Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

With the Reserve Bank of Australia delivering a year-end rate pain and borrowers facing a dreaded "mortgage cliff" this Christmas, these experts recommend mortgage holders change up their holiday plans and take steps to strengthen their financial positions. With the central bank pumping up the cash rate to its highest level in a decade this December, Smart Property Investment's Phil Tarrant and Finni Mortgages chief executive Paul Glossop call on mortgage holders to review their loans and take proactive steps to weather the rate hike headwinds. The duo also lay out strategies on how investors can strengthen their balance sheets, such as increasing their rental prices, extracting equity, repricing their existing loan or refinancing with a more pocket-friendly lender. They also touch on the latest inflation data and give their take on when the worst will be over for Aussie borrowers.

On this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Leo Cussen Centre for Law, we explore the "pivotal moment" in recruitment we are currently witnessing and why having a better understanding of how best to attract and retain top talent, by way of upskilling, is critical. Host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Leo Cussen manager of industry engagement and careers Alex Giannopoulos and Leo Cussen director of CPD Linda Baxter to discuss why the nexus between recruitment and legal education is so pertinent in the current climate, whether team leaders are more cognisant of the need to upskill, the current state of affairs for legal recruitment, and anticipated opportunities for such leaders moving forward into the new year. Alex and Linda also outline their top tips for selecting the right candidate, how to navigate the interview process, getting candidates over the line, best practice principles that may not have been applicable pre-pandemic, and how best to bolster one's training and professional development on these important questions. To learn more about Leo Cussen, click here.

We "can't change the world in one day", says Squire Patton Boggs Perth managing partner Tony Chong. However, he can and is doing what he can to promote diverse workplaces and reduce discrimination in the broader community. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Mr Chong — one of the first non-white managing partners of a BigLaw firm in Australia — about his journey in law (including a background in accounting), whether he aspired to the leadership position he is now in, the value of being involved in community work and not-for-profit organisations, and how best lawyers can roll up their sleeves for such work. Mr Chong also details his focus on diversity at Squire Patton Boggs, what he has observed over the years with regard to the bamboo ceiling, the presence of unconscious bias, what guidance he has for other law firm leaders around Australia, whether he is optimistic about the capacity for meaningful change in Australia's legal profession, and what is motivating him to be a better leader. 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 Corporate Counsel Show, produced in partnership with LawVu, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with LawVu chief legal evangelist Shaun Plant about empowering in-house lawyers to upskill and have more impact on their organisations. Mr Plant details his legal career to date, why upskilling in-house is so critical, the nexus between such professional development and fulfilment as a lawyer, the four key pillars to a connected legal function (including a focus on productivity, optimising engagement, proactivity and focusing on impact), the evolution or otherwise of best practice principles during the age of coronavirus, practical steps needed, and how to learn the skills essential to becoming a high-performing in-house legal team. To learn more about LawVu, click here.

Prospective clients, and the broader legal profession, will often have preconceptions about a lawyer's capacity — particularly when it comes to working women with families. Professionals must, Alana Jacquet says, be confident in their own abilities and vocational pathways, and not let anyone get in the way. On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Our Lawyers principal Alana Jacquet about her move from Sydney to the Southern Highlands of NSW, how and why the opportunity arose for her to assume the management of a boutique firm, the challenges she has experienced in running a business and managing a team, and how such experiences have shaped her sense of self as a lawyer. Ms Jacquet also details the struggles she has faced in proving herself to the market given her juggling of family and professional responsibilities, how commonplace such experiences are for women lawyers, the approaches she has taken to push back against such perceptions, and the advice she has for others as to how best to overcome preconceptions about one's capacity and ability. 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!

Advocacy is, arguably, the "purest form of lawyering". Learning how to do it well, two senior practitioners argue, is fundamental. On this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Chamberlains Law Firm director James d'Apice and senior associate Hugh Smith to discuss why advocacy skills are so critical for the next generation of lawyers to develop, what it feels like to be an advocate, and why it is so important to them to better educate those coming through the ranks about best practice. The pair also outline the holistic elements that shape a good advocate, balancing the competitive nature of advocacy against the need to look after one's self, the non-negotiable tenets of good advocacy, how the age of coronavirus has reinforced or changed best practice principles, what advocacy looks like in the new normal, and how emerging lawyers can get more involved in such legal work.

When engaging an expert like a neuropsychologist, it is imperative that lawyers not only find the right expert but understand and appreciate why they are doing so and, therefore, what the right questions to ask will be. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back author and neuropsychologist Dr Hannah Korrel to discuss how and why lawyers would look to utilise the expertise of neuropsychologists and in what practice areas such expertise would be called upon, whether lawyers properly understand such expertise and know the right questions to ask. Dr Korrel also details the practical steps that lawyers should take in ensuring they are asking the right questions, whether certain questions are one-size-fits-all or if certain principles are adaptable, how to engage the services of the right kind of professional, whether lawyers should upskill on neuropsychology, and why lawyers must be neuropsychological considerations for client service delivery as part-and-parcel of their duties to the court. 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!

According to Noel Lim, "real justice means maintaining your rights as well as your dignity". It's a mantra he's hoping to inspire in law students and grads coming through the ranks. On this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Anika Legal founding chief executive Noel Lim to discuss how and why the community legal centre got started, what it aims to do and why such work to ensure access to justice is so important, and how it involves students completing their practical legal training to bolster their professional skills and insight into key justice issues. Mr Lim also details why access to affordable housing is such a pertinent challenge, how the age of coronavirus exacerbated such concerns, how to better look after one's self whilst being immersed in such legal work, and how best those coming through the ranks can meaningfully make time for volunteer work such as addressing and providing safe and affordable housing. 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 recent collapse of crypto exchange FTX not only offers lessons but also provides an opportunity to reflect on the difficulties in regulating the digital assets and cryptocurrency space. On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Stirling & Rose founding partner James Myint and managing director Natasha Blycha about what's been happening in the crypto space, why the idea that crypto and digital assets are not regulated is a misnomer, the myriad difficulties in regulating this space, and whether such challenges can be overcome. The pair also detail what happened to FTX and what lessons can be drawn from this episode, what further regulation we may see in this space, and what lawyers who work in digital assets, cryptocurrency and smart legal contracts have to look forward to in the near 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!

On this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Metrics Credit Partners, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Metrics managing partner Andrew Lockhart about all things private debt in the post-pandemic market and what investors are looking at as we look ahead to a potential global recession. Mr Lockhart discusses the state of affairs for private debt, why it has been an attractive prospect for investors across the board and what is driving its increasing attractiveness in the wake of market volatility, what lessons can be learned from previous recessions if indeed another one comes to pass, and why geopolitical issues may have ripple effects. He also delves into the ramping up of restructuring and insolvency, the role of private debt in such times, how best lawyers can perceive the state of affairs in determining how to advise their clients, the practical steps that legal professionals can and should be taking, and what non-bank lenders and alternative investment fund managers may need from lawyers moving forward. To learn more about Metrics Credit Partners, click here.