After a decade-long career as a professional rugby union player, marked by captaincy honours and the pride of representing his country, Michael Wells shares his journey from the rugby pitch to the legal profession.

In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Michael Wells, an associate at BlackBay Lawyers, about his career as a professional rugby union player. He reflects on his decade-long sporting career, including the honour of representing his country, opens up about the challenges of pursuing a law degree while actively competing as a professional athlete, discusses how he managed to balance these two demanding paths, and shares what ultimately inspired his transition into law.

Wells reflects on the toughest aspect of stepping away from his career as a professional athlete to become a full-time lawyer, outlines his legal career to date, what hurdles he faced during the transition, and shares moments where he encountered scepticism from others about his ability to succeed in the legal profession.

He also speaks about the transferable skills he developed as a rugby union player and how they have translated into his legal career, notes whether they’ve given him a competitive edge, and addresses common misconceptions about the career paths athletes pursue after their time in sports.

As a small-firm owner, James d’Apice is walking the road less travelled – not just in terms of his marketing and revenue distribution but also in terms of how he views the firm as an entity.

In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Gravamen founder and principal James d’Apice to discuss his firm’s journey since its recent inception, its success thus far, whether he’s had a clear vision in mind or has figured the business approach out along the way, what has surprised him about the experience of being a firm owner, and why he has viewed the running of the firm as a “side hustle”.

d’Apice also delves into how his mindset aligns with his perception of himself and his purpose as a lawyer, why he donates firm proceeds to chosen charities, navigating pressure points, making hiring decisions for the best interests of the firm, and what excites him about the future.

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 special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with Thomson Reuters, host Lauren Croft speaks with Thomson Reuters associate general counsel Janine Cane, Abt Legal global associate general counsel Camille Cedergren, and Thomson Reuters director of legal transformation Tyrilly Csillag about building the right legal tech stack for modern legal teams.

From overcoming common implementation challenges to getting leadership buy-in and measuring ROI, building an adaptable, integrated legal tech strategy is vital in the current climate.

The guests explore key considerations for evaluating and adopting legal technology, offering practical insights on how firms and legal departments can manage risk, drive business growth, and future-proof their tech investments.

Cane, Cedergren, and Csillag also highlight the growing role of AI-powered tools in transforming legal teams from operational support to strategic business partners and the importance of future-proofing your tech stack.

To learn more about Thomson Reuters and its work in this space, click here.

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!

With many feeling lost and overwhelmed when starting their own law firm, one young lawyer who has navigated these challenges covers key steps to launch and manage your own legal practice with clarity and confidence.

In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Ahmad Faraj, the principal and senior lawyer at Faraj Defence Lawyers, delving into what inspired him to take the leap and start his own law firm. He shares the surprises and challenges he encountered in his journey, highlights the scarcity of resources available to guide aspiring law firm founders through this daunting process, and outlines four essential steps you need to complete before launching your practice.

Faraj also offers guidance on choosing the right business model and area of specialisation, shares how lawyers can navigate conflicts with former firms concerning non-compete agreements and client transitions, as well as how to overcome the challenges of juggling the many roles a law firm owner must take on. He also discusses practical tips on landing your first client and building a sustainable client base, highlights the necessity of establishing a consistent digital presence across all platforms, and shares critical advice he wishes he had received early on.

Many senior in-house lawyers, Adrian Moffatt says, find themselves stuck in what he calls the “GC waiting room”. Here, he fleshes out how best law department leaders can support their growth.

In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Ausco Modular executive general manager of legal and corporate (APAC) Adrian Moffatt about why he’s so motivated by in-house life, the inherent issues with the leadership bottleneck in-house and why it is a pervasive challenge, whether there can be more than one GC in a legal team, and the impact that waiting can have on a senior lawyer.

Moffatt also discusses the flow-on issues that can arise both for businesses and individuals from this leadership bottleneck, the starting point for both GCs and their seniors in addressing the challenges, building suitable pathways moving forward, how best to come to the table, and his broader wisdom about having the courage to have tough conversations.

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 special episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, produced in partnership with FTI Consulting, we explore best practices for conducting investigations and regulatory responses and the importance of pivoting from a reactive to a proactive approach to prevention and detection.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Natalie Faulkner, FTI Consulting’s Head of Risk and Investigations, Australia, to discuss the work that she and her team do, why she likes helping organisations “against the bad guys”, why investigations are so front of mind for law departments, some recent case studies she’s worked on, and the headline takeaways from those instances.

Natalie provides practical guidance for conducting investigations, dealing with the increasing regulatory complexity and scrutiny and broader lessons she’s learnt for in-house teams.

Natalie also delves into how prepared Australian businesses are at this juncture, with emerging deepfake and sophisticated attacks causing sleepless nights for law department leaders.

To learn more about FTI Consulting, click here.

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!

Here, a BigLaw partner reflects on what we’ve learnt in the last year and a half from the Secure Jobs, Better Pay legislative changes and what it all means for the market moving forward.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Norton Rose Fulbright partner Alexandra Shields about her work in employment and labour law, the “human element” of such legal practice, what the recent Secure Jobs, Better Pay amendments are and why they were introduced, the key takeaways from the last 12 to 18 months following the passage of the amendments, and the issues and challenges that have arisen.

Shields also delves into how best to respond to those issues and challenges, the more encouraging developments from the last 12 to 18 months, whether developments in the market can be attributed to the amended legislation, why changing the employment and labour market is a longer-term project, going by the “vibes”, how employers should respond to the current climate, considering their reputations, and what is best practice for lawyers in this space 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!

In this special episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, produced in partnership with Elevate Flexible Legal Resourcing, we explore why contracting roles are no longer a stopgap and how legal departments and law firms are staying ahead with adopting agile resourcing strategies. We also delve into the changing attitudes in the industry and what is driving these changes.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with the Head of APAC at Elevate Flexible Legal Resourcing, Val Pitt, about her industry insights. They discuss the catalysts for increased interest in contracting roles and what it means for the legal services marketplace; the environmental factors that make contracting more appealing right now; how contract lawyers are being integrated into law departments; and the questions lawyers should ask of themselves in order to successfully integrate into a team.

Val also explains the growing recognition of flexible work as being a viable career pathway, the win-win scenario for both individual lawyers and law departments as they onboard new technologies and manage budgetary constraints, why contracting is so "transformative", why more law departments are embracing it, and what listeners should know about what makes Elevate Flexible Legal Resourcing a stand-out option.

To learn more about Elevate Flexible Resourcing, click here.