Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

Here, we unpack the recently released 2023–2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy, its implications for lawyers and legal service providers, and the best practice principles that will be pertinent moving forward. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Cyber GC founder principal Annie Haggar (a former winner of the General Counsel of the Year category at the Australian Law Awards) to discuss how and why the federal government’s new cyber security strategy has emerged, how Australia is faring relative to overseas counterparts on cyber matters at present, and the headline takeaways for lawyers and legal services providers from the new strategy. Ms Haggar also dives into how the market has responded to the new strategy, the extent to which various legal practice areas have received suitable guidance, the questions lawyers, firms, and teams must be asking of themselves and their businesses, whether proactive refusal of work from those whose processes aren’t up to scratch should be implemented, why lawyers must be at the heart of cyber responses moving forward, and why lawyers need to view cyber as part and parcel of their duties to the courts, clients, and the broader community. 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, X 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!

The positive duty to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace became law last December, and the one-year grace period employers were given to comply is about to expire. Here, we dive into the work employers must do to ensure compliance with the new duty. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by byrne∙dean head of strategy Samantha Mangwana to discuss the significance of last year’s Respect@Work reforms, the positive duty to report and eliminate unlawful conduct, how that new duty can be applied in post-pandemic working environments, and penalties or enforcement actions that regulators can take. Ms Mangwana also reflects on the seven standards for organisations to comply with, the headline structural and cultural challenges for legal employers to navigate, the actions that those employers must immediately take, and her level  of optimism that legal workplaces can and will be able to make progress moving forward. 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, X 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!

The president of Queensland Law Society, Chloe Kopilovic, is concerned about the readiness or otherwise of emerging practitioners to either start their own practices or have the capacity to hit the ground running as an employee in a smaller legal practice – and she’s not alone. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with QLS president and FC Lawyers director Chloe Kopilovic about being such a young president of a major legal member association, why discussing the need to better equip those coming through the ranks to succeed in the SME space is so critical, how and why the issue is becoming more stark, and whether lengthier induction periods are required in legal education and professional development. Ms Kopilovic also reflects on the flow-on consequences for graduate lawyers not being ready to open their own practices or assume a caseload or business responsibilities, the practical steps that different stakeholders can take, including and especially what those looking to enter the SME space can do, and how employers can better prepare grads entering their businesses, and the need to ensure the delivery of law to the community can continually improve. 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, X 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 JustFund, we unpack the recent national rollout of the Priority Property Pool list, its impact on the family law system moving forward, and what it all means for practitioners and their clients. Host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by JustFund Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Jack O’Donnell; JustFund Client Success Manager, Erica Henson-Hatton; Soden Legal Principal, Sandra Soden; and former judicial registrar and dispute resolutionist at ADR business Myra Aris & Co, Angelo Bistolaridis, to discuss what the PPP is, its national rollout, the justification for said rollout given what those on the ground are experiencing, and how it works and who is eligible. The panel of guests also delve into the myriad impacts on practice, the workloads that practitioners are currently grappling with, how to stay on top of relevant changes, the courts’ next steps, and how legal funding can assist those going through separation and wanting to avoid court proceedings. To learn more about JustFund, 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!

In this special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with Thomson Reuters, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Piper Alderman managing partner Tony Britten-Jones and chief operating officer Chris McLean about the shifting roles of external providers and in-house teams looking to evolve in the current climate. The guests discuss how necessity is the mother of invention, the headline operational changes being seen from in-house teams at this juncture, striking the right balance between rolling with the times versus wading in cautiously when implementing changes, and how big firms can best be supporting their teams in the utilisation and uptake of technological advancements. Mr Britten-Jones and Mr McLean also reflect on increased sophistication from in-house teams when dealing with their external providers and how law firms have to adapt in dealing with their clients, the need or otherwise for trial and error in determining best practice, taking calculated risks and grasping opportunities, and lessons being learnt from the pace of change. To learn more about Thomson Reuters, 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!

Following the Women in Finance Summit and Awards 2023, we’re catching up with some of the leading women in the financial services space. In this episode, we chat to Rebecca Warren, executive general manager of small-business banking at CommBank, about how she navigated a historically male-dominated industry over her 20-year career and why she believes inclusion and diversity are not just morally imperative, but key to achieving superior business results. Tune in to find out: Why she loves commercial finance. The secret power of ‘quiet achievers’. How CommBank is creating a more inclusive and supportive work culture. And much more!

Here, we explore whether the profession is making headway in ensuring proportionate briefing to the Bar, necessary approaches for the successful implementation of an equitable briefing strategy, and how far the profession still has to go. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with barrister Dr Kylie Weston-Scheuber and Victorian government solicitor Matthew Hocking about the state of affairs for equitable briefing in various courts and jurisdictions, how the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office has become a gold standard in such briefing to women barristers and what strategies it implements. The guests also reflect on the cultural, structural and social hurdles that may be preventing progress on equitable briefing, whether there are self-imposed hurdles, the impact (if at all) of the advent of virtual hearings, how in-house teams fare compared to private practice counterparts, the need for data and accountability, the importance of a client-driven approach, and whether there is reason for optimism moving forward. 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 LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with Thomson Reuters, host Jerome Doraisamy and National Australia Bank general counsel Sharon Cook flesh out the pace and impact of technological change upon corporate legal teams and how best those teams can ready themselves for the turn of the decade. The pair discuss why such a conversation about the future is so essential, the extent to which technology continues to evolve, how law departments can be at the forefront of such change so as to better support their businesses, effectively managing risk, bringing whole teams along for the journey of evolution, and the duty of leaders to better understand and appreciate current and looming change. Ms Cook also delves into some of the changes her own law department has implemented, what has been learnt from such initiatives, and how best other in-house legal teams can look to take practical steps to ensure they remain trusted advisers to their businesses in an ever-changing professional services marketplace. To learn more about Thomson Reuters, 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!

In this special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with Clio, we reflect on the next set of challenges for practitioners when it comes to self-education on the powers and capabilities of emerging technologies and the need to meaningfully triage and prioritise for the health of your practice. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Clio founder and chief executive Jack Newton, who is based in the United States, about where the provider sees Australia as sitting in the global market at this juncture and why, what is so exciting about the Australian marketplace at present, the headline trends and challenges to look out for as the new year approaches, and how practitioners can best identify necessary practical steps moving forward. Mr Newton also delves into Clio’s AI strategy and its push in the Australian market, ensuring the right resources are being deployed for one’s tech stack, avoiding a “set and forget” attitude with existing practice management platforms, realising the “hierarchy of data needs”, appreciating whether your practice is at on the adoption spectrum, and why cloud solutions remain so critical. To learn more about Clio, 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!

While progress has been made in recent years to ensure that business development is easier for male and female professionals alike, Sue-Ella Prodonovich muses, there remain environmental hurdles that make BD more difficult for some. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Prodonovich Advisory principal Sue-Ella Prodonovich (who also regularly serves as a judge for Lawyers Weekly awards programs) to discuss how business development can and does prove more difficult for women leaders in law, the suggested reasons for this, how the post-pandemic landscape impacts such difficulty (if at all), and what professionals on the ground tell her about such hurdles. Ms Prodonovich also reflects on the extent to which male counterparts in the profession are cognisant of such perceived imbalances, how the market is looking to better level the playing field, whether the looming new year is throwing up any new challenges to grapple with in successful BD for women professionals, practical ways to ensure that BD is easier for all, and how to keep BD at the top of the priority list, even amid so many competing priorities. 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!