Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Naiman Clarke, we explore the shifting market dynamics that can and will impact how big, or small, lawyers’ salary rises might be in the new financial year and how to adjust expectations accordingly. Host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Naiman Clarke managing director Elvira Naiman to reflect on how the market has changed since the start of this financial year, the disconnect between employers and employees regarding expectations for remuneration, the power shift being witnessed back in favour of employers, and the increasing difficulty in finding equitable and reasonable solutions for pay packets. Naiman also delves into the extent to which employees and candidates need to temper their expectations ahead of FY2024–25, the questions one should ask ahead of a salary review, how employers can better manage expectations by facilitating honest conversations, and why the revised stage-three tax cuts might influence the amount one gets in a pay rise. 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!

More international vocational opportunities are coming up post-pandemic. Here, a senior BigLaw practitioner reflects on his years living and working in Japan, what he learnt (personally and professionally), and how and why more up-and-coming lawyers should consider such moves. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with K&L Gates special counsel Nathaniel Rowe about how “fascinating” a country Japan is and why he fell in love with it during his formative years, the cultural differences between Japan and Australia, the myriad business and government roles he held while living there, and what it’s like to practice in a global city. Rowe also discusses the vocational insights and perspective one gets from working in such a legal environment, the challenges he faced while working there, the questions Australian lawyers should ask of themselves if they want to make such a geographic and professional move, how to secure secondments, why he’s a better lawyer for having worked in Japan, and why there has perhaps never been a better time to live and work in the Land of the Rising Sun. 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!

As an accomplished violinist and composer, Jad Al Masri understands the importance and clinically proven benefits of play. It allows him, he says, “to see opportunities that others would find it difficult to see”, thereby offering a perspective on legal practice that will set him apart as a new practitioner. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with law graduate, violinist, composer, and creative director Jad Al Masri about his interest in entering the legal profession, how he became a violinist and what inspires and motivates him to play, the “euphoria” he feels while playing, his work as a composer and his process for producing music, and what he hopes to achieve when he has “jam sessions” to experiment with different sounds. Al Masri also reflects on the extent to which external, environmental factors influence his musical works, what he hopes to achieve in music (including as a creative director), how and why he has to make a concerted effort to look after himself, striving to be the best professional on all fronts, how young lawyers can make their mark on the world, why they should have creative outlets, and his broader advice on the value one can glean from play and experimentation. 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!

In this Momentum Media exclusive, produced by Lawyers Weekly’s sister brand Defence Connect, former prime minister Scott Morrison discusses a range of topics, including that he believes the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America are already in a “Cold War under a different guise”. Host Robert Dougherty and Australia’s 30th prime minister, Scott Morrison, discuss: Morrison’s departure from politics and plans for the future, his new role as non-executive vice-chairman at American Global Strategies and as an adviser with venture capital firm DYNE. A recent visit to South Korea, Australia’s relationships in the Indo-Pacific, as well as speculation surrounding defence companies Hanwha and Austal. About a modern, grey-zone Cold War between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Australia’s increasingly complex relationship with the People’s Republic of China and a recent incident between a PLA fighter jet and a Royal Australian Navy helicopter. The empowerment of Australia’s closest neighbourhood partnerships with Nauru and the Solomon Islands and maintaining the Indo-Pacific status quo. Australian involvement in, and the behind-the-scenes formation of, the AUKUS trilateral partnership, its original intent and vision. The US presidential election and possible re-election of Donald Trump. The accomplishments and downfalls of Morrison’s career in politics and during his time as the 30th prime minister of Australia. Morrison’s own experiences with Australian Defence Force equipment such as F-35 stealth aircraft, Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles and a personal favourite – the Nimitz Class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. 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!

