Talk To My Lawyer

This week, Adrian is joined by Juliet Schalker, litigation partner at Debenham Ottaway in St Albans. After nearly a decade in the City, Juliet made the bold decision to move to a regional firm, not as a career retreat, but a values-driven recalibration. What followed was a journey to redefine success, build a collegiate team culture and prove that first-class litigation work doesn't require a London postcode. This conversation follows Juliet’s professional and personal evolution and explores ...

This week, Adrian is joined by the brilliantly energetic and passionate Richard Port MBE, family solicitor specialising in domestic abuse and past president of Birmingham Law Society. Known for taking on the toughest cases and never backing down from a fight for justice, Richard shares a career built on purpose, persistence and a refusal to let victims go unheard. This conversation dives into Richard’s journey and explores some urgent and compelling themes along the way: How an early taste of...

This week, Adrian is joined by the insightful and irrepressibly forward-thinking Electra Japonas, founder of TLB, creator of the OneNDA initiative and now Chief Legal Officer at Law Insider. Electra shares her journey from aerospace contracts to legal entrepreneurship, revealing how she carved out a new kind of legal career by trusting her instincts and refusing to settle for outdated ways of working. This conversation dives into Electra’s cross-border, cross-discipline legal career and explo...

This week, Adrian is joined by the brilliant Dr. Anna Willetts, partner at Gunnercooke LLP, environmental criminal defence lawyer and, in her former life, a geologist with a PhD in landfill clay permeability. Together, they unpack Anna’s refreshingly non-traditional route into law and explore how science, waste and Wellington boots led to a courtroom career that’s anything but conventional. This conversation explores Anna’s dual-life career journey and some fascinating themes along the ...

This week, Adrian is joined by the inimitable James Quarmby, partner at Stephenson Harwood, private client tax specialist and one of the UK’s most outspoken voices on tax policy and reform. Known for his no-nonsense commentary and deep economic insight, James brings clarity (and a few provocations) to the world of tax. This conversation unpacks James’ unconventional route into law and economics and covers some intellectually rich, and yes, occasionally political, ground along the way: How gro...