Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

Trent Blacket, the co-founder of EMT Partners, helps operate three businesses: a law firm, an advisory firm, and an investment firm. Two and a half years since inception, Mr Blacket remains as excited and engaged as ever and has a clear understanding of how his entrepreneurial thinking can help achieve his personal and professional goals. On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with EMT Partners co-founder Trent Blacket about the three arms of his parent business, the concept of lawyers as venture capitalists, why he wanted to establish an operation that is more expansive than the average legal practice, how his experiences working overseas have informed his thinking and direction, and what the journey for EMT has been like so far. Mr Blacket also reflects on the implications for operating a law firm and also making investments for clients, the value proposition of such an expansive operation, how he manages the grind day to day, why entrepreneurial thinking is so critical in a post-pandemic world, what the future holds for his businesses, and what is motivating him 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!

Like personal relationships, being a business owner in law requires commitment, especially in the face of challenges. Finding ways to maintain love for your law firm, as its owner, is paramount to that firm's success. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Caralee Fontenele, the director of Collective Family Law and director of Scalable Law, to discuss her journey as a business owner (including learning how and when to hand over responsibilities as a practitioner so as to focus on running the business), understanding the needs of one's business, what it means to have love for one's legal business and the importance of maintaining that love even when challenges strike. Ms Fontenele also details the strategies she employs to ensure she keeps up the love even when she's not feeling it, the need to "spice it up" from time to time, the importance of proactivity in showing love to one's business, the need to think outside the box, and where the love she has for her own businesses will take her 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!

Why should law firms invest in technology? How can it shape their future? What difference will technology make to everyday life at the firm? Can efficiency, productivity and successful outcomes be driven by employing the right technology infrastructure? What will the law firm of tomorrow look like? On this special episode of LawTech Talks, LexisNexis head of core product (Pacific) Lindsay O'Connor talks to LexisNexis managing director (Pacific) Greg Dickason about the disruptive change technology is bringing to the legal world, enabling law firms to become more client-centric. For more information on LexisNexis solutions, 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!

Despite the hardship she has suffered as a result of vicarious trauma in the workplace, award-winning lawyer Zagi Kozarov is still highly motivated to support the community around her, especially now that a decade-long fight that culminated in a High Court challenge has concluded. (Content warning: this episode may be distressing for some listeners. Discretion is advised.) On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Kozarov Lawyers principal director Zagi Kozarov, who won the Wellness Advocate of the Year category at the 2022 Partner of the Year Awards and whose firm won Wellness Initiative of the Year at the 2022 Australian Law Awards. Ms Kozarov discusses her firm's growth plans, details the vicarious trauma she suffered in previous employment that led to proceedings over 10 years about duty of care and PTSD in the workplace, the need for employers to better accommodate idiosyncratic circumstances, and why she is keen to remain in criminal law. She also details the triggers she still experiences and the practical solutions she implements to overcome those, how messaging about wellness is changing, and what she wants other lawyers to take away from her High Court case and broader experiences. Help is available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 and Beyond Blue at 1300 22 4636. Each law society and bar association also has further contacts available on their respective websites. 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!

Our constitutional system is not separate from our national ecosystem. In the wake of increased litigation pertaining to climate change, it is incumbent upon legal officers, including judges, to consider how "old laws", such as the Constitution, can and should address "new problems", like the impacts of global warming. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by UTS Law teaching academic Dr Costa Avgoustinos to discuss how and why the effects of climate change can and will have consequences for the Australian Constitution and the nexus between the Constitution and our ecosystem. Dr Avgoustinos also discusses the key pillars of federalism and corruption in adversely affecting our Constitution in the context of climate change, the role of the judiciary in addressing climate-related concerns, the various political positions that lawyers and judges alike will have and take, the limits on governmental power, and why all lawyers should see the protection of the Constitution as so important when discussing climate change. 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!