Maddi Thimont works 25 hours per week as head of legal for a data insights and analytics company. Constructing the working week in such a way allows her not only to be more present for her family but also for her workplace. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Sagacity head of legal Maddi Thimont, who is based in the United Kingdom, about how she came to work for Sagacity on a reduced schedule, why such a working week is suitable for her (personally and professionally), and the balance it can offer to in-house lawyers. Thimont also fleshes out how and why she’s a better professional for working less than a full-time load, her elevated capacity to compartmentalise across the board, whether one has to sacrifice salary in order to have a shorter week and what the workload looks like, how in-house lawyers can go about securing such working arrangements for themselves, and why law departments will benefit in offering such arrangements do prospective and existing staff. 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 25 years, Gareth Woodham has worked as a property valuer in multiple Australian jurisdictions, and he is regularly called in as an expert to provide valuations in family law matters and commercial property disputes. Here, he fleshes out what such work looks like and what practitioners can learn from an outside expert like himself. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Augmen Consulting principal valuer Gareth Woodham about what a day in the life of a property valuer looks like, what his process is in valuing properties and the extent to which such determinations are reactive and/or proactive, and his involvement in legal proceedings. Woodham explains how and why valuers like himself are engaged for legal proceedings, the types of litigation and family law disputes that he typically works on, the increase in family law matters in recent times and what his litigation work is like, the “high stakes” in reaching valuations, how best practitioners can work with valuers, and his advice to lawyers involved in disputes that valuers are engaged for. 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!

In the face of the ongoing scourges of domestic, family, and sexual violence committed by men against women across the country, a law student-led advocacy group is looking to break down legislative barriers, amend policies in institutions, and provide platforms for the wider community. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with law students and WGG Australia founders Giorgia Wilson and Sarah Welfare about how and why they both entered the legal profession, the proliferation of family, domestic and sexual violence against women in Australia and the gaps they have identified in addressing such scourges, and what their advocacy group is doing to address it. Wilson and Welfare also delve into who should have responsibility for addressing such matters, what they have learnt (both personally and professionally) from their advocacy, how they look after themselves given the sensitivity of the issues being addressed, why men in law need to be better involved in combating these scourges, how they plan to expand WGG Australia across the country, and their messages to emerging lawyers everywhere about being better advocates. 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!

It can be easy for small-business owners and leaders to expect too much of themselves or overreact if they are seemingly falling short in perfectly managing the juggle of multiple duties – particularly if one is a working parent. However, there are ways to work through such thought processes and perceptions. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Curae Law director Lucy Dickens to discuss why it is so important for firm leaders to be open about struggling to manage the juggle, recent examples where she has felt that she was burning out, showing vulnerability so that your teams can feel comfortable doing the same, and how the need to wear so many hats can exacerbate difficulty in balancing all interests. Dickens also reflects on a recent instance of catastrophising and what she learnt from that experience, gaining perspective on the seriousness of issues that can and do arise, questions to ask of one’s self to determine pathways forward, how tricky it can be for working parents to navigate such concerns while also being small-firm owners and leaders, and the need to find people you can trust and talk to. 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!

A former musician himself, Julian Hewitt now represents big-name Australian artists, including Flume, RUFUS DU SOL, and Tash Sultana. Here, he unpacks the myriad directions that daily life as a music lawyer can take. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Media Arts Lawyers partner Julian Hewitt about his own musical journey up until the time he became a practising lawyer, whether his background in the industry provides him with a perspective that sets him apart from other practitioners, and the extent to which a music lawyer has to be a jack-of-all-trades. Hewitt also reflects on how dynamic the music industry is, the impact of external environmental factors on his clients, the many ways in which people make a career in creative spaces, helping clients break into overseas markets and identifying opportunities to allow them to do so, and his best practice principles that other lawyers can learn from. 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 2007, experienced in-house counsel David Sinclair has been leading expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. He’s discovered, during his multiple ventures to the polar regions, that there are more similarities between leading such trips and in-house legal work than one might think. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Islands and Ice Travel director David Sinclair, who is also an experienced legal counsel who has worked for BHP, Newcrest Mining, Orica, BlueScope, and Energy Australia. He speaks about how and why he decided to set up a travel company that explores the polar regions, the perspective he’s gleaned on the challenges facing those corners of the globe, and how he balances his in-house roles with running his travel company. Sinclair also delves into being able to engage with people from all over the world that he otherwise would not have met, what he’s learnt (personally and professionally) that have improved him as a legal practitioner, the transferable skills he’s picked up from his time in the polar regions, how other in-house lawyers can craft their own personal adventures, realising one’s sense of self, and the importance of being kind and creative. 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!

