Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

Businesses of all stripes must adjust to the evolving economic and environmental landscape, especially with the competition regulator ramping up its focus on key areas, argues one BigLaw partner. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Maddocks partner Shaun Temby to discuss how and why he enjoys his work in competition and consumer law, how and why there have been so many more prosecutions pertaining to cartel activity in recent times, what such prosecutions mean for lawyers working in this space, and how best to advise clients with regard to such a regulatory focus. Mr Temby also unpacks the state of affairs around greenwashing activity and how the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is viewing this (alongside other regulators), how best to liaise with in-house legal teams about such greenwashing and broader environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns, the other headline regulatory enforcement priorities that the competition regulator is engaged in, how lawyers can perceive these, and his guidance for practitioners in this space 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!

Foreign-qualified lawyers, both in-house and in private practice, can and do face myriad hardships practising in Australia. But, as Eimear Fitzmaurice can attest, overcoming those challenges is absolutely achievable. On this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with in-house property lawyer Eimear Fitzmaurice about her experience of moving to Australia from Ireland to practice, the hurdles that foreign-qualified lawyers have to overcome in new jurisdictions, and what she has learnt, both personally and professionally, since migrating. Ms Fitzmaurice also dives into juggling vocational and financial hurdles as a foreign-qualified lawyer, pulling one’s self through challenging times, how best employers can support legal professionals who have come from overseas (especially in the new normal), why employers should welcome such practitioners, and why those facing such challenges must persist. 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 this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Commonwealth Bank, we speak to an award-winning BigLaw partner about the state of affairs in cyber risk, data and technology practices, and how best the legal profession can steer businesses through ongoing volatility. Lawyers Weekly editor Jerome Doraisamy and Commonwealth Bank national head of professional services Daniela Pasini serve as co-hosts, with Corrs Chambers Westgarth head of TMT James North joining, to discuss the key takeaways and reflections from 2022 in the practice of cyber risk, how lawyers must be navigating the legal minefield currently confronting them, and what will constitute best practice in the face of said issues and challenges. Mr North also delves into how we should perceive the legislative framework and whether proposed changes will see Australia catch up to the realities on the ground, whether cyber insurance is worthwhile, building cyber capabilities in-house, and how the rest of 2023 is going to play out in this space.  To learn more about Commonwealth Bank, 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!

Most people study and practise law for emotional reasons, but as lawyers, we are trained to sideline those emotions and consider legal issues objectively and dispassionately. What kind of impact does this have, particularly with regard to LGBTI rights? On this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Manchester Law School reader in human rights law Dr Senthorun Raj about a recent research paper he published on the mapping of emotional grammar as it pertains to LGBTI rights in law schools, why this is such an important topic, whether emotion is incompatible with blackletter law, and the extent to which law can or should be divorced from passion. Dr Raj also discusses whether emotional grammar, particularly as it pertains to LGBTI rights, is even more critical in the post-pandemic new normal, the need to get the next generation of lawyers into good habits from day one, how best to incorporate emotional literacy into legal education (both for students and practitioners), and how best individuals can ensure they can upskill on such matters. 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!

Amidst another RBA rate hike in March, Australians are not only facing the looming threat of falling off the mortgage cliff but are also finding themselves trapped in a different kind of financial dilemma — a mortgage prison. Smart Property Investment’s Phil Tarrant and Finni Mortgages’ chief executive Paul Glossop acknowledged the increased pocket pain that borrowers are burdened with, thanks to the central bank’s continued monetary policy tightening in 2023. And while refinancing has become the go-to recourse for borrowers to deal with the blows, they shine a spotlight on borrowers who find themselves unable to switch lenders due to rate hikes negatively impacting their serviceability. On that note, they unpack the “moving parts” that impact a borrower’s serviceability and delve into possible solutions to escape (or prevent) being stuck in mortgage prison.

