Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

With pandemic-inspired relief for businesses continuing, it is essential that businesses of all stripes consider and implement idiosyncratic strategies to ensure their viability in the new year and beyond. Those advising said businesses have a critical role to play. In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, brought to you in conjunction with our partners at Olvera Advisors, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Olvera co-founder and principal Lucy Vecchio to discuss the state of affairs for insolvency and restructuring reforms as the age of coronavirus continues, what businesses must be actively considering at this juncture and what can be learned from overseas jurisdictions. The pair also discuss the need for position reassessment as the end of the moratorium looms and why 2021 may present windows of opportunities for acquisitions and divestments. 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!

At a certain point, sole practitioners may find they have too much work on their plates. Knowing how and when to start hiring people, and become a leader of a legal business, is critical. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Legalite Australia principal Marianne Marchesi and Studio Legal principal Jennifer Tutty to chat about their respective legal careers, the circumstances that led to them deciding to hire others, learning that a law firm is a business at heart, and how the age of coronavirus has highlighted opportunities to better collaborate with other legal professionals and ensure your legal business thrives in the new normal. The trio also discuss the importance of “hiring for culture, not hiring for skills”, the importance of wellness (both as a person and a professional), and other lessons learned along the journey of being a leader within a boutique legal practice. 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 Partner of the Year Awards 2020 will be hosted as a live broadcast event on Friday 27 November, and as part of this virtual event, Lawyers Weekly is pleased to bring you a series of podcasts showcasing finalists across numerous award categories. In this episode, Lawyers Weekly deputy editor Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Shirley Southgate, executive director of Leo Cussen Centre for Law, event partner of the Women in Law Awards, and representatives from two finalists in the Diversity Law Firm of the Year category: Zoe Lynam from Proximity and Genevieve Collins from Lander & Rogers. The quartet discuss what diversity means in the modern legal marketplace, what efforts and initiatives are working and where strategies might need to be re-evaluated, how the age of coronavirus has impacted upon professional and financial investment in advancing diversity and inclusion, and where opportunities might exist for such advancement in a post-pandemic world. Lawyers Weekly will continue to recognise the achievements of talented female professionals in law in 2020 — despite not being able to host everyone in-person. Registration is free for our live broadcast, which will be held on at 7pm AEST on Thursday 10 December. Register now to be a part of the Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year 2020 virtual ballroom. 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!

For the third year in a row, Lawyers Weekly and Governance Institute of Australia are pleased to present an episode about the annual Ethics Index, with this year’s findings showcasing fascinating results about how ethical Australians deem lawyers, judges and law societies to be. In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Governance Institute CEO Megan Motto and governance, human rights and modern slavery legal expert Geraldine Johns-Putra to discuss how ethical perceptions of legal professionals have evolved since 2019, and why said perceptions have changed. Moreover, the trio chat about current and looming responsibilities of lawyers to best serve the communities around them, as well as respond to the ethical perceptions that Australians bestow upon them. 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!

One young student has challenged the lack of diversity by creating a new organisation that connects African-Australian students from all over Australia.  The legal profession has a big problem with diversity: there’s next to none to speak of. Although the onus for changing it should never be on the shoulders of our young lawyers, one student has addressed it with a new organisation that has already made huge strides in the few short months it has been active.  In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Naomi Neilson is joined by fifth year law student and founder of African Legal Connect Australia Nonye Duru to talk about the lack of diversity and why her organisation is critical to the future of the profession. Without organisations like this, that future is looking grim.  We also chat about what it was like to create an organisation like this while still at law school, the opportunities to be found in these experiences and how the whole of law can improve with a little more support from our major legal bodies. This is the second episode in The Protégé Podcast series and comes after our chat with Australian Law Student Association (ALSA) president Nicholas Tsekouras and immediate past president Margaret Cai on the changes they have made in 2020 and what 2021 will bring them. You can listen to the inaugural episode here. If you have any questions about either episode or if there are any topics that you want us to look into, please reach out—we would love to hear from you! We’re also always open to new guests so if you have an exciting story to tell, if you you’re standing out as a student or graduate, or if you can offer some tips for our young lawyers, get in touch!   You can reach us here:  Emails: editor@lawyersweekly.com.au or naomi.neilson@momentummedia.com.au Socials: Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter or reach out to me directly here. 

Before the onset of coronavirus, sexual harassment in law was still a “very common, prevalent experience”. In a post-pandemic world, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins says, there will be new challenges for legal workplaces to address, including ones that are already emerging. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, of the Australian Human Rights Commission, for a chat about where our legal profession is at in addressing sexual harassment and other forms of misconduct, how the pandemic has had a “gendered impact” upon the personal, professional and fiscal circumstances of lawyers, and the rising rates of digital harassment. The pair also discuss the change nature of leadership within law firms and legal departments and how lawyers must be advising clients about workplace issues, as the legal profession moves to ensure that, in the new normal, all lawyers and legal staff can enjoy safe, supportive and collegiate working environments. 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!

Legal department leaders in telecommunications companies must balance many competing interests and concerns each and everyday. Prioritising decisions based on risk is the best path forward, says one GC.    In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Telstra general counsel Craig Emery to discuss helping a company make informed choices about its risk mitigation, how corporate counsel must impart wisdom and why he is so passionate about the capacity and reach of telecommunications companies to effect meaningful change.    The pair also chat about the broader impact of the age of coronavirus on the telecommunications sector, how legal departments have managed in this time, what lies on the horizon for those departments, and how best leaders can steer their companies in a successful direction. 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!

Lawyers Weekly, in partnership with Maurice Blackburn, is pleased to present a two-part episode exploring all things class actions in 2020 and beyond.  In the second part of this conversation, host Jerome Doraisamy and Maurice Blackburn national head of class actions Andrew Watson dive deeper into the challenges surrounding contingency fees and common fund orders, the duties of leaders in class actions teams at this critical juncture, and the likelihood of shareholder class actions emerging in a post-pandemic world The pair also unpack why a career on the plaintiff side of the table can be a meaningful, inspiring vocational pathway for lawyers interested in class action work. If you haven’t yet listened to part one of this conversation, go back to tune in! 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!

Lawyers Weekly, in partnership with Maurice Blackburn, is pleased to present a two-part episode exploring all things class actions in 2020 and beyond.  In the first part of this conversation, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Maurice Blackburn national head of class actions Andrew Watson to discuss where the parliamentary inquiry into litigation funding and industry regulation is at, the position of plaintiff firms with regards to that inquiry, and what issues need to be addressed as the new year approaches.  The pair also discuss Mr Watson's vocational journey and what work as a plaintiff lawyer in the class actions space means to him. Be sure to tune in for the second half of this conversation next week! 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!

Having operated a virtual legal practice for over six years, Emma Heuston knows exactly how to make the ‘new normal’ work. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined Emma Heuston – founder of The Remote Expert and winner of the Thought Leader of the Year Award at the 2018 Women in Law Awards – to discuss her journey of working virtually, what works and doesn’t work, and what Australian practitioners (who are now just getting used to pandemic-inspired workplace changes) can learn from her experience. The pair also discuss the prospect of more remote lawyers in regional and coastal towns around Australia post-pandemic, how emerging leaders in law can better utilise the virtual space and how the legal profession is shifting more broadly. 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!