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
Feb 27, 2023 • 48min
EP. 116 – Alexandra Carter (Columbia Law School)
What does the word negotiation really mean? What's the best question to ask during a negotiation? And what does negotiating have to do with kayaking?! In this episode, Jennifer chats with Alex Carter, world-renowned keynote speaker, professional coach, and Director of the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School, to answer these questions and more. Alex reveals the traits of a skilled negotiator that anyone can learn to help resolve conflict. She also explains why claiming your worth matters, including on a larger scale. Alex describes how she followed the "deep knowing in her gut" to leave her position as a litigator at a mega law firm, to return to her law school to teach. She believes passionately that each of us should pay similar attention to what brings us joy – and shares a great trick for figuring it out. As an avid reader, Jennifer also asks Alex about her best-selling book, "Ask For More: 10 Questions to Negotiate Anything". And, after listening to this episode, you will be inspired and ready to do just that!
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Feb 13, 2023 • 25min
EP. 115 – Equal Representation for Expert Witnesses
Expert witnesses can make or break a case: judges and juries look to their authority to explain all manner of technical subjects. But it turns out that hidden biases may be at work in who gets selected to testify as an expert. In this episode, Becky digs into why this disparity exists and how it might be solved with her guests Isabel Kunsman and Kathryn Britten. Isabel and Kathryn are partners at consulting firm AlixPartners and co-founders of Equal Representation for Expert Witnesses (ERE), an organisation working to bring gender equality to this important function of the law.
To find out more about the ERE pledge, go to: https://www.expertwitnesspledge.com/
Jan 30, 2023 • 38min
EP. 114 – Katharine Larsen (Thomson Reuters)
In this episode, Lauren chats with Katharine Larsen, Deputy General Counsel, Litigation, for Thomson Reuters. Katharine was raised in a small town in the midwestern US, but always knew she wanted to explore the world. At a young age, Katharine began living and working abroad, and continued to do so at various points in her legal career. Now back in the US and working in New York City, Katharine has a unique global perspective that sets her apart from many American lawyers. Through her journey around the globe, Katharine also found her passion in media law. Katharine and Lauren chat about this passion and other topics, including how Katharine's global experience helped her work to free Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo from prison in Myanmar, some big-picture differences between the US legal system and those of other countries, and the greatest challenge facing the media right now. They also chat about the importance of approaching situations without making assumptions, and why it often pays to ask open-ended questions. (Interview recorded 16th December 2022)
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 guests and future topics! Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Jan 16, 2023 • 50min
EP. 113 – Peter Daly (Doyle Clayton)
In this episode, Yasmin sits down with Peter Daly, an employment law partner at Doyle Clayton, to discuss his career and the high-profile philosophical belief cases he's been focused on recently. They discuss the significance for employers of the judgment Forstater, as well as the wider societal impact of such cases. For more episodes that touch upon related themes, we invite you to listen to those featuring the guests below: EP. 04 – Robin White (https://pod.fo/e/149f99)EP. 79 – Freddy McConnell (https://pod.fo/e/d596e)EP. 110 – Ellie Krug (https://pod.fo/e/154d45)
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Jan 2, 2023 • 26min
EP. 112 – Charles Bagot KC (Head of Chambers & Judge)
MY LEGAL JOB & ME – In the hotseat for this episode is Charles Bagot KC from Gatehouse Chambers in London. Charles has many strings to his bow – he's a barrister, part-time judge, and joint head of chambers. He's also well known in the profession for his legendary courtesy. Listen to Charles as he talks about overcoming imposter syndrome, bouncing back from set-backs, and why it pays to be nice to everyone. No matter what stage you're at in your career, we're sure you'll appreciate his sage advice.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Dec 19, 2022 • 8min
EP. 111 – Jack Courtney (Trainee Solicitor)
