Salt and pepper. Fish and chips. The sun and the moon. Law and innovation? Ok, maybe those last two haven’t traditionally been a natural pair. But the legal world is changing like never before. What skills should lawyers develop to excel with new technologies? How can lawyers interested in tech get more involved in that field?

This episode’s guest, Joe Green, Chief Innovation Officer at Gunderson Dettmer, speaks to host Janelle Wrigley about these questions, how he pivoted his career from corporate lawyer to legal tech changemaker, and much more.

For lawyers who are disabled or neurodivergent, finding role models and support in the legal profession is a huge challenge. After becoming disabled eight years ago – and grappling with how to navigate her health and her work as a lawyer – Reena Parmar set out to address that problem.

Now Chair of the Disabled Solicitors Network (DSN) at the Law Society of England and Wales, Reena chats with host Yasmin Sheikh about the initiatives underway at the DSN to promote disability inclusion and to support legal professionals looking for guidance or mentorship.

In this episode, Lauren sits down with Alan Barinholtz, lawyer and star of the hit TV series Jury Duty.

Though Alan spent most of his life as a litigator and arbitrator, he dreamed of being an actor. After 40+ years as a lawyer (and, as he puts it, being patient and rehearsing for close to 50 years), Alan's dream came true when he landed the role of Judge Alan Rosen on Jury Duty. The Amazon show went on to earn an Emmy nomination and won the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series, in no small part thanks to Alan's talented acting.

Lauren and Alan chat about Alan's journey from lawyer to actor, including how he leaned on his legal experience to play a judge on TV. Alan also reveals the advice he got from his sons, Hollywood stars Ike and Jon Barinholtz, and shares an inspiring message for anyone else considering a career change.

Find out more about Jury Duty here: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/realism-or-ridicule-what-jury-duty-show-says-about-system-2023-05-10/

THE CROSS-EXAMINATION – Lawyers who are concerned about climate change increasingly want to see environmental values reflected in their practice. It can be difficult to advocate for change, especially for early career lawyers and those who feel that climate law is outside their expertise. But it turns out you don’t have to be an environmental litigator or a managing partner to make a difference.

In this episode, Becky speaks with two activists leading organisations that help provide lawyers and law students with tools to make a difference on climate change within the legal profession. Haley Czarnek, from Law Students for Climate Accountability (LSCA), and Ming Zee Tee, from Legal Voices for the Future (LVF), both believe that any lawyer has the skills and leverage to have a positive impact on the climate.

Haley and Ming Zee discuss their views on the growing need to incorporate climate change issues into law school curriculums, the ethical duties of law firms in representing fossil fuel companies, the most exciting developments taking place in climate law, and the practical things those concerned about the environment can do to make a difference, no matter what your practice or stage of career.

Guests:

– Haley Czarnek, National Director, LSCA https://www.ls4ca.org

– Ming Zee Tee, Chair, LVF https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/climate-change/legal-voices-for-the-future

In this episode, Jennifer sits down with Michele Meyer-Shipp, the Chief Executive Officer of Dress for Success Worldwide. Dress for Success (https://dressforsuccess.org) is a global not-for-profit organization operating in 22 countries.

Michele tells us about the organization's mission – helping women achieve economic independence and, as she explains, dress women "from the inside out" by providing professional attire and development opportunities. Michele also shares what it's like being the CEO responsible for affiliates across the globe.

Jennifer and Michele discuss her path to Dress for Success – from private practice to the public sector, to in-house counsel to Chief Diversity Officer, and to become the highest-ranking woman in Major League Baseball. Along the way, Michele shares practical and meaningful career advice for lawyers – be a lifelong learner and find work that brings you joy(!) – that makes it easy to see why she's been successful every step of the way.

THE CROSS-EXAMINATION – In today's culture, people are used to expressing their views on social media and entering into often polarised debates on potentially emotive issues. Amid the ethos of "bringing your whole self" to work, we have seen this outspokenness permeate into the workplace. There can be a range of differing views which can result in conflicts between employees and challenges for employers to manage.

