Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

More needs to be done, both by those at the Bar and the legal profession more broadly, to manage the idiosyncratic wellbeing issues faced by barristers – including, but not limited to, moving beyond performative, awareness-raising conversations about barristers' experiences. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Melbourne-based barrister Dr Michelle Sharpe about her two decades at the Bar and what she's learnt, her perceptions about barristers' wellness across the board, whether the Bar is lagging behind private practice, and moving beyond box-ticking exercises. Sharpe also reflects on her concerns about wellness conversations not being conducted in the most productive ways possible, pushback experienced when trying to advance specific wellness conversations, the flow-on consequences for barristers' wellness not being at optimal levels, how the whole profession can better cater to barristers' wellness needs, and why she is cautiously optimistic that the Bar can move forward constructively.

After a 25-year career in journalism at some of Australia's most well-known media organisations, including Channel 9 and Channel 7, Naomi Shivaraman has traded telling stories for interpreting statutes – sharing her inspiring and compelling journey of becoming a lawyer later in life. In a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Naomi Shivaraman, legal affairs strategist at BlackBay Lawyers, about her 25-year career as a journalist across some of Australia's most prominent media organisations, including Channel 9 and Channel 7, reflects on the moments she holds closest to her heart and explains what ultimately inspired her to trade telling stories for interpreting statutes. Shivaraman also delves into the challenges of returning to study as a mature-age law student while working in a fast-paced newsroom, reflects on the unique advantages and transferable skills her media background brings to the legal profession, explains how experiencing the law from the inside reshaped her perspective as a reporter, and offers thoughtful advice to professionals considering a major career change later in life but feeling hesitant to take the leap.

In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with NROL, host Jerome Doraisamy sits down with NROL founder Jesse Shah to explore the future of the legal profession and the launch of LawUno, a new platform designed to better connect, support, and empower lawyers. Reflecting on the 2025 Women in Law Awards, hosted in November, Shah shares why his continued involvement in the awards remains deeply personal and professionally important, and how supporting women in law is inseparable from building a stronger, more inclusive profession. The conversation then turns to the real challenges lawyers are facing as the profession moves into 2026, from fragmented networks and limited access to information to the lack of meaningful community, training, and career visibility. Shah outlines why these issues have reached a critical point and how LawUno has been created to directly address them. Shah also discusses the importance of better connection "more than ever", the evolving ways lawyers present themselves professionally, reflections on the upcoming 30 Under 30 Awards, and his perspective on embracing change in an industry that is often sceptical or risk-averse. LawUno represents a new way forward for the legal profession, one platform, one network, built by lawyers, for lawyers. To learn more about LawUno, click here.

In the face of voluminous market change, from privacy to technology, medical negligence work is perhaps more challenging than ever before. In the face of such a climate, there are myriad takeaways for practitioners in this space as the new year gets underway. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Arnold Thomas & Becker Lawyers principal and head of medical negligence Emily Hart about her background in personal injury law, perceptions about "what a lawyer is", her biggest takeaways from the last 12 months in medical negligence law and what has stood out to her, and why it's such a fast-growing practice area. Hart also delves into growing trends in this space, including medical technology and devices, and how such developments are changing the game for lawyers, the impact of AI and other emerging technologies, the extent to which cyber security hacks are influencing lawyers' work with clients, the difficulties that lawyers in this space will face in 2026 and beyond, and why prioritising lawyers' wellness will be so essential 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, X 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

Feelings of fun and happiness play a significant role in offsetting the stressors and rigours of working life. In this episode, brought to you by Lawyers Weekly's sister brand, HR Leader, an Auckland-based academic dives into the need for businesses to get creative in ensuring staff engagement and the critical role that HR must play in doing so. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with University of Auckland Business School Associate Professor Barbara Plester about her research into humour and fun in the workplace and why it's of such interest to her, the extent to which the pandemic shifted workers' levels of happiness, workers' level of connection post-COVID-19, and how critical creativity has become in keeping workers engaged. Plester also delves into how the pandemic has correlated with an uptick in worker happiness, whether it had led to greater productivity, movement away from standardised approaches to wellbeing, the place for worker autonomy, employer limitations on flexibility, practical steps that employers should be taking to ensure optimal levels of employee happiness and striking the right balance with business objectives, and the role of team leaders in doing so. 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, X 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

Hilton Misso once sold a law firm for $57 million. Here, he reflects on what it means to succeed as a lawyer and how best practitioners can achieve success – in whatever form that takes. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with lawyer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and author Hilton Misso about drawing inspiration from his father to be a good legal practitioner, how technology aids guiding principles, what he believes constitutes success for lawyers, and whether what success looks like can evolve or if a North Star is needed. Misso also delves into the steps that must be taken in order to build an ethical, profitable practice, checking in on one's progress, overcoming challenges on the road to success, making time in the day in order to achieve, the lessons he learnt from selling his law firm for $57 million, how he learnt to be a leader, the power of discipline, and knowing when to walk away from what one has built. 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, X 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

In this special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with InfoTrack, we explore how successful women lawyers in practice areas like family law can and must put technology at the forefront of their businesses in order to thrive in an evolving market. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with InfoTrack family lawyer Bree Staines about her background in family law, adopting a more flexible working life, the unsustainable demands practice areas like family law have on practitioners, and the ways that women in the profession can set themselves apart when it comes to the use and implementation of new technologies. Bree also delves into the necessary steps to take in order to drive one's practice forward, the challenges facing women and how to overcome them, tech's role in alleviating burnout, retaining the human touch with your clients, and the potential outcomes on offer from being able to successfully integrate one's business with tech. To learn more about InfoTrack, click here.

