エピソード

  • What we’ve learnt about firms’ gender pay gaps this week
    2025/03/05

    Earlier this week, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) released its second annual breakdown of gender pay gaps in large Australian businesses. Here, Lawyers Weekly dives into the law firm data and what it says about where the profession is at in tackling salary inequity.

    In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Lawyers Weekly senior reporter Naomi Neilson to discuss the brand’s coverage of the WGEA data release, the key takeaways pertaining to BigLaw firms in Australia, the broad differences in performance between firms, and how the legal profession is faring relative to other sectors.

    Doraisamy and Neilson also discuss flaws in the WGEA methodology as it pertains to the inclusion of partnership salaries, how individual practitioners can and may interpret the latest data, why the profession must remember that achieving pay parity is a long-term project, overcoming self- and societal stigmas, and why Lawyers Weekly will be keeping a close eye on future senior appointments in firms, and how those firms respond to the global pushback against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

    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!

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    22 分
  • The Boutique Lawyer Show: Will firms start using employee ownership structures?
    2025/02/28

    Employee ownership structures could become increasingly common in the Australian market, and – in an age of rapid market change and shifting employee sentiment – it could well be an option that firm owners opt for to ensure long-term business success.

    In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Dorsisamy speaks with South East Lawyers director principal Melanie Heffernan about what an employee ownership structure is and looks like in practice, whether such structures are common (or becoming common) in Australia, the differences to share agreements, and whether these structures are suitable for SMEs in the current climate.

    Heffernan also delves into the benefits that can arise from employee ownership structures, the inherent challenges, whether there is appetite from lawyers and law firms to explore such options, the questions to ask of one’s business when implementing such a structure and the practical steps to doing so, whether such structures can and will become mainstream Down Under, and what excites her about the potential future of the business model 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, 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!

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    23 分
  • Protégé: Overcoming the struggle of making professional connections
    2025/02/25

    Despite the legal profession’s strong emphasis on professional connections, many law students and young lawyers struggle to establish them early in their careers, often hindering their ability to enter the field. Here, a new firm owner shares her personal journey, detailing how she overcame these obstacles through determination, resilience, and a strong sense of purpose.

    In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Selina Nikoloudakis, the principal of Divorce Legal, about her challenging journey in securing employment within the profession by not having industry connections, how she ultimately broke into the field with the support of a former university tutor, the crucial role of a strong support network had on her to maintaining motivation and perseverance, and how her deep commitment to helping others gave her the resilience to keep fighting her way into the profession.

    Nikoloudakis also outlines the key steps and strategies she employed to start building her professional network, reveals the value of maintaining connections with former university tutors, explores the ongoing challenges law students and young lawyers face in building these essential relationships early in their careers, highlights what more universities should be doing to support their students in this process, and offers insightful guidance and encouragement for those encountering similar obstacles, urging them to remain persistent, stay committed to their goals, and continue striving for success.

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    27 分
  • ‘Corporate cancel culture’ and employee freedoms
    2025/02/21

    In recent years, there have been numerous examples of workers – such as rugby star Israel Folau – having suffered employment consequences, including termination, for expression of personal views. This, Josh Bornstein argues, is demonstrative of a concerning and increasing level of power and control that corporations now have over the private lives of their employees.

    In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Maurice Blackburn principal and head of employment law Josh Bornstein about why workplace and industrial relations law is so stimulating for lawyers and also essential for the community, the need for trauma-informed approaches to practice, and the evolving societal landscape that has resulted in corporate entities having greater control over their employees’ lives.

    Bornstein also reflects on the extent to which the court of public opinion drives corporate decision making regarding employment of individuals, how technology and social media contribute to this storm, his take on “corporate cancel culture”, the difficulty corporations have in balancing legal obligations against community expectations, how global pushback against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) may exacerbate such issues, and why he thinks we are living through a “second Gilded Age”.

    Bornstein is the author of Working for the Brand: how corporations are destroying free speech.

    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!

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    33 分
  • The Corporate Counsel Show: Fractional GC life in the current climate
    2025/02/18

    For Elle Jones, working as a fractional general counsel not only better suits her needs – it also works well, she says, for businesses that don’t have an in-house legal function. This vocational pathway, she has observed, is “popping up all over the place”.

    In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Essential Legal Solutions director and principal Elle Jones about how she changed careers and ended up in law, how and why she transitioned in-house, why fractional work has become a more suitable vocational path for her, and what the day-to-day looks like while working with multiple organisations.

    Jones also delves into striking the right balance with her work, the approach she employs, the value of doing non-GC work for clients, switching between various projects, ensuring a business is receptive to the idea of working with a fractional practitioner, the challenges and opportunities facing fractional GCs right now (including tech developments), and why we’ll see more fractional GCs in the market.

    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!

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    22 分
  • 2 recent High Court judgments and the implications for historical sexual abuse matters
    2025/02/14

    Recently, the High Court has recognised that an “impoverishment of evidence” will not, in and of itself, give rise to successful applications for permanent stays of proceedings. Here, a BigLaw partner unpacks two recent decisions from the court and what those matters mean for litigators.

    In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Clyde & Co partner Luke O’Kane about his career as a litigator and why there is an increase in the number of claims being brought pertaining to historical sexual abuse and personal injury, the lessons and takeaways from two recent High Court decisions, and the implications of those judgments for stay applications.

    O’Kane also delves into how an absence of evidence should be treated in such matters moving forward, the need for courts to treat such matters in more idiosyncratic ways and not take blackletter approaches to proceedings, what such rulings mean for claimants, how the rulings change the landscape for litigators on both sides of the table, and his broad guidance to litigators nationwide in the wake of the High Court’s decisions.

    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!

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    24 分
  • The Boutique Lawyer Show: How firm-owning mums can prepare for maternity leave
    2025/02/12

    The prospect of a career break for family planning and childrearing purposes can be incredibly daunting. Here, a firm owner and new mum reflects on how legal business leaders can step away from their practices in ways that work for them.

    In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Jaide Law founder and principal Malisa Howard to discuss the importance of speaking openly about the hurdles women lawyers face in stepping away from their legal practices to take maternity leave, why taking such leave is so important for mothers in law, and the myriad physical, emotional, psychological, financial, and professional considerations one needs to weigh up in undergoing such processes.

    Howard also delves into perceptions that expecting mothers in law may have to face, how she mapped out how she wanted to take leave and manage her business needs, the thought processes and practical steps involved, whether cross-referral and load-sharing arrangements are worthwhile, how technology can assist in such processes, navigating one’s fears and anxieties about the business’ health, overcoming stigma, the different maternity leave structures, and her personal reflections on her journey with maternity leave and coming back to running her law firm.

    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!

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    30 分
  • Talking like a real human to clients
    2025/02/07

    Lawyers, Jahan Kalantar says, are a “conduit for complicated problems”. To this end, practitioners must be better at appreciating the “greater fiduciary duty” they hold not just to the courts but also to clients and their idiosyncratic needs.

    In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back the “TikTok lawyer”, Jahan Kalantar. They discuss the ever-present need for lawyers to be better communicators with clients of all stripes, being more than a blackletter practitioner, the extent to which needs and expectations dictate communication styles, how the age of AI and other new technologies change client impressions of communication, and the place for soft skills against the backdrop of a need for greater tech proficiency.

    Kalantar also delves into how best to contact clients, adapting to tailored approaches, practical steps to become a better communicator, having a deeper understanding for you who are, as a practitioner, listening more, and discusses his new book, Talking Your Way Out Of Trouble.

    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!

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    39 分