MY LEGAL JOB & ME – This episode will be of particular interest to any aspiring solicitors. Jack Courtney is in the first seat of his training contract – at Biscoes Solicitors in Portsmouth, UK. Jack, who is in the firm's corporate team, describes his experiences and offers advice for other students who are at the beginning of their careers. If there is a specific legal job type that you would like to know more about, please email your suggestion to thehearing@tr.com.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Dec 5, 2022 • 51min
EP. 110 – Ellie Krug (Human Inspiration Works)
THEN: "Killer Krug" was an attack dog courtroom lawyer who presented as an aggressive male, complete with an intimidating voice that cracked witnesses on the stand. But inside, "Killer Krug" secretly grappled with suppressed gender identity issues dating back to childhood. NOW: Ellie Krug is a transgender woman who uses who uses her voice – in more ways than one – to teach compassion and empathy. Join our new host, Jennifer Thibodaux, as she chats with Ellie about the idealism that led her to law school, her crushing schedule as a junior associate and then law firm owner balancing a family. Ellie describes what happens when she realized she could no longer out-work or "out-therapy" her "gut tugs" about being a woman, and made the brave decision to lead an authentic life. Ellie and Jennifer also talk about Ellie's mission with her company, Human Inspiration Works, and her signature training, Gray Area Thinking, including the surprising results that occur at the end of every training. Meet Ellie Krug: writer, lawyer, and human. We know that her story will leave you inspired and transformed.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Nov 21, 2022 • 45min
EP. 109 – Zelda Perkins (Can't Buy My Silence)
With the increased focus on ethics in the legal profession, we were interested to learn more about the work of Can't Buy My Silence (https://www.cantbuymysilence.com). This campaign group was set up in September 2021 by Zelda Perkins and Professor Julie Macfarlane. Their mission is to end the misuse of non-disclosure agreements to silence the victims of crime and wrongdoing. Zelda was the first woman to break their NDA with Harvey Weinstein. In this episode, Zelda talks to Becky Annison about her campaign work and how its helping to bring the systematic abuse of NDAs to the attention of the international media and governments. They also discuss the practice of using NDAs from a lawyer's perspective, and how this interacts with underlying principles of the profession. We imagine lots of you have experience of NDAs and we'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject. You can email us at thehearing@tr.com.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Nov 7, 2022 • 51min
EP. 108 – John Koufos (Cottage Four, LLC)
Law school. Supreme Court of New Jersey. Prison. Oval Office of the White House. These are just a few places where this episode's guest, John Koufos, has spent time. If you haven't heard John's story, then prepare yourself for a rollercoaster ride. A former criminal defense attorney who was no stranger to a high-pressure career, John's 15-year battle with alcoholism eventually caught up to him, with tragic consequences. Join our new host, Lauren Sobel, as she chats with John about his former legal career, what it was like to leave the courthouse – where he once practiced – in handcuffs, his journey to becoming a recognized expert on re-entry into society after prison, and his remorse. Lauren and John also cover issues like substance abuse in the legal profession, how the criminal justice system impacts all of society, and the less obvious consequences of being a convicted felon. John's story gives true meaning to the phrase second chances and, as Lauren says, making lemonade out of lemons. His candor and determination had us glued to this conversation, and we think you'll be too. After listening to the episode, find out more about John’s work here (https://cottagefour.com). And if you want to reach out to us, please email thehearing@tr.com – we’d love to hear from you!
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
Oct 24, 2022 • 33min
EP. 107 – Introducing… Lauren Sobel & Jennifer Thibodaux
As you’ll know, if you want that dream job, you’ve got to nail the interview. And that’s just what Lauren Sobel and Jennifer Thibodaux had to do before taking up their posts as our new US hosts of The Hearing. Join Yasmin as she gets to know our new pod-mates – finding out Lauren and Jennifer’s career journeys, their roles as Senior Legal Editors at Practical Law, and what makes them tick. It gets deep. As Lauren and Jennifer both got the job(!) we can’t wait to join them for future episodes, as they introduce us to their own guests and topics. If you have any suggestions for who or what we should feature, please do get in touch.
Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