At a time when practitioners across the board are increasingly expected to not only onboard new technologies but also elevate the client experience, family lawyers should be seeing such a shift as an opportunity to become truly hybrid operators. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Siobhan Mullins, author and founder of Separate Together and Paper Advocate, about her career in family law, how practitioners in this space are moving towards more collaborative ways of working in a changing landscape, and why a hybrid model makes sense for family lawyers. Mullins also delves into what family lawyers must ask of themselves in transitioning to a more hybrid model, the key outcomes to strive for, overcoming hurdles standing in the way, why such change is exciting, and what she's looking forward to as a practitioner. 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, X 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

Amid a time of voluminous market and professional change, corporate counsel will require a particular set of skills and traits, including, but not limited to, adaptability, curiosity, and vulnerability. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with fractional general counsel, board member, and keynote speaker Ivana Kovacevic and RMIT general counsel Alison Huitfeldt about what they love about in-house legal life, the biggest takeaways for corporate lawyers in the last 12 months, and the difficulties inherent with having so much on the shoulders of the law department. Kovacevic and Huitfeldt also delve into the biggest challenges and trends facing in-house lawyers as we come into the new year, leaning into people skills, the need for curiosity, adaptability, and vulnerability moving forward, best practice guidance for corporate lawyers in the new year, and what excites them both about the experience of in-house counsel 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, X 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

In this special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with LexisNexis, we unpack the importance of a more holistic approach and mindset to daily operational and practice matters in 2026 and beyond, in the face of voluminous technological change. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with LexisNexis APAC Managing Director Katy Fixter about the most common threads of change she sees across the region for how legal businesses operate and why, Australian practitioners' capacity for innovation and agility, her optimism about the pace of willingness to change among Australian in-house and firm teams, and evolving levels of trust from the client side. Fixter also delves into how best to ensure retention of accurate, reliable information and optimal client service delivery, lawyers' perceptions of their changing underlying duties, the extent to which lawyers are undergoing trial and error with new ways of working, taking more innovative approaches moving forward, creating more space for yourself, how the business of law is shifting, whether non-traditional approaches are becoming more mainstream, and how lawyers' learning and professional development may also be changing. To learn more about LexisNexis, click here.

Interest and investment in renewables is one of the fastest-growing areas of M&A in the current climate. For lawyers practising in this space, this brings various challenges in wading through a shifting landscape, but also myriad opportunities to best serve clients. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Holding Redlich partners Jeanne Vallade and Dhanushka Jayawardena about their respective work at the BigLaw firm, why renewables is such a fast-growing space for M&A, the tax implications, the headline challenges being experienced, political influences, making such developments work for foreign investors, and ensuring best practice in a fast-moving landscape. The trio also delves into early and integrated due diligence, following the life cycle of a project, the popularity of battery energy storage systems, regulatory hurdles to grapple with, how best to advise clients in the current climate, what excites them about their work in this space moving forward, and "bringing a little piece of [a] complex puzzle to the bigger, bigger picture". 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, X 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

Amid unprecedented technological change in the legal profession, many young lawyers and students feel uncertain about their future. But David Fischl argues this worry is misplaced – in fact, he says there has never been a better time to enter the profession. In a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with David Fischl, legal digital transformation lead partner and corporate and commercial team lead partner at Hicksons | Hunt & Hunt, about his firsthand experience witnessing AI reshape the legal profession, why these shifts are creating unprecedented opportunities for junior practitioners to learn and grow faster, and how he expects AI to continue redefining the profession in the years ahead. Fischl also delves into how AI is accelerating the career trajectory of junior lawyers by giving them access to more complex responsibilities earlier than ever before, acknowledges the uncertainty many young lawyers feel about the profession's future but notes that this mindset is shifting as they see the opportunities AI creates, stresses that firms aren't hiring for AI expertise but for curiosity and adaptability, and offers advice to young lawyers who feel intimidated by the rapid pace of technological change.

In this special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with iManage, we explore how teams – both in-house and in private practice – can leverage their internal knowledge assets to prepare them for the next generation of legal services and AI and digital transformation. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with iManage's global product director for knowledge and AI, Alex Smith, and Asia-Pacific legal industry expert Madeleine Porter about why knowledge management is such an urgent priority for legal teams, how cognisant lawyers are of this urgency, lessons learnt from this past year, whether certain practices and processes remain fit for purpose in the current climate, and whether it's becoming harder for legal teams to avoid drowning in knowledge. Smith and Porter also delve into the questions that legal teams need to ask of themselves in better mastering their knowledge management, creating a more holistic operational culture, approaches that will not work moving forward, practical steps that need to be taken, leveraging business data, the role of AI and automation, ethical considerations, and the opportunities to be gleaned from taking such action. To learn more about iManage, click here.

