Top 20 podcast episodes in 2024
This year, almost 200 episodes were released under the Lawyers Weekly banner – a network that has had more than 2.25 million downloads worldwide since its inception in late 2017. Here, we count down the top 20 episodes published in the last 12 months.
Reflecting on the year that was, Lawyers Weekly editor and podcast host Jerome Doraisamy said: “Podcasting is one of our favourite mediums through which to reach our audience. Diving more deeply into pertinent market issues, challenges, trends, and opportunities allows us to not only better inform Australian practitioners about how they can be better at their jobs – but it also gives us a chance to better know those on the ground doing the hard work for clients.
“We are immensely proud of the audio content we produce for our audience.
“Looking ahead to 2025 – if you have an interesting story to tell or want to provide thought leadership and guidance to your peers, reach out to us – we’re all ears!”
20. A day in the life of a music lawyer
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.
19. Breaking bad news to clients
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.
18. LawTech Talks: Tech, talent, and broader business changes to build for the future
In this special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with Thomson Reuters, host Jerome Doraisamy and Thomson Geer chief executive partner Adrian Tembel flesh out the cultural, structural, and hierarchical changes needed in firms and in-house teams to future-proof businesses for the modern marketplace.
17. LawTech Talks: The impact of AI on legal workflows
In this episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with LexisNexis, host Lauren Croft speaks with LexisNexis executive vice-president and chief technology officer Jeff Reihl, executive vice-president and chief product officer Jamie Buckley, and Asia-Pacific managing director Greg Dickason about all things generative artificial intelligence (AI) and its transformative impact on legal workplaces.
16. The need to resolve disputes in a ‘more constructive way’
Disenchanted with adversarial processes that she felt weren’t serving clients, Anne-Marie Cade sought and discovered a new approach in parenting coordination. Speaking to Lawyers Weekly following a Churchill Fellowship on the subject (which saw her visit 16 global cities to explore such practices), she unpacks why parenting coordination is so essential in family law matters in Australia moving forward.
15. How lawyers can be more active during work hours
The adverse consequences on one’s holistic health from being overly sedentary are well established. In the modern working world, where lawyers are tethered to devices and the separation between home and work is blurred, being physically active is more essential than ever before.
14. How to run a litigation team (and lessons from the rugby field)
In the current climate, effective management of the holistic wellness of litigation teams is going to be paramount – doing so will require encouragement of organic community, as well as drawing lessons from unexpected places, such as team sports.
13. ‘I felt safe’: The benefits of trauma-informed lawyering
To deliver effective legal services, lawyers need to be able to recognise and respond to their clients’ trauma and take a more informed view of their clients’ broader experiences. Here, we unpack how this can be done and why it is so essential.
12. Gadens’ head on the BigLaw firm’s strategy (and lessons from Ted Lasso)
Here, the chief executive and managing partner of Gadens joins to discuss the BigLaw player’s recent national integration, its strategy moving forward, the importance of being “Australian at our core”, and what he’s learnt about leadership from the hit TV show Ted Lasso.
11. What’s not working in addressing wellness issues in law?
In some pockets of the legal profession, the notion of wellbeing has arguably been embraced as a marketing tool for talent. With worldwide rates of psychological distress having been exacerbated in the wake of COVID-19, legal employers need to consider stripping things back to basics to ensure meaningful, substantive approaches to supporting staff.
10. The sustainability of justice in our local courts
NSW Chief Justice Andrew Bell recently said that judges and magistrates need further support, or the Australian court system will risk judicial crisis. For these two senior criminal law practitioners, the comments ring true, with processes in the state’s courts needing to be urgently bolstered for the sake of practitioners, clients, and the community alike.
9. David Kearney on Wotton + Kearney’s growth and the need for a ‘very clear vision’
Wotton + Kearney has grown from half a dozen staff in one office to over 700 staff in 10 offices across three countries. Here, its chief executive partner discusses the BigLaw player’s growth strategy, recent Singapore expansion, sale of a minority stake to a private equity firm, AI and transformation investments, and more.
8. AI and a lawyer’s ‘duty to be efficient’
In the current climate, utilisation of new technologies is not about “sprinkling magic AI dust” on one’s existing practice – it’s about identifying efficiencies for clients whose expectations and demands are shifting with the times and making one’s firm fit for purpose, at a time in which competition is as fierce as ever.
7. The ongoing debate about how and where lawyers should work
The passage of Right to Disconnect laws in Australia will be the latest addition to the ongoing discourse around the ways in which professional services workers, including lawyers, should undertake their duties. Here, we check in on the state of affairs and why being “deliberate” is so important.
6. Rethinking how to combat workplace bullying
Dr Nadia Stojanova, a Victorian barrister, recently completed a doctorate in law reform and regulatory changes to address workplace bullying. Here, she details the precursor factors to such misconduct in the workplace, the “patchwork” system of laws governing this space, and what workplaces can and must do to stamp out bullying.
5. Reflections on a ‘significant’ discrimination case
A few months ago, the Federal Court found in favour of five former students of a Melbourne-based school who had alleged anti-Semitic bullying and harassment, with the quintet being awarded substantial damages by the state of Victoria. Here, one of the partners involved in the proceedings unpacks the case and its broader implications.
4. Navigating a ‘really big shift’ in family law
In the wake of substantial change to the landscape, practitioners are having to undergo shifts in their mindset and approach, including in the charging of costs to clients in a cost-of-living crisis. Such change is giving rise to a need for practitioners to revamp and expand their operations, argues one partner.
3. Salary expectations and realities ahead of FY24–25
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.
2. What makes a good banking and finance lawyer?
Here, reigning Banking and Finance Partner of the Year Stuart Cormack offers insights into what day-to-day operations look like for practitioners in this space, what he finds meaningful and stimulating about such work, and how best those coming through the ranks can succeed in B&F.
1. Key skills for lawyers of tomorrow to thrive
In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Leo Cussen Centre for Law, we explore the rapidly evolving professional services landscape and how today’s students, grads, and juniors can bolster their arsenals to succeed in the future.