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
Jul 10, 2023 • 42min
EP. 126 – Florence Brocklesby (Bellevue Law)
TWLL TAKEOVER – Many lawyers love the challenge of the job but reach a point where the long hours of law firm life become untenable – often, after starting families. But what’s the solution? In our second episode of the TWLL Takeover, host Janelle Wrigley chats with Florence Brocklesby, who solved that problem with creativity and courage in starting her law firm Bellevue Law. Florence has shown that top-tier legal work can flourish within a flexible working environment that truly supports working parents. How did she do it? Can Big Law follow that model? Listen and find out!
You can learn more about TWLL (Transforming Women's Leadership in the Law) here: https://legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.co.uk/blog/transforming-womens-leadership-law/
Jun 26, 2023 • 48min
EP. 125 – Susan Crumiller (The Feminist Litigation Firm)
TWLL TAKEOVER – Welcome to the TWLL Takeover of The Hearing! We’ve joined forces with Transforming Women's Leadership in the Law (TWLL) to bring you this special mini-series focusing on issues of women’s leadership, the stories of inspiring leaders, and the things we can all do to make the legal profession a better place for women – and for everyone. Our first guest, Susan Crumiller, is the ultimate leader to kick off this series: a passionate advocate for change as the founder of feminist litigation firm Crumiller. Susan talks us through her personal journey – from spiky-haired teenage wrestler, to starting her own law firm when she faced mistreatment at work after having her second child. Along the way, she shines a light on what it looks like to use your own privilege to advocate for others. Best of all, Susan spoke to us on the heels of a huge win in a race and sex discrimination trial with an all-woman trial team (you can read more about that here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/26/nyregion/equinox-settlement-discrimination.html) – but also reminds us that there’s still plenty of work to be done. We’d love to hear from you! Drop us a line at thehearing@tr.com to tell us your thoughts on the TWLL Takeover, to share your ideas for guests and topics, or just to say hi.
You can find out more about TWLL here: https://legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.co.uk/blog/transforming-womens-leadership-law/
Jun 19, 2023 • 52min
EP. 124 – Daniel Hoadley (Mishcon de Reya)
ChatGPT is probabilistic and not deterministic, which has important implications for how lawyers might use it. Did you understand that sentence? If not, you will after listening to this episode. How does the tech that’s launched a thousand think-pieces actually work? Should we be excited about the opportunities that large language models offer or scared of a robot revolution? Whatever your questions or concerns, this episode's guest, Daniel Hoadley – Mishcon de Reya’s Head of Data Science & Analytics – has the answers. And apparently, yes – we should be a little worried about a potential robot revolution! Daniel speaks with host Becky Annison and explains things ChatGPT, large language models and AI. They discuss the upsides and the risks, including how these technologies might impact the work that lawyers do.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Jun 5, 2023 • 38min
EP. 123 – Camille Vasquez (Brown Rudnick)
When lawyers represent celebrities, they don't typically become celebs themselves. But that’s what happened to Camille Vasquez, who represented Johnny Depp in his defamation trial against Amber Heard. In this episode, Lauren sits down with Camille, who rose to fame in no small part because of the way she commanded the courtroom in Depp v. Heard, all while the world watched. As you'd expect, the Depp trial, and the many serious issues it raised, are discussed – including gender roles, cancel culture, the court of public opinion, and the importance of teamwork. Camille and Lauren also chat about Camille's life after the Depp trial – including making partner at Brown Rudnick, representing other high-profile clients, and working as a legal correspondent for NBC. Camille’s passion for her work, including being in the courtroom, really shines in this episode – leaving no doubt that she’s a star in her own right. We'd love to hear from you! So drop us a line at thehearing@tr.com to say hello, or to share your ideas for future guests and topics.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
May 22, 2023 • 48min
EP. 122 – Victoria Lewis (byrne·dean)
If we were to suggest “blending your personal and professional life, to bring your whole self to work”, how would that make you feel? Perhaps that sentiment aligns perfectly with how you approach your career too. Or maybe it makes you feel like stuffing carrots in your ears to avoid yet more corporate speak. Whatever your reaction, listen up! Yasmin's next guest – Victoria Lewis, CEO of byrne·dean – is about to put you through your paces. Victoria explains to Yasmin exactly why this attitude means so much to her, and her clients, and why it makes byrne·dean such a popular place to work. Trigger warning: Victoria and Yasmin discuss child loss.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
May 8, 2023 • 53min
EP. 121 – Helen Wan (The Partner Track)
If the best childhood gift you ever received was a typewriter to write mystery stories, perhaps it's no surprise when you end up writing a novel that inspires a hit TV show. In this episode, host Jennifer Thibodaux sits down with Helen Wan – lawyer, author, and DEI consultant.Jennifer and Helen chat about Helen's debut novel, The Partner Track, which follows a young, Chinese-American woman navigating life as a senior associate at a large law firm in New York City. Helen explains how her experiences in Big Law inspired her book and outlines the casual racism she encountered from certain publishers. Fast-forward, and the story has been a hit in print and on the small screen – even resonating with fans that Helen wasn't expecting.Jennifer and Helen explore the story's themes – being women of color in the profession, assimilation versus authenticity, defining success, and staying curious. Plus, we get to hear how writing this book has changed Helen's life and what she's doing now. Helen also shares the advice that motivated her to transform her "subway scribblings" about her workday into a novel. And, after listening to this episode, you'll be inspired to follow your passion too. Hint: get started!
