Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Clarence Professional Offices, we explore how sole practitioners and small-firm owners can leverage support (both personal and professional) in the course of building a successful business. Host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Clarence Professional Group director Tony Jansz, as well as Gallant Law principal and founder Lauren Cassimatis and Walsh & Walsh Lawyers principal and practice director Julian Walsh, to discuss the critical importance of community support for lawyers and business owners, how to overcome the myriad challenges that small-business owners in law will face, leveraging support mechanisms and how such support makes one a better lawyer and business owner, and why membership in entities like Clarence can make such a difference. To learn more about Clarence’s Workspaces for Lawyers, click here.

For David Dwyer’s legal team, proactivity on environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations is key – it does not wait for movement from regulators or competitors, nor does it wait for emerging trends to materialise. ESG is, he says, a “wonderful avenue” through which law departments can be forward-thinking and better embedded within businesses. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Unilever general counsel David Dwyer about the high significance of ESG in the pecking order of urgent priorities for law departments, the balance between proactive and reactive steps to be taken by in-house lawyers, having underlying plans in place and the role of the GC in enacting such strategies. Mr Dwyer also delves into the importance of an all-encompassing approach, setting the stage within the legal team for the achievement of goals, undertaking internal analyses, engaging in trial and error, how his team and the broader business implemented a net zero strategy as well as achieved B Corp certification, ESG considerations moving into the future, and the lessons he and his team have learnt along the way. 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!

Annabel Biscotto, the immediate past president of the Australian Law Students’ Association, understands how difficult it can be for the next generation of lawyers to post publicly in the online realm as they wade into the profession. As she has learnt, being genuine and authentic is the surest way to develop a brand to be proud of. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Ms Biscotto to discuss her tenure as ALSA president, what she has learnt about herself and the journey of emerging lawyers from that 12-month role, the importance of putting one’s full self forward in the modern marketplace, and how it has become part of one’s professional development. Ms Biscotto also discusses how she tries to be genuine and authentic when posting online, navigating anxiety about such public-facing content, being empowered from owning one’s personal and professional brand, practical tips for getting one’s brand started, and what excites her about the younger generation leading the charge in adding more colour to lawyers’ identities to the outside world.

Claire Styles has always had a flair for entrepreneurialism and has long been passionate about being a business owner. Such drive serves her well as a mediator – as the art of mediation requires, she says, a commercial lens to best resolve disputes. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with C Legal & Co founder and principal Claire Styles (who is a finalist for Sole Practitioner of the Year at the upcoming Women in Law Awards) about her longstanding desire to be a business owner in law, how business imperatives drive her practice approach, the state of affairs for mediators and negotiators, and how the professional landscape is shifting. Ms Styles also delves into the big challenges for practitioners in this space moving forward, what she feels constitutes best practice, adopting a commercial lens to one’s approach to mediation, what other boutique firm owners can learn from the experience of mediators, and how practitioners across the board have to adapt their practices heading into the future. 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!

Anika Valenti, who won the Excellence Award at this year’s Australian Law Awards, joins us to reflect on taking a deeper, more holistic approach to client service delivery and why teaching and learning are at the core of her engagement with those she serves. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Terri Janke and Company senior associate Anika Valenti (who is also a two-time winner of the Senior Associate of the Year category) about her background in the film and television industry prior to her legal career, working with First Nations clients, seeing herself as a teacher for clients and how she looks to work deeply with, and take a holistic approach to, her clients. Ms Valenti also details the critical importance of relationship building, applying her approach to service delivery to all practice areas and all cultural demographics, how lawyers can adopt a more holistic approach, the broader perspective she’s been able to glean about the practice of law, and what excites her about her continued journey in the legal profession.