Local Court solicitors often do not have enough time to communicate with clients in ways that might assuage fears. If those practitioners can better adapt their approaches, there will be positive flow-on consequences – not just for those clients, but for the community at large. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Legal Aid NSW Local Court criminal lawyer Matthew Wade and lived experience expert Jody Letts about why it is so important for lawyers to be better at delivering bad news, whether bedside manner is lacking for lawyers, whether lawyers have the capacity and bandwidth to learn how to be more empathetic in their news delivery, and the consequences of not delivering bad news in the right ways. The guests also discuss the solutions for lawyers to improve on this front, evolving and adapting one’s approach, questions a lawyer should be prepared to answer, what works and doesn’t work, and how and why the community will be better placed if lawyers can get better at delivering bad news. 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!

As a corporate lawyer, the idea of moving into a not-for-profit (NFP) role initially didn’t appear logical to Elisabeth Flett. However, since making the decision to transition and settling into such work, she has discovered that working as a lawyer in the NFP space has provided her with an elevated sense of personal and vocational purpose. In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Cancer Council NSW general counsel and company secretary Elisabeth Flett about the day-to-day work she does with her organisation, being at the coalface of such important work for Australian communities, how and why she came to transition from a corporate role to work in the NFP space, and the questions one has to ask of one’s self in making such vocational decisions. Flett also delves into overcoming self-limiting thought processes about what a legal career can or should look like, looking for NFP opportunities rather than waiting for them to present themselves, and why making this career transition has been so rewarding and purpose-driven for her. 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 passage of legislation allowing for a right to disconnect for Australian workers provides law firm owners across the country an opportunity to challenge the paradigms that they hold around flexible working and design a workplace that works for their employees and fosters productivity, argues one director. In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back in house nous director and employment legal counsel Natasha Hannah to discuss what is meant by the term “right to disconnect”, whether and how professional services firms are responding to the passage of its legislation, the concerns that employers have, and hurdles to be overcome in the new environment. Hannah also details the contractual and policy changes that small-firm owners will have to undertake, the various conversations that should be had both with one’s staff members and a firm’s clients, how to navigate those conversations and textual changes, designing a workplace accordingly, striking the right balance with generational attitudes and business needs, undertaking such changes against the backdrop of other firm concerns, and seeing the new legislation as a business opportunity. 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 reflected on the relationships in her personal and professional life that have helped her feel “most secure, supported, and passionate”, Giovanna Bongiorno has advice for the next generation of lawyers on whom they need to invest time in so as to thrive. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Curtin University commerce/law student and KPMG employment tax consultant Giovanna Bongiorno about the relationships that have been most meaningful and inspiring for her, how and why she learnt about the importance of a three-tiered relational network, and how those tiers intersect and complement each other. Bongiorno also discusses the extent to which the next generation of lawyers are cognisant of the need for these tiers and whether they invest time in them, whether virtual learning impedes one’s ability to develop networks, practical steps to develop and maintain networks, carving out time to invest in relationships, and how and why she is a better emerging professional for having a three-tiered relational network. 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 domestic and global appetite to consume sports and entertainment keeps growing. As such, legal work – in its myriad forms – will continue to expand alongside it, says a global firm partner. In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Squire Patton Boggs partner Tony Chong to discuss what’s happening in sports and entertainment law, the issues and challenges being faced on the ground by practitioners, the need for legal teams to continually anticipate evolutions in the sporting and entertainment realms, and staying on top of the social, cultural and even political zeitgeist in understanding how the environment will evolve. Chong also details the need to immerse one’s self in the industry, engaging with other practice groups, the potential need to be a jack-of-all-trades, taking a case-by-case approach, how legal work in these spaces will continue to grow, and why it is so exciting to be at the forefront of such 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!