Talking Law with Dr Sally Penni MBE

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Erin Shoesmith, partner at Addleshaw Goddard where she leads the health and safety practice. She is regularly instructed by the firm's leading corporate clients and individuals facing prosecution or investigation by the Police, HSE, Local Fire & Rescue Service. Her practice also covers inquests and public inquiries, including most recently the Grenfell Tower and Manchester Arena Inquiries.Erin reflects on one of the most poignant cases of her career – the inquest and subsequent inquiry into the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017. It was a pro bono case, and Erin explains why she loves pro bono work and why she often finds it so fascinating.Recorded ahead of the Lionesses final game in the Womens Euros 2022, Erin has a keen interest in Women’s football and considers what the Lionesses victory will mean for gender equality in sport going forward.This episode is supported by Addleshaw Goddard & Salford Business School.Presented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPenni1 

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Christina Blacklaws, a former President of the Law Society of England and Wales who now runs her own consultancy business providing strategic advice particularly in the areas of transformational change, technological developments and diversity and inclusion.Hear Christina reflect on a fascinating portfolio career with roles ranging from advising government on the use of Artificial Intelligence in the law, to helping the The Co-operative Group set up an alternative business structure.Christina shares her advice for women, and those suffering from Imposter Syndrome; she considers the causes of imposter syndrome and how we should look to overcome it.Christina also discusses what it was like to be awarded the International Leaders Lifetime Achievement Award at the Justicia Awards, and to have her trophy personally hand-delivered from Europe.This episode is supported by Salford Business School.Presented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPenni1 

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Shelley McGivern, partner in the Corporate team at Addleshaw Goddard and co-head of the Firm's SciTech sector. Shelley has a wealth of experience advising both corporate and institutional clients across a number of sectors with a particular focus on acquisitions and disposals and joint ventures in the real estate sector.Shelley talks about ‘flexing’ her career; progressing professionally whilst juggling a busy home life with her children – something that her firm have been particularly supportive of. She even recalls how she never worked during school holidays, and handing over of work to another team member often meant that the length of time away was largely irrelevant to the progression of the workload.Shelley and Sally discuss the role of forums for women, such as Women in the Law, and how equality and understanding of women’s issues will only progress if men are included in the debate. Shelley also has some fantastic advice for women – to be brave and speak up for yourself, as barriers and stresses can often be self-created.This episode is supported by Addleshaw Goddard.Presented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPenni1 Find us on LinkedIn or at WomenInTheLawUK.com

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Alice Stephenson, Founder & CEO of Stephenson Law.Hear how Alice struggled with progression in the law whilst being a young Mum, and became so disillusioned with the profession that she even decided to quit. Inspired by her entrepreneur husband, she then started her own law firm to see if she could carve her own path within the industry.  Alice and her firm are extremely creative in their use of social media and Alice says authenticity is the key to success. She’s also very proud of her many tattoos – something which she thinks reveals her personality in a way rarely seen in the legal profession, but that actually is something many clients warm to.Alice also talks about juggling work and family life, and the importance of having a strong support network around you. She also tells the story of how she recently relocated along with her family and now works remotely from Amsterdam.This episode is supported by CBRE.Presented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPenni1 Find us on LinkedIn or at WomenInTheLawUK.com

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Jo Sidhu, a criminal barrister who is widely regarded as one of the leading criminal trial lawyers in the UK and has appeared in some of England’s most serious prosecutions. Jo served as the Chair of the Criminal Bar Association in 2021-22.Jo explains what motivated him to become a criminal barrister, and tries to explain why many in the profession are protesting; a response to what he describes as a ‘process of attrition and by neglect from successive governments’ leading to insufficient funding for the criminal justice system. Jo explains that criminal barristers have received a 28% reduction in real earnings over the last two decades, further compounded by the effects of the pandemic.As the leader of the criminal bar association, Jo has made it his mission to bring the plight of barristers into the public domain so the wider public can understand the severity and complexity of the challenges facing the criminal legal system. Jo highlights the root cause of the backlog in cases being heard; a problem which was substantial and growing even before the arrival of the pandemic.Jo also reflects upon one of his most memorable and traumatic cases, the murder of mother-of-four Saima Khan by her own sister. He reveals the story behind the case, and why it left its mark him. The case is explored in a TV documentary called ‘The Lady Killers’ .This episode is supported by Salford Business School.Presented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPenni1 Find us on LinkedIn or at WomenInTheLawUK.com