Here, the reigning Litigation Partner of the Year reflects on what makes her a successful litigator, including staying true to herself, appreciating what makes her tick, and placing importance on emotional intelligence. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Bowes Legal managing partner Jane Bowes to discuss her firm's recent expansion from northern Queensland into Brisbane and potential further expansion plans, how it felt to win the litigation category at the 2025 Partner of the Year Awards, how the win validated the approach she has taken in her career, and having the courage to stay true to one's convictions. Bowes also delves into how feeling underestimated has fuelled her growth and success as a litigator, why being underestimated is the "biggest fire" in her belly, EQ versus IQ, better managing one's burnout, what has helped her succeed, and her advice for other litigators out there. 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, X 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 award-winning lawyer Keith Redenbach, voluminous market change may bring challenges for practitioners, but – for those who bear in mind their ethical obligations and their professional duties – there is also a bounty of opportunity. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Redenbach Legal principal Keith Redenbach to discuss the volume of change being witnessed across the profession and how this compares to other times of change in the last three decades, why some lawyers are "vexed", ethical and practical dilemmas, and how and why certain staples of the past have gone by the wayside. Redenbach also reflects on how he is pivoting and adapting in a time of change, how he sees his role evolving, having a constant sense of service, what constitutes best practice in the current climate, and going deeper with one's use of AI. 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, X 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

In this special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with Legora, we unpack how day-to-day practice is being reshaped and what it means for the role of legal professionals in the age of AI. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Legora legal engineer Murray Edstein about his vocational journey in practice and now in tech, what a legal engineer does day-to-day, how and why the legal profession is in the midst of a substantial period of transformation, differing level of proficiency with AI across the market, and the consciousness or otherwise of macro and micro shifts in one's practice. Edstein also delves into the need for lawyers to challenge themselves with the required mindset and operational shifts, how to go about this practically, the fundamental changes he expects to see in lawyers' roles in the coming years, what the lawyer of the future may look like, and how Legora can assist lawyers along the journey. To learn more about Legora, click here.

There is, one BigLaw partner says, a "huge amount of opportunity" looking ahead for practitioners in the insurance space, from finding solutions to the risk of natural disasters to the management of cyber threats. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Clayton Utz partner Sophy Woodward about why insurance law is so engaging at this point in time, the "soft market" currently being experienced and the opportunities that climate presents for better terms for clients, what's surprised her about the insurance space this past year, and how client expectations have been set higher in 2025. Woodward also discusses how insurance lawyers have to collaborate across practice areas more than ever before, managing team dynamics and wellness at a time of voluminous work and change, the need for creativity in contractual clauses, the ripple effects coming from current developments in the cyber space and natural disaster space, the myriad opportunities on the horizon, and why emerging practitioners should consider insurance law as a vocational pathway. 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, X 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

While some students may overlook law societies during their university journey, one Monash University student highlights how involvement builds key professional and personal skills, giving participants a head start in their careers. In a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Thomas Pereira, a law and commerce student at Monash University and serves as careers director for his university's Law Student Society, about his passion for encouraging law students to get involved in their law societies, the professional skills that can be gained through such participation, and how these experiences help students build meaningful relationships and foster a sense of community. Pereira also highlights how developing these skills provides law students with valuable real-world experience that makes them more attractive to firms and recruiters, outlines practical steps for students who want to get involved in their university law society, and shares strategies for balancing all aspects of student life – including university workload, part-time work, and personal commitments – so that students can find the time to actively participate in their law society.

In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Distinctive Finance, we break down the key market shifts shaping property decisions as we head towards the end of 2025 and what it all means for legal professionals preparing to buy. Host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Distinctive Finance founders and directors Christian Goodall and Mitchell Lobb to discuss what the Reserve Bank's recent inaction signals for buyers, how the expanded First Home Guarantee is opening new opportunities, why banks are forecasting potential rate changes in the year ahead, and whether fixed rate options may play a bigger role moving forward. Goodall and Lobb also explore how legal professionals can position themselves for success, from making the most of the First Home Guarantee and navigating increased market competition, to getting tax documents in order, reviewing lending options, and preparing strategically before the holiday season. They share practical steps to get purchase-ready and insights into what the new year may bring. To learn more about Distinctive Finance, 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, X 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

Sam Burrett and Chelsea Gordon recently travelled to the UK to learn more about international approaches to AI governance and business strategies of global law firm counterparts. Their observations and lessons learnt offer guidance for practitioners and firms alike Down Under. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with MinterEllison AI Advisory consulting lead Sam Burrett and legal lead Chelsea Gordon about the work they each do in the BigLaw firm's AI operations, their recent travels to the University of Oxford to learn more about how law firms internationally are approaching governance and strategy considerations, and how well Australian firms are performing relative to global counterparts. Burrett and Gordon also delve into what Australian firms need to be doing more of, what is being done well, the lessons firms Down Under can learn from those overseas, what best practice objectives must be moving forward, practical steps that should be taken, mindset shifts required, and guidance to take into the new year. 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, X 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