Employees have the right to hold and express certain protected beliefs, but how should an employer balance these conflicting protected rights and ensure they don't result in discrimination or harassment? Can an employer limit freedom of speech in the workplace, and also in the provision of services? What counts as a proportionate response, and are zero-tolerance policies achievable? These are some of the questions tackled in this episode.

Hosts:

– Elanne Pimstone, Director, Practical Law Employment
– Sophie McGuinness, Senior Specialist Legal Editor, Practical Law Employment

Guests:

– Sarah Gilzean, Partner, Morton Fraser MacRoberts
– Darren Newman, independent consultant, writer and trainer on employment law
– Elizabeth McGlone, Partner, didlaw

This episode’s guest is Fiona Rutherford, the Chief Executive of Justice, a UK law reform and human rights charity. Justice strives for a fair, accessible, and equal justice system and is also the UK section of the International Commission of Jurists.

Fiona chats to Yasmin about a landmark report the charity recently published addressing the erosion of the rule of law in the UK, which you can access here: https://justice.org.uk/the-uks-longstanding-commitment-to-the-rule-of-law-is-under-grave-threat-according-to-landmark-report-from-justice/.

The pair also discuss what it really means to live under the rule of law and have access to justice, Fiona's career journey from barrister to policy and advocacy work, and a particular case that deeply impacted Fiona and motivates her work in helping to make our justice system more humane.

"Show up. Speak up. Woman up." This is the motto of Mirna Santiago, a lawyer, DEI expert, and nonprofit founder and CEO. Through the many roles Mirna has held during her career, which has also included law firm partner and chair of the New York State Bar Association's Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Mirna epitomizes someone who walks her talk.

In this episode, Jenn and Lauren chat with Mirna about her commitment to busting bias as a Black Hispanic woman who was born in another country and now exists in places where, as she puts it, you don’t typically find women in her skin. Mirna, a phenomenal storyteller and engaging presenter, also explains how her dad influenced her decision to go to law school and how she came up with her motto after watching her mom never say yes. They also chat about Mirna's pipeline nonprofit organization, Girls Rule the Law (girlsrulethelaw.org), which introduces underrepresented middle and high school girls to the legal field.

If you enjoy listening to The Hearing, please follow the podcast and leave a 5-star review. This helps like-minded people find the podcast, and helps us ensure we can continue to bring you interesting guests and content.

This episode's guest pulls off the impossible: he'll make you wonder if maybe you should have been a tax lawyer.
 
Dan Neidle is described by some as “possibly the UK’s leading tax lawyer”. After spending 25 years at Clifford Chance, including as their UK head of tax, he set-up Tax Policy Associates – a not-for-profit company aiming to improve tax and legal policy and educate the public.

Dan chats with Becky Annison about the fascinating and complicated puzzles he enjoyed solving for clients in practice, why he chose to retire (while still in his 40s) to focus on public policy and advocacy, and why tax law is far more interesting and important than you might think.

In this episode, Lauren sits down with billionaire philanthropist and former lawyer Laura Arnold, co-founder of Arnold Ventures.

Arnold Ventures has spent over $2.5 billion (USD) on more than 3,200 projects in many areas of need, like criminal justice reform, healthcare, democracy and contraceptives, to name a few. The organization, which in part seeks to change laws, was founded on the belief that bipartisan policy is the most sustainable change you can make as a philanthropist.

Laura and Lauren talk about what makes Arnold Ventures unique in the philanthropic world, including its structure and its evidence-based approach to philanthropy, as well as how Laura and her husband John began their journey as world-renowned philanthropists.

For more about Arnold Ventures, see https://www.arnoldventures.org/.

Modern families come in all sizes and configurations – and often the law is playing catch-up with the issues raised by contemporary family relationships.

In this episode, Linzi Bull, partner at Penningtons Manches Cooper, chats with host Yasmin Sheikh about her modern family legal practice. They focus in particular on the complex legal and ethical issues that surround surrogacy law in the UK, the emotional connections involved in representing families, and the gaps in the law surrounding polyamorous family units.

(Please note: The UK government announced on 8 November 2023 that the Law Commission proposals on surrogacy, which Linzi and Yasmin discuss, will not “be taken forward at the moment.” (https://lawcom.gov.uk/project/surrogacy/)