Lessons I Learned in Law

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Helen Lowe, Head of Operations for the General Counsel’s office at easyJet. Helen is an operational change and transformation specialist with experience both as a consultant with KPMG and in industry with Sellafield Ltd and the Co-op. In this episode Helen reveals what legal ops is, what her role can involve and how legal ops can shape and enhance a business. Helen also shares some of the lessons she learned in law including:·      Think harder! You need to be able to explain yourself clearly, think through any proposal and consider that there’s always something new to be learned.·      The relationships with law firms can be fractious, but they can also be really fun! Learn to know how, and when, to respectfully push boundaries. ·      Be patient! Legal teams can be very busy so make sure you allow projects sufficient time to develop and progress.   Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment.  Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Anna Butler, Group General Counsel at Long Harbour Ltd, an investment and asset management firm with £3.6 billion assets under management. Anna trained at US law firm Mayer Brown and after six years there, moved to city law firm RPC. She moved in house to head up the capital redevelopment program at UCL and since then has had a number of leadership roles in different sectors. Anna shares some of the lessons she learned in law including:·      Law is a people business. It is crucial to build relationships both inside and outside your law firm or business. ·      Be open to opportunities. There is no set career path to General Counsel. ·      Work in a business that you believe in and are passionate about. The more invested you are, the better you can deliver. Anna also reveals how tv show LA Law was the inspiration for her career in the legal profession!   Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment.  Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Alex Wilson, EMEA Legal Director at CBRE. Alex trained at Osborne Clarke in Bristol, before working at Carey Olsen in Guernsey and Foot Anstey in London. She also worked as an in-house lawyer at News UK. She is also the Solicitors with Disabilities representative on The Law Society Council.Alex shares some of the lessons she learned in law including:·      Focus on a life-work balance, not a work-life balance; life very much coming first!·      Networking isn’t just wine and nibbles. It’s actually really crucial to build real and authentic working relationships. ·      A diverse and inclusive workforce is not a tick-box exercise. It’s actually the most important and powerful tool the legal team or business can have.  Alex also reveals her passion for rowing. She even gets up very early every weekend to row at the docks in South East London, no-matter the weather! Alex also reflects on her diagnosis with MS and what businesses and legal teams can do to be more inclusive.   Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment.  Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Richard Flint, founder and Deputy CEO at broadband provider Swish Fibre.  Richard’s career began in private practice where he specialised in oil and gas and energy from waste. In 2017 Richard moved to an in-house role as Head of Legal at Ingenious. Here Richard focussed primarily on renewable energy, but remained at the forefront of deals; working closely with the commercial team and, where necessary, external lawyers.Richard shares some of the lessons he learned in law including:·      The transferrable skills you have as a lawyer are super valuable – more valuable even than you realise!·      To deliver value for the client, try to remove the noise. Keep it simple. Remove any low-level decisions so your client can focus on the big questions that matter. ·      Be in the moment. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by workloads, but giving people time and not being distracted in meetings is so important.   Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram 

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Scott Yelle, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at KingMakers where he has also been Interim CEO. After leaving corporate private practice at Olswang in 2009 Scott moved in-house holding senior positions at WorldPay and Sky Sports before becoming General Counsel and building the Legal and Compliance function at Sky Betting and Gaming for over 5 years.  Scott shares some of the lessons he learned in law including:·      The more your career in law advances, the less it becomes about the law. ·      Progress your career by seeking out different types of work in-house. Stretch yourself into different areas, beyond your comfort zone. ·      Try and offer concise, proactive, simple advice where you can. Make your voice heard to help the business or organisation forwards. Scott also explains how he made the transition from lawyer to company interim-CEO, and how he felt when stepping up to take on that role. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Laura Frederick, Founder and CEO of How to Contract, a global leader in practical contract training for lawyers and professionals. She is also Managing Attorney at Laura Frederick Law, PLLC as well as a best-selling legal author and a LinkedIn influencer. Laura shares some of the lessons she learned in law including:·      Make sure you always know the context, whenever you’re doing anything for your clients. ·      No job is worth destroying your relationships or your mental health. ·      Therapy is by far the best investment you can make to achieve career success and happiness.  Laura also fondly looks back on her time working as in-house counsel at Tesla. She reflects on how their very flat corporate structure worked to reduce bureaucracy and made it an enjoyable and efficient place to work. Laura shares details of her book which offers valuable advice and tips for anyone who is having to draft a contact. The book is called How to Contract: Learn How to Draft and Negotiate from a Former Big Law and Tesla Commercial Contracts Lawyer.   Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment.  Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown talks to Founder and CEO of Beam, Alex Stephany.  Launched in 2017, Beam is an innovative tech platform supporting homeless people and refugees into stable jobs and homes. Before launching Beam, Alex was CEO of JustPark where he led the largest ever crowdfunding round for a tech startup at the time.Alex explains the mission behind Beam and what motivated him to start it. He also shares some of the lessons he learned in law including:·      If you can, give back. ·      Don’t underestimate the importance of attention to detail. ·      Impress everyone. This is a small, interconnected world so try and do right by everyone you come across. An expert on the sharing economy, Alex is the author of The Business of Sharing.Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Jonny Parker, Legal Counsel at what3words. Jonny trained at international law firm Taylor Wessing and is also the co-founder of a challenger beer brand - YABBA which launched in May 2021.Jonny shares some of the lessons he learned in law including:·      The ‘right time’ might not be the right time for you. You can deviate from the traditional routes through legal training to explore different options and find what works best for you.·      Appreciate the value of your passions and outside interests, in terms of how they can make you a better person and a better lawyer.·      Don’t get bogged down in the finishing touches. Sometimes that extra time to make a project ‘perfect’ can be too costly and inefficient. Jonny also reveals that his favourite pastime is surfing, and explains how he finds time for that in and around a demanding career in law. He also talks through the work that went into launching his beer brand.  Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Rob Chesnut. Rob retired last year after spending more than 5 years as General Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer at AirBnB. During that time he grew the legal team from 30 to over 150 legal professionals in 20 offices around the world. Rob is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Virginia, and previously worked at the US Justice Department where he prosecuted bank robberies, kidnappings, murder, and espionage cases. He also led eBay’s North America legal team and is the author of Intentional Integrity: How Smart Companies Can Lead an Ethical Revolution.  Rob reveals some of the lessons he learned in law including:·      Integrity matters in business. There’s an expectation now that businesses do good, not solely exist make money. ·      There can be ‘creative’ solutions to ethical problems, which means integrity can actually be subtle and isn’t always an absolute. ·      Diverse organisations actually perform better than homogenous ones. The best person for the job, is the person who brings a different perspective to the team.  Rob also shares some fascinating social experiments on the subject of integrity. How honest and trustworthy, are people in everyday life?  You might be surprised by the findings!! Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment.  Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks Martin Nolan. As General Counsel at Skyscanner, Martin is responsible for Skyscanner’s Legal and Public & Regulatory Affairs teams and also acts as Company Secretary to Skyscanner’s group companies. Prior to moving in-house, Martin spent ten years working as a corporate lawyer in private practice, specialising in corporate finance, M&A and Private Equity.Martin reveals some of the lessons he learned in law including:·      Be your authentic self. Trying to be someone else at work will be exhausting!·      Take your blinkers off. Your legal skills are extremely transferrable so don’t look exclusively at what you’re doing now to inform your next career choices. ·      Fail fast, fail forward. If you don’t ever make mistakes, you’re playing it too safe!Martin is two years in to a mammoth home renovation project. Hear how that’s progressing!Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Mollie Stoker, who leads the legal team at Ocado Group as their Deputy Group General Counsel. She’s also held general counsel and other in house roles at DWF Group and Suntory Beverage and Food.  Prior to moving in house, Mollie started her legal career at Slaughter and May and spent over 12 years working as a corporate/M&A and capital markets lawyer in UK and US law firms.  Mollie shares the lessons he learned in law including:·      Be yourself, because everyone else is taken!·      Be the best leader, or boss, that you can be. ·      Bring solutions, not problems. Mollie shares her obsession for buying business books (but admits to not always reading them)! A particular favourite read is Jim Collins’ Good to Great.Mollie is also a trustee for Only a Pavement Away, a charity that helps the homeless gain employment in the hospitality sector. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

Scott reveals the result of your vote at the end of season 3 - which element of life in law have you chosen to confine to Room 101?Plus - A brand new series of Lessons I Learned in Law launches very soon. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment.Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Jamie Pearson who is General Counsel at Genomics PLC and Sarah Marshall, VP & Head of Legal International & Japan, Alexion (AZ Rare Disease). Jamie and Sarah met whilst working for a company that meant they shared a considerable commute! Now, together they run the High Five Project to support lawyers entering the life sciences sector, as well as in-house lawyers more broadly. Sarah and Jamie share the lessons they’ve learned in law including: You should have ownership and agency over your career path. A change of role or environment can re-energise you – find an organisation with a culture in which you can thrive. Sarah, Jamie and Scott share their perspectives on the differences between in-house roles compared to working for law firms, and how you can potentially make the transition between the two or between different sectors. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Kaleem Khan. Kaleem is a Tax Associate at Travers Smith who advises on all tax aspects of private equity, M&A, corporate finance and banking transactions. Kaleem has been registered as blind since childhood, and in this episode he discusses his experiences of being a disabled person working in law – from the firms that helped and supported him, to the roles where the accessibility adjustments made for him were somewhat inadequate. Kaleem also shares the lessons he learned in law including: Don’t compare yourself to people who might have more experience or credentials than you – everyone has to start somewhere! Don’t underestimate the importance of mentors. Be aware and have an understanding of those you work with who have a disability. Bear in mind that accessibility adjustments in the workplace don’t eradicate the challenges being disabled causes in doing a job.  Putting adjustments in place for a disabled colleague is not a magic trick through which a disabled person can suddenly be treated as though they have no disability – everyday brings challenges to day to day work regardless of how effective adjustments are.  