Ahead of the Women in Finance Summit and Awards 2023, we’re catching up with some of the leading women in the financial services space. Deslie Taylor, principal at Mortgage Choice Ormeau in Queensland, is one of the top brokers in the country, having settled over $1 billion in loans in her 16-year career and taken home numerous awards including Mortgage Broker of the Year at the Women in Finance Awards multiple years in a row. In this episode, we chat to Ms Taylor about how she runs her award-winning brokerage and find out from Aaron Slater, general manager of distribution at Mortgage Choice (principal partner of the Women in Finance Summit and Awards 2023), how we can help support and create more inclusive workplaces. Tune in to find out: The power of being an empathetic leader. The art of practising continuous improvement. How Mortgage Choice’s Aspire program is supporting women in finance. And much more!

Chloe Taylor has always loved fashion and has developed a keen interest in social media. Combining those interests into a niche legal practice area has provided this generalist lawyer with a new, exciting (and fast-growing) vocational pathway. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Hall & Wilcox lawyer Chloe Taylor to discuss what fashion law is, how and why she became interested in it and was able to turn it into a practice area, what the day-to-day looks like for a lawyer in this space, and how adept she has had to become with TikTok and social media more broadly as part of that practice. Ms Taylor also reflects on operating in a practice area that evolves with the times, seeing social media proficiency as part and parcel of one’s professional development, being proactive about carving out a niche practice as a generalist lawyer, looming trends for fashion law and its development as a practice area in Australia, and finding creative ways to implement new practices for one’s firm. 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!

Award-winning senior associate Mei Gong has noticed that some young lawyers are reluctant to nominate for law awards, as they feel – among other things – that they might be undeserving. Experience has taught her that not only is this not true, but that those who do put themselves forward for recognition will reap a multitude of personal and professional rewards. Editor’s note: submissions for the 30 Under 30 Awards 2024 close on 26 October. Please contact Mitch Crisafulli on 0449 523 760 or via email if you have any questions. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Johnson Winter Slattery senior associate Mei Gong (who won the Competition, Trade and Regulation category at the 30 Under 30 Awards 2023) to discuss her journey in law to date, how and when she first nominated for a Lawyers Weekly award, being a finalist in one year and winning in the next, and her perceptions of reluctance or fear among others to put themselves forward, and why. Ms Gong reflects on the steps involved in making an awards submission, the flow-on benefits that come with seeking such feedback on one’s work outside of the normal professional development process, the perspective one gains from looking back on their work in the past 12 months, why young lawyers should have more confidence in themselves, and overcoming self-limiting mindsets in order to celebrate one’s many achievements as an emerging leader in the legal profession. 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!

Here, chef and lawyer Elise Pulbrook reflects on her time on MasterChef, what lawyers can learn about time management from cooking, and how to look after themselves through food. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Elise Pulbrook, a lawyer at Baraka Lawyers and former semifinalist on MasterChef Australia, to discuss her life and journey, her love of cooking and experience of appearing on MasterChef, how she balances multiple hats (including a chef’s hat), and the lessons she has learnt about herself through her cooking and catering work. Ms Pulbrook also reflects on what the legal world can offer the food world, being a good manager of one’s time, the myriad opportunities for lawyers and others to look after themselves through food, and how best legal professionals can practically enjoy and immerse themselves in cooking. 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 the College of Law, we explore the “kindness in law” movement and its inextricable link to legal education and the ongoing development of practitioners moving forward. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with College of Law executive directors Deborah Battisson and Ann-Maree David (ACT and Queensland, respectively) and Balance Family Law co-founder and lawyer Jonathon Naef about the importance of the “kindness in law” movement and how and why it came about, why the College of Law is invested in this movement, and the ever-increasing need for such a shift in the training of practitioners across the board. The guests also reflect on how significant the shift towards kinder modes of practice is relative to other urgent professional priorities for lawyers, the practical takeaways and lessons from the recent inaugural Kindness in Law Forum (including how to implement kinder approaches in daily scenarios) and the business case for kindness moving forward. The College of Law is working to imbibe kindness in its educational offerings; it is a strategy that proposes a different industry outlook, one with the potential for creating a more well-rounded profession moving forward. There is so much more to this movement than just being “kind”; it is about building a sustainable and more equitable legal industry. To learn more about the College of Law 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!