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Apr 24, 2023 • 33min
EP. 120 – Redundancies, layoffs, and cutbacks – oh my!
THE CROSS-EXAMINATION – With corporate layoffs making headlines around the world, Becky Annison explores the pitfalls of handling redundancies across borders, and where companies go wrong. Speaking with experts from the US and UK, Becky delves into the widely varying rights that employees have in different places, and the consequences that businesses should consider before reducing headcount. They discuss the surprising experience of seeing a mass layoff live-tweeted around the world and how that might affect how employees perceive their rights. Does Elon Musk listen to The Hearing? Might he learn some lessons for the future? We hope so! Certainly everyone else will gain insights about how employers can handle the layoff process, when it can’t be avoided, with thoughtfulness and fairness. Guests: – Kate Bally, Director, Practical Law US Labor & Employment – Chris Hovenden, Senior Editor, Practical Law Global Employment – Stephanie Lopes, Chief Legal Officer, Volt
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Apr 10, 2023 • 11min
EP. 119 – Tracey Dovaston (Head of DEI & Partner)
MY LEGAL JOB & ME – In the hotseat for this episode is Tracey Dovaston, a Partner and the Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Pallas Partners. Tracey has an impressive background, switching between private practice and in-house roles. These have included Head of Litigation Investigations & Regulatory Enforcement at Barclays, Chief Compliance Officer, and Executive Litigation Counsel. Listen to Tracey as she talks about her passions, the motivation behind her career decisions, and as she shares her tips for success.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Mar 27, 2023 • 35min
EP. 118 – Rossana Arteaga-Gomez (American Civil Liberties Union)
On this week's episode, our host Lauren Sobel sits down with Rossana Arteaga-Gomez – a partner at AXS Law Group in Miami, Florida, and President of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida. Rossana and Lauren chat about Rossana's unique legal career in both civil litigation and criminal defense work, as well as how Rossana cracked the code on marrying her passions with her career. They dive into some formative experiences that Rossana had – including being a witness in her own cases, and having clients tell her that they preferred to hire a white man as their attorney. The pair also discuss Rossana's passion for civil rights and her mission to improve the criminal justice system through her work with the ACLU. We'd love to hear from you! So drop us a line at thehearing@tr.com to say hello, or to share your ideas for future guests and topics.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Mar 13, 2023 • 56min
EP. 117 – Mark Henderson (Doughty Street Chambers)
We know we have some long-time listeners to The Hearing (thank you!) and we get super excited when we meet them. But for those of you who haven't listened since way back in 2018, an episode we often find ourselves recommending is ep. 6 (https://pod.fo/e/149f97). It's a jaw-dropping interview and it's how we first met Yasmin. Fast-forward five years – with Yasmin now one of our regular hosts – in this episode she covers similar ground with her guest, Mark Henderson – a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers in London. Mark and Yasmin talk about being thrown into the deep end of disability overnight, with the ongoing challenges around accessibility, visibility and opportunity that this brings. Mark's story is both moving and inspirational. As you'll hear, there was so much to discuss that we can't wait to have him back.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
