Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

In this special episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, produced in partnership with LexisNexis, we explore how law departments can successfully utilise emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to provide optimal value as a business function. Host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back LexisNexis Asia and Pacific managing director Greg Dickason to discuss the provider’s recent ANZ Sentiment Survey, the extent to which the use of emerging technologies is skyrocketing among corporate counsel, whether they realise the breadth of opportunities from such tech, what in-house counsel need to understand about AI at this critical juncture, and how teams can best determine what they need such emerging tech for. Greg also details the need to invest time in such products to save time later, the main use cases for GenAI for corporate counsel as they currently stand, identifying the right solution, appreciating how the right solution can help solve broader problems across the law department, the risks of generic products, saving money for the business by way of the right product, the importance of a unified user experience, and navigating the broader challenges of AI regulation. To learn more about LexisNexis’ offerings in this space, click here. 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!

With a new financial year just one month away, now is the time for sole practitioners and small-firm owners to take stock of the year that was and plan for the year ahead. For this award-winning practitioner, not losing sight of what one wants to achieve and living life and one’s business by design is front of mind in ensuring ongoing success. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Conveyed founder and chief overlord Melissa Barlas – who won the Sole Practitioner of the Year category at the 2023 Australian Law Awards – about her primary reflections on FY2023–24 and what has been learnt, meaningfully triaging urgent priorities, striking a balance between proactivity and reactivity in formulating a business plan, and the importance of aligning one’s personal life with the objectives and outcomes of a legal business. Barlas also delves into what FY2024–25 will look like for her firm and what her headline focus will be, how she determined the pathway forward and why, the questions SME firm owners need to be asking of themselves and their businesses in building a strategy, looking after one’s self, the extent to which one can take notice of what’s happening socioculturally or politically, opportunities on the horizon, and what she’s looking forward to in the coming year. 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!

Dr Nadia Stojanova, a Victorian barrister, recently completed a doctorate in law reform and regulatory changes to address workplace bullying. Here, she details the precursor factors to such misconduct in the workplace, the “patchwork” system of laws governing this space, and what workplaces can and must do to stamp out bullying. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with barrister at the Victorian Bar, Dr Nadia Stojanova, about her personal and professional passion for employment and industrial relations matters and how she got into such work, how she navigates said matters, why she undertook a doctorate in this space, and the state of affairs nationwide regarding workplace bullying. Stojanova also reflects on whether the legislative and regulatory frameworks are not keeping pace with evolving workplace environments, the “patchwork” of laws, what needs to be urgently addressed, the precursor factors to bullying in the workplace, the various elements of the risk management-based workplace design her thesis promotes, whether such a design should be led by legislators and regulators or by businesses, and her optimism that Australian workplaces can adopt her strategy for addressing such misconduct. 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!

On top of being the GC in the healthcare sector, Nina Stamell also works as a birth doula, supporting women and their partners in the childbirth and postpartum journey. The wearing of both hats, she has discovered, has broadened her perspective on what it means to be an informed, considered in-house professional. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back MyHealth general counsel and company secretary Nina Stamell to discuss her work in the healthcare sector and what she enjoys about it, what it means to be a birth doula, what she finds so meaningful about supporting women through the birthing journey and how she approaches individual cases. Stamell also reflects on how she balances her schedule as a senior in-house professional and doula simultaneously, how lawyers can sell the undertaking of such roles on top of their in-house duties to workplace superiors, the main takeaways and transferable professional lessons from her work as a doula to her role as a GC and co sec, the importance of informed consent, finding pursuits that are meaningful and rewarding, and why she’s a better legal professional as a result of her work as a doula.

Wotton + Kearney has grown from half a dozen staff in one office to over 700 staff in 10 offices across three countries. Here, its chief executive partner discusses the BigLaw player’s growth strategy, recent Singapore expansion, sale of a minority stake to a private equity firm, AI and transformation investments, and more. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes Wotton + Kearney chief executive partner David Kearney to discuss his own journey in law, how and why W+K was founded and what its vision was from the start, its push to establish itself as a major insurance player in Australia, why it expanded into Singapore and the opportunities to be realised, as well as various practice areas it has recently moved into with appointments from BigLaw rivals. Kearney also reflects on the firm’s sale of a minority stake to Straight Bat and why that sale made sense for the firm, transitioning from a partnership to a corporate entity, whether such a transition makes sense for all large law firms, W+K’s investment in artificial intelligence and innovation, why such evolution is so exciting, the firm’s approach to workplace and culture matters, and more. 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 this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Naiman Clarke, we explore the shifting market dynamics that can and will impact how big, or small, lawyers’ salary rises might be in the new financial year and how to adjust expectations accordingly. Host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Naiman Clarke managing director Elvira Naiman to reflect on how the market has changed since the start of this financial year, the disconnect between employers and employees regarding expectations for remuneration, the power shift being witnessed back in favour of employers, and the increasing difficulty in finding equitable and reasonable solutions for pay packets. Naiman also delves into the extent to which employees and candidates need to temper their expectations ahead of FY2024–25, the questions one should ask ahead of a salary review, how employers can better manage expectations by facilitating honest conversations, and why the revised stage-three tax cuts might influence the amount one gets in a pay rise. 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!

