Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Smokeball, we unpack where small law firms are at with their use and understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) and the importance of better utilising emerging technology to, among other things, save time. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Smokeball chief executive Hunter Steele about his passion for uplifting small law firms, the pace of change with AI relative to other market developments over the years, his headline observations about AI in the year that has been, how and why we remain in the “early adopter” phase, and the critical importance of ongoing education by and for practitioners about the relevance and place of such emerging technologies. Steele also reflects on lawyers’ increasing appreciation for how AI will and continues to upend daily operations, the extent to which lawyers are excited about these developments, what Smokeball is doing right now to support practitioners (including its focus on practice management), the nature of queries the provider receives, how clients are responding to their lawyers’ use of such platforms, what the advent and mainstreaming of AI says about the state of the legal market, and what excites him about the opportunities that lawyers will be able to grasp in the future. To learn more about Smokeball, click here.  

A BigLaw firm recently ran an experiment at the South by Southwest Sydney event, in which it tested whether artificial intelligence was capable of besting a senior associate in a mock trial. The end result offers pertinent lessons – not just for lawyers’ use of emerging tech but also for advocates and clients alike. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Lander & Rogers senior associate and innovation manager Jeanette Merjane and digital economy lawyer Kenneth Leung about their respective work at the BigLaw firm and interest in artificial intelligence (AI), the impetus behind testing AI’s capacity to win a court case, how they undertook the experiment at SXSW Sydney, and the questions the firm hoped to answer in doing so. Merjane and Leung also delve into what happened in the mock trial, how well the AI platform performed, what Merjane’s experience was like going up against an AI platform, whether AI is likely to improve its advocacy, the insights gained from running the mock trial, whether the nature of advocacy is changing, whether clients will want to use AI to get the answers they are seeking, and what the experiment teaches us about the importance of human advocacy. If you like this episode, show your support by  rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

A new report from a global law firm shows a decline in the number of new class actions across the country. This, one partner reflects, could constitute a “normalisation” of such litigation following the flurry of activity seen after the Hayne royal commission and other market factors. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by King & Wood Mallesons partner Eleanor Atkins to discuss her longtime interest in litigation, her firm’s annual report, The Review: Class Actions in Australia 2023/2024, and its key takeaways and findings, including that class action filings are at their lowest levels in seven years, how and why this might be the case, the cyclical nature of such litigation, and what the reduced volume of filings says about where the Australian market is at right now. Atkins also delves into the areas we are currently seeing more filings and why, what practitioners in this space need to stay on top of, the influence of regulatory spotlights, two cases that the High Court is currently considering and why those matters could be so significant for the class action space, what the coming year could hold for class actions, and why this remains such a stimulating area of law. If you like this episode, show your support by  rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

In a decade, consulting model firm Keypoint Law has established itself as a national mid-tier, with 80 partner-level lawyers in six capital cities – but one of its biggest challenges moving forward, its CEO says, is that around half of the law firm partners across the country have never heard of it. Becoming better known and having its model better understood, he says, will see the emerging firm become an even bigger player in Australia.  In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Keypoint Law chief executive Warren Kalinko about the decade that has been for Keypoint in Australia, who the firm is and what it does, how receptive practitioners are to the firm’s model, where the firm currently sits in the Australian market, and the biggest hurdles in the way of its continued growth. Kalinko also reflects on Keypoint’s growth targets in the coming years, the specific areas and jurisdictions where the firm sees opportunities for growth, whether practitioners will be more receptive to such a firm model given how much working life has changed in recent years, whether the firm would ever become a listed entity, and what the future could hold for such consulting models in Australia.

Recent allegations of workplace bullying in parliamentary offices are a stark reminder that, in high-pressure professional environments, “bullying cannot be normalised or excused, and the wellbeing of staff must remain a priority”, says one senior human rights and discrimination lawyer. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Elevate Consulting Partners founder Prabha Nandagopal, who was the senior legal adviser to the Respect@Work inquiry, about the extent to which new positive duties to stamp out workplace misconduct such as bullying and sexual harassment have been adopted by Australian workplaces, the lack of education that businesses may have about those duties, and how new workplace norms such as scattered workforces and communication via new technologies has seen a proliferation in misconduct via new mediums. Nandagopal also reflects on the fact that a lack of reporting doesn’t mean that misconduct isn’t occurring, the questions that businesses must ask of themselves in ensuring their frameworks are up to scratch, the need for top-down approaches from leadership, the thematic issues with power in the workplace, having good response plans, and why businesses cannot be complacent about their positive duties.

