Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

Whilst gleaning professional benefits such as improved business functions and greater capacity to scale are essential takeaways from the utilisation of legal technology, there are other, broader vocational benefits: ensuring that one can practise in ways that make sense to them is, for one entrepreneur, at the core of the future of legal services. On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Firmsy founder and chief executive Claudia King about her motivation for transitioning into the legal tech space, what it means to practise law from the heart and how and why legal tech is critical to this concept, and how practitioners of all stripes can benefit from adopting such an approach. Ms King also explains why it is too important, from a client perspective, for their legal service providers to think about their use of tech in such ways, the hurdles facing lawyers in adopting this approach, how they can once again view their practices as an outlet to feed their souls in the right ways, and what excites her about the broader appreciation and understanding of legal tech and its myriad benefits. 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!

Change is inevitable in the legal profession. Understanding how that change is being managed, and the approaches being adopted to manage such change, is just as, if not more, important as the advent of change itself. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with UNSW senior lecturers Dr Justine Rogers and Dr Felicity Bell (who are the deputy director and research fellow, respectively, for the Law Society of NSW's Future of Law and Innovation in the Profession (FLIP) research stream) about their recent research, published by Cambridge University Press, into change managers in the law and better understanding the stereotypes we have about those who embrace or are resistant to change. Dr Rogers and Dr Bell detail the interviews they conducted with change managers across the board in Australia's legal profession, the changes being introduced in legal organisations, what we mean by the term "change managers", the extent to which personality traits impact leadership approaches, what makes a "transformational leader" in law, the need to listen to what change is needed, and much more. 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!

Megan Comerford has always loved Australian rules football. Now the general manager of legal for the AFL Players Association, she is in a position to wake up, every day, and undertake rewarding legal work. On this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by AFL Players' Association general manager of legal Megan Comerford to discuss her career in law to date, the primary focus on collective bargaining for male and female players, being part of a "niche business within a niche industry", what the daily grind looks like and how such legal work is evolving, with the advent of the AFLW. Ms Comerford also explains the need to cater to the idiosyncratic needs of both male and female players, in conjunction with their varying personal circumstances, the need to be adaptive and flexible with any external circumstances in the sporting world, the importance of knowledge sharing with legal counsel in other sporting codes, and implementing best governance practices to drive Australian sport 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!

Since she was a little girl, Sally Callander has wanted to be a lawyer. Armed with education and passion for gender equality and women's roles in law, she has established her own firm in Mudgee, NSW — a move that has endeared her to locals, thanks to her genuine empathy for their concerns and values, together with her advocacy for women. On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Sally Callander Law principal solicitor Sally Callander — who is a finalist for Regional/Suburban Lawyer of the Year at the 2022 Australian Law Awards — about her lifelong ambition to become a lawyer, how and why she and her family moved to regional NSW, her background in sociology and gender studies, and what the early days of legal practice in the regions were like. Ms Callander also details her philosophy on women in the workplace, why she runs an all-female law firm, how the regions are changing, the critical approaches needed in adapting to regional expectations, the challenges she foresees for regional and suburban solicitors, and her plans for expansion into other areas of Australia. 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 her admission last year, Jemma Barnard has recently been promoted to associate at her firm. Here, she reflects on how to get from A to B and lessons learned in assuming greater responsibility and growing as a legal professional. On this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Travis Schultz & Partners associate Jemma Barnard about her journey from property management to legal studies and then becoming a lawyer, working her way up to associate and what she's learned in her early days of legal practice. Ms Barnard also discusses being given responsibility for her own file load and management of a paralegal joining her team, the importance of having a good mentor as part of one's professional development, and what excites her about continuing her journey as a legal professional. 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!