Becoming a legal counsel in the defence industry was not a pathway that award-winning lawyer Katherine Stapels planned for, but it is a space that she has come to "really love". On this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with DroneShield general counsel Katherine Stapels — who won the Defence Lawyer of the Year category at the 2022 Corporate Counsel Awards — about her vocational journey towards working in defence, what listed company DroneShield does and why its work is so important to Australia, and what the law department is responsible for in achieving the company's aims. Ms Stapels also fleshes out how best to stay in touch with the community of defence lawyers, building relationships across a business, approaching applications with regulatory bodies, navigating the broader regulatory landscape, best practice for defence lawyers amidst all of the environmental challenges, lessons for defence lawyers based on her experiences, and why defence work is so engaging and motivating. 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!

When Travis Schultz & Partners was launched, its founder — whose name is on the door — presumed the firm would be kept small, with perhaps just over half a dozen staff. Now pushing 50 professionals, Travis Schultz has learned how to navigate the unanticipated scaling of a legal business and how to ensure it thrives. On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Travis Schultz & Partners founder and principal Travis Schultz to discuss his firm's growth journey from boutique to a bigger player in the Queensland marketplace, its beginnings to where it is now, mistakes that Mr Schultz thinks he has made and what he has learned from them, the various arms to sustainability, and when firm leaders need to think about changes to the firm's position and strategy. Mr Schultz also discusses how and when to share responsibilities with others in the business, the personal challenges of leading a rapidly expanding business, adjustments to the post-pandemic new normal, his firm's future plans, what "maturity" of the business looks like to him, and other guidance for boutique firm owners about how best to manage unexpected growth and scaling. 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!

Max Beavis always wanted to work overseas — with different clients and in different jurisdictions — as part of his growth as a lawyer. Currently working in London, he spoke with Lawyers Weekly whilst back in Sydney about what it's like to live and work internationally as an up-and-coming lawyer and how and why others should look into it. On this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Clifford Chance's newly qualified associate Max Beavis about his longstanding ambition to work overseas as a lawyer, broaching the conversation with one's employer about the possibility of making such a move, whether there is a particular approach that lawyers should take when having those conversations or a right time to do so, and how those conversations might go as we move out of the age of coronavirus. Mr Beavis also discusses his experiences of living in London, staying on top of his health and wellbeing while living across the world from his friends and family, what his day-to-day looks like, whether there are lots of Australian lawyers coming back to the UK post-pandemic, whether the mainstreaming of virtual work means young lawyers can get the same international experience from their homes, and other advice he would offer to new practitioners considering such moves. 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!

There is often a tendency, among legal employers, to immediately seek solutions to workplace risks to mental health. If this approach is taken with psychosocial hazards, however, "invariably, risks are going to get missed". On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with K&L Gates partner Dominic Fleeton and Proactive Action managing director Emma Parsons about legislative changes pertaining to employer obligations for managing mental health risks in the workplace, including the intent to provide said employers with greater detail about what their obligations entail. Mr Fleeton and Ms Parsons dive into the myriad issues surrounding psychosocial hazards, whether non-traditional approaches are needed in the post-pandemic world, the role of team leaders moving forward, and what will constitute best practice in the future.

Increasingly, employee share/stock ownership plans are being implemented, one GC says. The law department will play a big part in ensuring that such plans are not only fit for purpose but can help drive businesses forward in the post-pandemic market. On this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Linktree general counsel Rosanna Biggs about what employee share/stock ownership plans (ESOPs) are, why they are so important and becoming more common, what a typical ESOP looks like, the utility of offering such plans and whether more and more lawyers are keen to take them up. Ms Biggs also discusses the extent to which legal recruiters are seeing them as part of their work, how the law department can help in setting up ESOPs, whether trial and error forms part of such implementation, knowledge-sharing about such plans amongst fellow in-house lawyers, how best the law department can argue for such plans, and what the mainstreaming of ESOPs means for vocational growth 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!