In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with The College of Law, we reflect on how the new Right to Disconnect laws can and will facilitate mindset and communication shifts in professional services workplaces and why those in law should see these laws as a “moment for potential growth”. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Florence Thum, a lecturer and assistant director in NSW for PLT at The College of Law, about her reflections on the advent and passage of the new Right to Disconnect laws, the need for law firms to realign their priorities, adopting a back-to-basics approach and what this looks like, and what meaningful, transparent communication should look like in the new normal. Thum also delves into how individual lawyers can better advocate for themselves in evolving workplaces, making changes to the organisational mindset, building new communication strategies upon a foundation of respect and trust, the challenges that legal workplaces may face in undergoing such a realignment, and why the legal profession needs to see the Right to Disconnect laws as a “moment for potential growth”, and employ empathy in a technologically driven world. To learn more about The College of Law, click here.

A few months ago, Joseph Catanzariti AM turned 65 and thus had to retire from his position as vice president of the Fair Work Commission. His search for work in the months since, he says, has been more fraught than anticipated. Here, he reflects on the biases against senior lawyers who are willing and able to undertake full-time work, the wellness impacts of such ageism, and how he has looked to adapt following his tenure at the nation’s workplace tribunal. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Joseph Catanzariti AM about his career in law spanning over four decades, the statutorily imposed retirements for judges around the country, why it has been so important to him to give back, the sense of purpose he finds as a lawyer, his reflections on being a judge, and the sense of making a difference in society. Catanzariti also discusses how he felt about his imposed retirement from FWC, his realisation that employers were not seeking a full-time 65-year-old professional, the biases dictating hiring decisions and societal impressions, how he has pivoted and responded vocationally, what legal member bodies can do to address the concerns of older practitioners, the wellness issues inherent with undervaluing those practitioners, and how both employers and individuals can navigate such issues. If you like this episode, show your support by  rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

Job-sharing in law is not common. However, for the co-general counsel of Wesley Mission Queensland, working in tandem brings myriad personal and professional benefits. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with the co-general counsel of Wesley Mission Queensland, Tala Prowd and Helena Kolenbet, about how their job-sharing arrangement came to be, why such an arrangement makes so much sense for them both (personally and professionally, the operational practicalities of job-sharing, and how they successfully navigate the needs of their organisation with key stakeholders. Prowd and Kolenbet also reflect on the rarity of job-sharing arrangements in the legal profession, how and why legal employers must be more open to such vocational pathways (for men and women alike), how other lawyers – in-house and beyond – can and should be unafraid to ask for such flexible arrangements if circumstances require it, and how both employee and employer will benefit from thinking and operating outside the box. If you like this episode, show your support by  rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

Global law firm Bird & Bird is celebrating 10 years in operation in Australia. To mark that occasion, the firm’s Australian head and managing partner spoke with Lawyers Weekly about the decade that has been, what the future holds, and where the firm sees opportunities Down Under and offers advice to aspiring managing partners. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Bird & Bird Australian head and managing partner Shane Barber about his journey as a lawyer, what constitutes good leadership in law, whether it has gotten easier or harder to be a managing partner, his advice to those seeking to lead firms, and his takeaways from Bird & Bird’s 10 years in Australia. Barber also reflects on the firm’s successes Down Under and what he sees as being the big market challenges to overcome in 2025 and beyond, the corners of the Australian market that the firm will continue to target, and the fear and excitement that drives law firm leaders.

The School of Law and Society at the University of the Sunshine Coast recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Here, its dean, Professor Jay Sanderson, reflects on the decade that has been, what’s coming in the future, and how to overcome the issues and trends facing current students and, ultimately, the legal education environment. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Professor Jay Sanderson, dean of law at the University of the Sunshine Coast, about the School of Law and Society at the Queensland-based provider, how and why he got into legal academia, the 10-year anniversary celebrations, what the next decade can and will look like for legal education and students, and the headline issues facing students at present. Sanderson also delves into how receptive students are to increased AI use, necessary evolutions to course content in the wake of market and technological change, predictions for the future of legal education, the role of law faculties in helping student cohorts address the changing landscape, and the critical need to listen to law students and their circumstances.