Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Tom Lodewyke is joined by Matthew Kay, the head of Pinsent Masons’ freelance lawyer service Vario. Matthew visited Australia earlier this month ahead of the Australian launch of Vario. He discusses the rise of freelance services in the legal profession, driven by demand from both clients and lawyers. Matthew explains how a more flexible approach to law can help lawyers improve their work-life balance, as well as how Vario fits in with Pinsent Masons’ traditional offering. http://www.lawyersweekly.com.au

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Tom Lodewyke is joined by Veronica Rios, the executive manager of rule of law, Asia-Pacific, at LexisNexis. Veronica discusses the proposed introduction of a modern slavery act in Australia, similar to that introduced in the UK in 2015. She reveals the many forms that slavery takes in Australia and around the world today. Veronica also addresses some of the arguments against the introduction of the act, and explores the implications of increasing business accountability for slavery. http://www.lawyersweekly.com.au

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Tom Lodewyke is joined by Nigel Smith, a sole practitioner in the emerging sector of external in-house counsel. With years of experience as a general counsel and private practice lawyer, Nigel provides flexible legal assistance to busy in-house teams. He discusses his market niche, how he engages clients and why he chose to set up his own practice almost a year ago. http://www.lawyersweekly.com.au

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Tom Lodewyke is joined by Todd Keeler, a director of legal practice management software provider FilePro. Todd discusses the opportunities that technological advances have afforded law firms, as well as how he goes about implementing technological and process change in firms of varying sizes. He also reveals his key takeaways from the Future of Law and Innovation in the Profession (Flip) report, released earlier this year by the Law Society of NSW. http://www.lawyersweekly.com.au

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Tom Lodewyke is joined by DibbsBarker real estate partner Jane Wild. Ms Wild went through several career changes before finding her place in law. She discusses what she learnt over more than a decade in catering and hospitality, and how her focus on people helped her make the switch to legal practice. She also explores the importance of team culture and communication in any industry, as well as the crucial role of mentors in developing young talent. http://www.lawyersweekly.com.au

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Tom Lodewyke is joined by Maddocks partner Alicia Albury and corporate lawyer Elizabeth Blanch. Ms Albury is a co-chair of the committee that runs the Maddocks Women program, which marks its 20th anniversary this year. The two lawyers discuss Maddocks’ initiatives to support its female staff and encourage gender diversity, including its commitment to boosting the representation of women in leadership positions. They also explore gender diversity in the legal profession more broadly, including the importance of role models and the debate over diversity quotas, and reveal fascinating similarities and differences in how their careers started out. http://www.lawyersweekly.com.au

On this episode of the Lawyers Weekly Show, host Tom Lodewyke is joined by King & Wood Mallesons executive director of innovation Michelle Mahoney to discuss innovation in the legal profession. Ms Mahoney reveals insights from the recent #breakinglaw hackathon run by KWM and the University of Technology Sydney, where participants used technology to develop solutions to issues facing lawyers today. She also discusses legal innovation more broadly, including her strategies for driving innovation in law firms and her involvement in the Innovation Nation prototype project. http://www.lawyersweekly.com.au

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Tom Lodewyke is joined by Herbert Smith Freehills partners Peter Briggs and Jason Betts to discuss the prospect of environmental litigation. Mr Briggs leads the firm’s Australian environment, planning and communities team, while Mr Betts is a partner in the class actions department. They discuss the responsibility of businesses to disclose the risks they face from climate change, as well as the likelihood of a shareholder class action being filed if they fail to do so. While no major environmental class actions have been commenced in Australia yet, the two experts say it is only a matter of time and clients need to be prepared. https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au

For this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Lawyers Weekly, in partnership with InfoTrack, assembled a round table to discuss the critical need for police and reference checks to be more widely implemented across both the legal community and the corporate world. Recruiting the right people should be front of mind for any business. The staff you have are the sole determiners of your company culture, revenue and reputation. Here, we share some of the discussion that took place, as well as key findings uncovered in a revealing report embarked on by the parties. Panel Members Phillip Tarrant, managing editor, Lawyers Weekly John Ahern, CEO, InfoTrack Lori Middlehurst, director and assistant general counsel, VMware Mariah Pollard, ‎national recruitment consultant, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers http://www.lawyersweekly.com.au

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, journalist Tom Lodewyke is joined by Myfanwy Wallwork, executive director of regulatory compliance at LexisNexis. Ms Wallwork describes several projects LexisNexis has undertaken in Fiji, Myanmar and the Maldives, using technology to make the law more readily accessible. LexisNexis’ work on the Fiji Law Reports and the laws of Fiji has helped to update and standardise the country’s legislation, with great benefits for lawyers, lawmakers and the general public. Ms Wallwork also explains LexisNexis’ work in Myanmar and the Maldives, as well as the development of an app that aims to make Australians more aware of their rights.