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Ayo Onatade who is a personal assistant to judges based at the Supreme Court. Ayo describes her many roles and responsibilities, and details what it’s like to work at the highest court in the United Kingdom.Ayo is also a freelance commentator on crime fiction, writing articles and featuring on panels about the genre. Ayo explains how she found her love of crime fiction, and shares some of her favourite novels.Ayo also reflects on what it was like to work for Lady Hale at the Supreme Court. ‘She was so inspiring. She used to make me laugh and to be brutally honest, I miss her terribly’ Ayo says.This episode is supported by CBRE.Presented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPenni1 

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Iain Simkin.Iain Simkin is renowned for his expertise across the range of regulatory cases and he also specialises in serious crime.Iain recalls the extreme determination it took to begin his career and reflects on some of the most memorable cases of his career, including his work as prosecuting counsel in the case of Reynhard Sinaga, and the difficulties he faced in presenting evidence in that case.Iain also shares his experiences of being a transplant patient, and talks about his work in encouraging people to become organ donors.Presented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPenni1 Find us on LinkedIn or at WomenInTheLawUK.com

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Dinah Rose KC, who is a barrister and member of Blackstone Chambers. Dinah was also appointed President of Magdalen College, Oxford in September 2020. She is the 43rd President of the College since its foundation in 1458, and the first woman to hold the post.Dinah describes how she juggled her career at the bar around raising two children. She also recalls one of her most memorable cases; an employment tribunal on behalf of Jane Couch also known as the Fleetwood Assasin, who wanted to become a female boxer but was denied a licence on the grounds of being a woman.Dinah explains why she loves the Supreme Court, but admits there is work to be done to improve diversity within the Court and to improve transparency in the appointment process.Dinah has some powerful thoughts on wellbeing too. A particularly stressful time in her life led her to take some time off work sick, and she reflects on this period in her life and how it proved to be a turning point in her career, for the better.Presented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPenni1 Find us on LinkedIn or at WomenInTheLawUK.com

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Margaret Casely-Hayford. Margaret was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Honours list in 2018, for services to charity and for promoting diversity upon ending her term as trustee and Chair of international development Charity ActionAid UK.She was Director of Legal Services and Company Secretary for the John Lewis Partnership for nine years. Before that she worked for twenty years with City law firm Dentons where she had been a partner and jointly led an award-winning team in planning and development work. She’s now retired from executive roles.Hear Margaret reflect on how she shaped her portfolio career, sitting on a number of boards, all with a commitment to improving society for others and creating opportunities. Her portfolio includes advising young entrepreneurs, and supporting and advising organisations on governance and advising those, in particular women and BAME or LGTBQ+ people, who wish to embark upon board careers.  She is passionate about establishing diversity on boards and is an ambassador of Board Apprentice.As Chancellor for Coventry University Margaret also shares some fantastic advice for anyone wanting to enter the law including the importance of being multidisciplinary, as well as the essential need for resilience. Watch Margaret’s TED Talk – Face into the Darkness of our HistoryPresented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPenni1 Find us on LinkedIn or at WomenInTheLawUK.com

Welcome to a brand new season of Talking Law with Sally Penni MBE!This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Banke A. Odunaike,  Head of Legal in EMEA at CBRE. CBRE is a real estate firm that offers a range of services to help companies with all their property needs. With over 100k employees across 100 different countries, they are the largest company of their kind in the world.Banke shares how her love of the judiciary began at an early age, earning her the nickname ‘The Shortest Judge’ or SJ for short.Banke looks back upon the hard time she went through when securing a training contract; the multiple rejection letters she received and offers some advice to anyone starting out on that journey.Banke also reveals the initiatives that she is working on at CBRE to champion Diversity and Inclusion, and also considers how the industry can do more to futher D&I within the GC space. Hear a fascinating story  of how Banke dealt with a situation where her daughter had experienced racism at school, using an analogy of a rainbow.Presented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPenni1