 11, 2023 • 49min
EP. 134 – James Egan (Epperson & Owens)
One day you’re a partner at a small US law firm, where you typically defend medical malpractice actions and have tried a few cases. The next, you’re working on a trial that’s being livestreamed around the world – and your client is Gwyneth Paltrow. Plus, you've gone viral because the internet is calling you the “Superman lawyer” due to your likeness to Clark Kent. That’s exactly what happened to our next guest, James Egan. Jennifer sits down with James to hear about his experience with the Paltrow ski accident trial and much more. They discuss his hesitant road to litigation after doing legal work in India and at an innocence project. James shares his intentionality in joining a small firm and explains why making the time for the things he loves (he’s also a father and an accomplished musician) makes him a better lawyer. The internet may know James as Superman, but we think Superdad is a fitting moniker too. Prepare to be inspired!
If you want to hear more about representing celebrities, check out Lauren’s interview with Camille Vasquez in episode 123: https://pod.fo/e/181d56