Senator Lidia Thorpe, the first Aboriginal Australian to represent Victoria in the federal Senate, spoke with Lawyers Weekly during the recent Reconciliation Week about what broader Australia can learn from Indigenous legal principles and how existing laws and legislative processes can be alienating for First Nations people. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Senator Thorpe, a DjabWurrung, Gunnai, and Gunditjmara woman representing the Greens in the Federal Parliament, about her personal and political interest in the Indigenous experience in Australia's legal system, what drives her to advocate for change, and her perception of why there are fewer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lawyers in Australia relative to their numbers across the national population. Senator Thorpe also details how she feels existing laws and processes can be alienating for First Nations people and what impact this can have, the importance of self-determination and whether it can be attained in the near future, the benefits of Indigenous legal principles and how they can be applied in modern Australia, and how best lawyers of all stripes can use their professional standing to push for and enact societal 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!

Better managing one's money isn't just good practice for general life, says law-graduate-turned-financial-educator Paridhi Jain. The skills developed from effectively staying on top of financials can also, she says, make you a better legal professional. On this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Paridhi Jain, who is the founder of financial education business SkilledSmart, about her own experience at law school and why she would have benefited from having greater knowledge about her financials, how and when she realised that educating others about money was her calling (as opposed to legal practice), and why law students and young lawyers do not worry about their money as much as other demographics. Ms Jain outlines some key lessons that those coming through the ranks in the legal profession must know about managing their money, the attitudes they must be adopting, putting a positive spin on one's budgeting, overcoming the fear of dealing with one's budget due to being overextended elsewhere, how much time in the week should be dedicated to money management and how such management will, ultimately, make one a better lawyer. 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!

Adele Anthony has, as she put it, "always wanted to be the bride and not the bridesmaid" when it comes to her career. At 45, she decided to get her law degree, and — now, a few years after graduating — is a finalist for the Sole Practitioner of the Year category at the 2022 Australian Law Awards. On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes Your Legacy Lawyer principal Adele Anthony — whose firm is also a finalist in the Regional Firm of the Year category at the upcoming Australian Law Awards — to discuss her career and journey before entering law school in her mid-40s, what drove her (personally and professionally) to be a law firm owner, the need to talk about one's own experiences with clients, and garnering a more holistic perspective on what her clients are experiencing. Ms Anthony also delves into working as flexibly as possible, the extent to which one should compartmentalise, her approach to new and emerging technologies and how she is looking to market her practice, her plans for expansion across the country, and what guidance she would offer about making career shifts later in life. 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!

Recently, "extensive" reforms have come to pass in tackling the far-reaching cyber security risks facing the nation. These reforms, Melissa Tan, will cut across every industry and businesses of all sizes. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Lander & Rogers partner Melissa Tan about how and why she became involved in cyber security as a legal practice area, why the reforms to the Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) Act were brought in and what positive security obligations now exist, and whether lawyers should be viewing these reforms – including the improved ability for government to provide assistance – as a positive or negative development. Ms Tan also discusses how these reforms compare to the situation overseas, whether lawyers working in this space have any reasonable precedents to follow in adhering to new rules, what will constitute best practice for lawyers advising their clients moving forward, how best to be proactive without a road map, and what lawyers have to look forward to in better servicing clients in 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!

On this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Madison Marcus Law Firm, host Jerome Doraisamy converses with Madison Marcus' financial services direct lead and partner Perry Hume regarding recent learnings through current developments in the crypto space, why crypto isn't going anywhere, and how legal practitioners can respond moving forward. Mr Hume delves into the day-to-day of a lawyer practising in the crypto space, the state of affairs in the broader market, whether our definition of cryptocurrency is evolving, his reflections on recent volatility and the consequences of recent fluctuations, and the how and why the crypto world is currently the "Wild West". He also discusses where Australia is at, where it is heading in terms of regulation, and why practitioners must wrap their heads around the idea that crypto is not going anywhere and that it will permeate across many practice areas. Mr Hume responds to questions about the extent to which firms should invest their efforts in crypto, whether they should accept crypto for services rendered, and what will constitute best practice moving forward amidst the ongoing "digital revolution". Aligned towards the continued dynamic growth of digital currencies and blockchain technology, Madison Marcus is now accepting cryptocurrency as a form of payment. To learn more about the firm and its work, 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!