Kaleem is launching a blog which will be available very soon, called The Legally Blind Guy. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Jayne Bowie, General Counsel and Company Secretary at Amey PLC.  Jayne leads the Legal and Corporate Services team, advising the business on all legal and corporate governance matters. Jayne has led the team on complex litigation and key M&A opportunities. She has also facilitated a closer relationship between the commercial, risk and legal functions. Jayne shares the lessons she learned in law including: Surround yourself with a great team - you’re only as strong as your collective team. Your legal skills are extremely transferrable – not just across the different areas of legal specialism but also across different disciplines within a business. It’s important to be flexible, and willing to adapt to change. Jayne also reveals her fascinating ancestral connection to Japanese Samurais, and details her hobbies and passions outside of work. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Elizabeth Rimmer. Elizabeth has been managing and developing charities in the mental health sector for over 20 years. She joined LawCare in 2014 following time spent with the Institute of Group Analysis and Alzheimer’s Disease International. Elizabeth started her working life as a solicitor specialising in clinical negligence, practicing at Leigh Day.  Elizabeth shares the lessons she learned in law including: Sometimes the law doesn't always deliver what clients are looking for. As a lawyer, try and identify a clients’ wider needs beyond simply the solution to a legal problem. Be honest about your mistakes. The earlier you try to rectify them, the better. Learn from them and move forward. Have the courage to move on. Be honest with yourself if your current role doesn’t feel right for you, and be open to opportunities to seek out a better fit. Elizabeth also reveals how the support that people sought through LawCare was affected by the pandemic, and how workplaces are changing to better support and retain people. LawCare is an independent charity offering emotional support, information and training to the legal community in the UK. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Fraser Simpson.  Fraser is Associate General Counsel for Wellcome Trust, a charitable foundation focused on global public health, where he heads up the Ethics, Governance & Compliance Team. Fraser qualified at Magic Circle firm, Linklaters, but pursued a career in-house where he has worked across a range of impactful organisations. He has experience in designing and building teams.Fraser shares the lessons he learned in law including:Try new things, and do not be afraid to take a chance.Kindness repays. Invest in nurturing relationships.Don't be constrained by precedents and templates. Be creative and focus on user experience.Fraser also reflects on how valuable he found the shared parental leave that he was able to take around the birth of his children. Meanwhile his hatred of ties sees workplace dress codes confined to Room 101.Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment.Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Katy Beilin speaks to Janine Esbrand. Janine is Founder of Career Change Makers, where she coaches and teaches high-performing female professionals in Law and Finance how to take control of their careers and leverage their strengths to transition into more fulfilling roles, with confidence. Janine has a background as a lawyer, having practiced both in Law Firms and In-House, so is very well placed to advise Lawyers on these issues!Guest host Katy is a Consultant at Heriot Brown and loves a chat! As someone keen to get involved in blogging and podcasting, we thought it made sense for her make her podcast debut in a discussion with Janine whose Coaching business supports strong working females. Katy and Janine sat down to have their conversation on International Women’s Day, which was very apt.Janine shares the three lessons she has learned in law including:As a lawyer, you don’t need to know all the answers. Lean in to your ability to find out the answers!The power and importance of networking to build relationships.In your career, your destination becomes your starting line. Reassess your goals and ambitions regularly. Janine also shares the advice that she would give her children, should they ever decide to embark on a career in the law.Presented by Katy Beilin of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment.Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Abigail Dean.  Abigail is legal counsel at Google as well as author of Sunday Times and New York Times best-selling novel Girl A, which was published in January 2021. Abigail has always loved reading and writing and discusses how her law career has helped shape her career as a successful author. She also shares three lessons she learned in law including:Consider the importance of words, and the impact that your choice of words and pronunciation can have on your writing.You will require a tolerance to boredom, as many jobs will include elements that you mind find uninteresting. All you can do is work on the ratio.Law is good for teaching you that you can do hard and difficult things, and they will rarely be as frightening as you imagine. Abigail’s choice for Room 101 is the legal profession’s tendency to aggrandize certain members of staff; something she finds very unhelpful.Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment.Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law Scott Brown speaks to Karen Shafrir-Vladeck. Karen was an Employment Lawyer in the US and has recently pivoted into a role in legal recruitment with Whistler Parters. Karen is the perfect modern-day example of a legal recruiter, with industry experience and a passion for building community.  You may also recognise Karen from her TikTok skits with one of our previous podcast guests, Alex Su!Karen shares the three lessons she has learned in law including:Cast the widest net that you possibly can and see what comes back to you.Always be open to new opportunities, and not necessarily in jobs.Social media can be a really great connector for your working life. Karen’s pet hate in the legal profession is imposter syndrome and she explains why she would banish it to Room 101.Have a listen to Karen’s podcast called In Loco Parent(i)s where she and her law professor husband Steve, "discuss parenting and lawyering - in that order".Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment.Follow Heriot Brown:Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram