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
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
Aug 28, 2023 • 27min
EP. 133 – Ideshini Naidoo
Fasten your seatbelts – technological advances in legal work are about to hit warp speed, thanks to the possibilities unlocked by artificial intelligence and large language models. This episode’s guest, Ideshini Naidoo was, until very recently, Head of Engineering, Legal Workflow, at Thomson Reuters. Just before Ideshini left the company to pursue new challenges, she sat down with Becky Annison to discuss the changes that are coming. Ideshini offers her views on making it easier for lawyers to adopt and use new technologies, why the combination of AI and expert content is so powerful, and how legal tech can help improve access to justice.
This is Becky’s second episode focusing on AI, ChatGPT and the legal profession. If you missed the first, you can listen to that episode here: https://pod.fo/e/186180
Aug 21, 2023 • 43min
EP. 132 – Rashida La Lande (Kraft Heinz)
TWLL TAKEOVER – Cue the fireworks: it's the grand finale of our TWLL Takeover mini-series, and our closing guest is suitably dazzling. Rashida La Lande, Global General Counsel of the Kraft Heinz Company, joins host Janelle Wrigley to chat about her stellar career, from M&A partner at a global law firm to general counsel of one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Rashida spills the beans on the rewards and challenges of overseeing a global legal team across 130 countries, offers advice to junior lawyers on how to stand out from the crowd, and explains why she’s optimistic about the future of the legal profession for women and people of color. Rashida left us feeling empowered, awe-struck… and a little peckish (listen to the end of the episode to find out why).
As the curtain falls on this series of the TWLL Takeover, we hope you are feeling empowered too. You can learn more about TWLL (Transforming Women's Leadership in the Law) here: https://legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.co.uk/blog/transforming-womens-leadership-law/
Aug 14, 2023 • 46min
EP. 131 – Jeff Bast (Bast Amron)
Meditation. Gratitude. Exercise. Successful lawyering. At first glance, one of these may seem out of place. But for this episode’s guest, Jeff Bast, these are all inextricably tied together. As co-founder of the Miami law firm Bast Amron, Jeff is no stranger to the stresses of being a managing partner. Yet, as you'll hear, Jeff has known something for a while now that the greater legal profession has taken longer to figure out: in order to really do our jobs well, we need to take charge of our mental and physical well-being.
Among other things, Lauren chats with Jeff about the connection between good lawyering and wellness, work-life harmony (not balance, as Jeff explains!), his views on the importance of in-office work and separating office and home life, and Jeff's passion for being vegan.
Aug 7, 2023 • 44min
EP. 130 – Barry Matthews (Social Mobility Business Partnership)
TWLL TAKEOVER – Call him a leader. Call him a mentor. Call him a supporter of human beings everywhere. Just don’t call him an ally! Find out why Barry Matthews, Group Deputy General Counsel at Pennon Group and founder of the Social Mobility Business Partnership (https://smbp.org.uk), dislikes that term, as he chats with host Janelle Wrigley about supporting women leaders and breaking down silos in the legal industry. If Barry’s name sounds familiar, that’s because he was a guest way back – on episode 15 (https://pod.fo/e/149f8e). We don’t often have return guests, so you know that when we do, there’s good reason for it.
Barry offers plenty of humour and plenty to think about, in addition to having an inspiring career journey of his own.
Jul 31, 2023 • 38min
EP. 129 – Margaret Owen (Widows for Peace)
We feel honoured to have spent time in the presence of a true great for this week’s episode: Margaret Owen OBE. She’s a human rights barrister specialising in women’s rights, with a career spanning decades and a passion for justice that won’t stop. Margaret and Yasmin talk about the start of her career – the things that have and sadly haven’t changed – how her practice evolved and how her family history influences the work she’s still doing today, including for the charity she’s founded: Widows for Peace Through Democracy (https://www.widowsforpeace.org).
At The Hearing HQ, we speak to cool and inspirational guests all the time and we love it. It’s easy to talk up our guests, so you’re welcome to take this with a pinch of salt (but you really really shouldn’t): Margaret Owen is a one-of-a-kind lawyer and everyone can learn something from her attitude to life and work. Enjoy!