As a solicitor who is trusted to manage her daily routine as she sees fit — so long as the work gets done — award winner Phoebe MacDougall can’t think of a single reason why lawyers would not be able to perform better if they, too, were trusted to live and practice as they please, rather than in more traditional, cookie-cutter schedules. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back MacDougall & Hydes solicitor Phoebe MacDougall to discuss her firm’s unique approach to flexibility, what her day-to-day looks like, how she makes time rather than finds time for the things that matter to her while also succeeding as a practitioner, and the myriad benefits she (and her practice) gleans from such an approach. Ms MacDougall also delves into how best lawyers and their employers can have substantive conversations about setting up such trusting relationships and schedules, how both parties can and will benefit, the ever-important need for meaningful communication, how to pitch such an arrangement to one’s boss, and why all lawyers can and will be able to perform better if they can be truer to themselves. 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 this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Coaching Advocates, we explore the mindset of legal professionals and how best lawyers can reframe their thinking to better ensure personal and vocational success. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Coaching Advocates directors and co-founders Lara Wentworth and Katie Gray about why it is important to better understand and appreciate the mindset of lawyers, the nexus between mindset and mental health, the various traits of lawyers’ mindsets (including scarcity), how common such thinking is, and why it is critical to shift certain deleterious thinking. Ms Wentworth and Ms Gray also explain whether scarcity and related thinking has been heightened in recent years, the consequences of getting stuck in certain mindsets, practical ways to shift detrimental mindsets for lawyers, whether black-and-white rules exist, the legwork that lawyers must undertake themselves in addition to seeking support, and why working with coaches can make all the difference. To learn more about Coaching Advocates, click here.

In the wake of looming law reform in defamation, and given that it is “becoming harder and harder” to successfully sue for defamation, managing client expectations from the outset of proceedings is going to be especially pertinent for practitioners. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Bartier Perry partner Adam Cutri and associate David de Mestre to discuss the state of affairs in defamation law in Australia, lessons coming out of recent high-profile proceedings, where we’re at with the Stage 2 reforms, clarifications around the meaning of “serious harm”, and limitations on the amounts of non-economic loss. Mr Cutri and Mr de Mestre also delve into the proactive and reactive measures that are looming that lawyers in this space will have to be across, how lawyers on the ground feel about the reforms as they presently stand, the headline issues and challenges that defamation lawyers will have to contend with in the coming 12 months, emerging trends from high-profile cases to be across, shifts in the reasoning for bringing defamation proceedings, and best practice 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!

On this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Blumers Personal Injury Lawyers, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Blumers director Noor Blumer about the state of affairs for confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements and the extent to which such arrangements can come into conflict with the principle of open justice. Ms Blumer details how confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements pertain to our understanding of justice, the extent to which they are prevalent in litigious proceedings, the increase in complainants publicly disclosing the offences allegedly committed against them, and recent cases — including the allegations against Dyson Heydon and the Fox News saga in the United States — that have led the charge on such public disclosure. She also outlines the nexus of such conversations to defamation proceedings, community perceptions and how social media reinforces certain biases, and whether law reform is needed to improve justice processes. To learn more about Blumers Personal Injury Law, 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!

Given how much the working world has changed in recent years, emerging leaders in law have a greater capacity to redefine who and what they want to be in the profession. Ensuring that one always remembers the human element of practice, and is community-minded, will be critical, however. On this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back HWL Ebsworth solicitor and Voices of Influence Australia chief executive Taylah Spirovski to discuss the many hats she wears and how she juggles her various responsibilities, why her work with Voices is so important, why advocacy must be part of a young lawyer’s journey, and whether holistic success for those coming through the ranks has evolved in the age of coronavirus. Ms Spirovski also delves into how shifts in power are redefining what emerging lawyers can or should look like, getting the best deal for one’s self, practical steps to take to glean broader perspectives, how and why being community-minded is essential, and ensuring you are fulfilled as an emerging leader in 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!