Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

For Steve Lancken, mediation has always offered ways and means of resolving disputes that produce more satisfying and productive outcomes for parties. Here, he details the lessons he’s learnt over more than two decades as a mediator and how best to serve clients in an ever-changing landscape. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Negocio Resolutions managing director Steve Lancken (who won the Mediator-Arbitrator of the Year category at the 2023 Australian Law Awards) to discuss how and why he became a mediator, how few client matters he saw proceed to litigation in the earlier iteration of his legal career, what he finds so rewarding about mediation, and his views on the current climate for mediators in Australia’s marketplace. Mr Lancken also reflects on the rise of mediation in recent years, the most common mistakes made in mediations, the need to actively use certain language to manage clients’ states of mind,  pitfalls to avoid, how to glean the necessary lessons to succeed, the do’s and don’ts for successful mediators, shifting one’s mindset, and his excitement about the next generation of practitioners coming through the ranks, who better understand and appreciate avenues like mediation. 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 Suzanne Wood, state general manager residential broker Victoria/Tasmania at Westpac Group (and state chair of the Women of Westpac employee advocacy group), about how she climbed the career ladder in banking and the power of having strong female role models. Tune in to find out: How she learnt the art of having difficult conversations. The perils of unconscious bias and how to tackle them. How Westpac is supporting women through the Women of Westpac employee advocacy group. And much more!

Anthony Kearns is increasingly concerned about what he sees as objectively unsustainable work practices and higher levels of distress among a highly resilient demographic. Here, we unpack how and why such issues are impacting in-house teams and what some of the practical steps might be to meaningfully move forward. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Lander & Rogers chief client experience officer and consulting practice group leader Anthony Kearns to discuss why safety and sustainability require urgent consideration by law departments, the extent to which current issues and psychosocial hazards are a product of our times or longstanding concerns, and how and why such matters are so front of mind for law department leaders. Mr Kearns also reflects on the “roadmaker’s dilemma” facing in-house teams, the extent to which such teams can or should be comfortable with the idea of letting others down, ensuring clarity of purpose and other practical steps that law departments can take at this critical juncture, and why he remains optimistic about the potential for in-house teams to problem-solve. 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 episode, the host discusses with Professor Anne Twomey the difficulty of amending Australia's Constitution, the need for constitutional updates, the influence of compulsory voting on the success of referendums, and the challenges faced by a yes campaign. They also explore the importance of bipartisan support and better civics education in facilitating constitutional change.

Criminal law, Andrew Tiedt says, is an incredibly challenging but also rewarding practice area – and, increasingly, he sees opportunities for practitioners to be advocates in jury trials and utilise their extensive skill sets. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back J Sutton Associates director Andrew Tiedt, an accredited specialist in criminal law, to discuss why the practice of criminal law is so stimulating, the extent to which being advocate is the remit of barristers only (and whether any lawyer can be an advocate for their clients), why he describes himself as a “solicitor advocate”, and if other criminal lawyers are self-identifying as such. Mr Tiedt also reflects on how and why he became a practitioner who runs many of his own jury trials rather than briefing out, whether trial advocacy is something that more practitioners can aspire to, whether moving to the bar is for him, how practitioners can develop the requisite skills to be better advocates, how colleagues respond to him calling himself a “solicitor advocate”, movement away from adversarial practices, and the need or otherwise for more open-mindedness when it comes to our understandings of 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!

The Federal Court of Australia recently rejected the ABC’s attempted use of the public interest defence in defamation proceedings brought by former special forces soldier Heston Russell. Here, we unpack the technicalities of the new defence and how it played out for the national broadcaster. Host Naomi Neilson is joined by Elit Lawyers by McGirr & Snell founder Robert McGirr to discuss what the new public interest defence to defamation is, what transpired in the recent Russell v ABC case, reflect on various submissions made by the parties during those proceedings, lessons learnt from this test case, and how this high-profile matter might impact upon defamation proceedings in Australia moving forward, if at all. 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!

Most in-house lawyers that Michael Milnes speaks with are inundated with email, and often spend a significant part of their day working in, and interrupted by their inbox. Here’s how he is looking to overcome it. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with TPG Telecom senior corporate counsel Michael Milnes about the scourge of being flooded by emails and why it’s such a big problem for in-house legal teams, how a clogged inbox gets in the way of addressing the urgent priorities, how having a full inbox can be seen as part and parcel of one’s role and why this is problematic. Mr Milnes also discusses what he has learnt about managing his inbox, imbibing a top-down culture around clearing one’s email inbox, whether external providers have a role to play in supporting their clients, the need for a mindset shift in getting the little things right, the increasing need to address this issue in the post-pandemic climate, and his broader words of wisdom for in-house lawyers in better managing such administrative tasks. 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, we look back on the year that was in the legal tech space, what we’ve learnt, and what to expect in 2024.   Host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Thomson Reuters’ Head of Commercial and In-house at Practical Law, Tyrilly Csillag, and Director of Client Relationships, Shelley Mulhern, to discuss the key takeaways from legal tech developments and utilisation in the last 12 months, how teams both in-house and in private practice have had to adapt and evolve, and what the rise of generative artificial intelligence, in particular, has meant for legal service delivery. The guests also detail what those teams on the ground are saying about such tech developments, concerns around cyber security, the nexus between tech utilisation and staff retention, rethinking professional development pathways, what the experience of lawyers will look like in 2024, trends to anticipate in the coming year, and how Thomson Reuters can continue to assist private practitioners and in-house teams in ensuring best practice. To learn more about Thomson Reuters and its offerings, click here. Thomson Reuters invites in-house counsel who’d like to hear more about these trends to join its upcoming, complimentary roundtable: RSVP 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 The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with CT Group, we explore the state of affairs for IT in Australian legal practices: what’s working and isn’t working, and how best to position your firm moving forward. Host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by CT Group director James Hey to discuss why optimal information technology processes are so critical at this juncture, what firms are currently doing well and why, the importance of effective collaboration and communication with IT providers, the need for proper investments of time and capital, and avoiding a “set and forget” approach by proactively looking for improvements across the business. Mr Hey also delves into the issues impacting efficiency within legal businesses right now, the questions firms need to be asking, improving awareness of the shortcomings to be addressed, the “Essential Eight” coming into effect next year, IT trends moving forward, what will constitute best practice in the new year, and how CT Group can help. To learn more about CT Group and its offerings, 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!

Taking a gamble: The fanfare surrounding this year’s Melbourne Cup significantly pales in comparison to what’s going on over at the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). In this episode of Property Finance Uncut, Smart Property Investment’s Phil Tarrant and Finni Mortgages’ chief executive Paul Glossop shed a light on the trajectory being set by Michele Bullock, the recently appointed governor of the RBA. Having only commenced in the role in September, the November rate decision marks her first opportunity to put her stamp on the top job – and today’s rate decision points to the future direction of her governance. 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!