More international vocational opportunities are coming up post-pandemic. Here, a senior BigLaw practitioner reflects on his years living and working in Japan, what he learnt (personally and professionally), and how and why more up-and-coming lawyers should consider such moves. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with K&L Gates special counsel Nathaniel Rowe about how “fascinating” a country Japan is and why he fell in love with it during his formative years, the cultural differences between Japan and Australia, the myriad business and government roles he held while living there, and what it’s like to practice in a global city. Rowe also discusses the vocational insights and perspective one gets from working in such a legal environment, the challenges he faced while working there, the questions Australian lawyers should ask of themselves if they want to make such a geographic and professional move, how to secure secondments, why he’s a better lawyer for having worked in Japan, and why there has perhaps never been a better time to live and work in the Land of the Rising Sun. 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!

As an accomplished violinist and composer, Jad Al Masri understands the importance and clinically proven benefits of play. It allows him, he says, “to see opportunities that others would find it difficult to see”, thereby offering a perspective on legal practice that will set him apart as a new practitioner. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with law graduate, violinist, composer, and creative director Jad Al Masri about his interest in entering the legal profession, how he became a violinist and what inspires and motivates him to play, the “euphoria” he feels while playing, his work as a composer and his process for producing music, and what he hopes to achieve when he has “jam sessions” to experiment with different sounds. Al Masri also reflects on the extent to which external, environmental factors influence his musical works, what he hopes to achieve in music (including as a creative director), how and why he has to make a concerted effort to look after himself, striving to be the best professional on all fronts, how young lawyers can make their mark on the world, why they should have creative outlets, and his broader advice on the value one can glean from play and experimentation. 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 this Momentum Media exclusive, produced by Lawyers Weekly’s sister brand Defence Connect, former prime minister Scott Morrison discusses a range of topics, including that he believes the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America are already in a “Cold War under a different guise”. Host Robert Dougherty and Australia’s 30th prime minister, Scott Morrison, discuss: Morrison’s departure from politics and plans for the future, his new role as non-executive vice-chairman at American Global Strategies and as an adviser with venture capital firm DYNE. A recent visit to South Korea, Australia’s relationships in the Indo-Pacific, as well as speculation surrounding defence companies Hanwha and Austal. About a modern, grey-zone Cold War between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Australia’s increasingly complex relationship with the People’s Republic of China and a recent incident between a PLA fighter jet and a Royal Australian Navy helicopter. The empowerment of Australia’s closest neighbourhood partnerships with Nauru and the Solomon Islands and maintaining the Indo-Pacific status quo. Australian involvement in, and the behind-the-scenes formation of, the AUKUS trilateral partnership, its original intent and vision. The US presidential election and possible re-election of Donald Trump. The accomplishments and downfalls of Morrison’s career in politics and during his time as the 30th prime minister of Australia. Morrison’s own experiences with Australian Defence Force equipment such as F-35 stealth aircraft, Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles and a personal favourite – the Nimitz Class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. 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!

Maddi Thimont works 25 hours per week as head of legal for a data insights and analytics company. Constructing the working week in such a way allows her not only to be more present for her family but also for her workplace. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Sagacity head of legal Maddi Thimont, who is based in the United Kingdom, about how she came to work for Sagacity on a reduced schedule, why such a working week is suitable for her (personally and professionally), and the balance it can offer to in-house lawyers. Thimont also fleshes out how and why she’s a better professional for working less than a full-time load, her elevated capacity to compartmentalise across the board, whether one has to sacrifice salary in order to have a shorter week and what the workload looks like, how in-house lawyers can go about securing such working arrangements for themselves, and why law departments will benefit in offering such arrangements do prospective and existing staff. 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!