When it comes to marketing, Rex Afrasiabi has learnt that people resonate more with a person than they do with a business. Leaning into his own branding has resulted in exponential growth for his firm, which is now allowing him to expand nationally through a capital raise and a retail share offering.

In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Bond Property Lawyers founder Rex Afrasiabi to discuss how and why he works with the real estate sector (and targets this sector rather than a particular niche area of legal practice), creating a marketing strategy that allows for growth without spreading one’s self too thin, and his views on the importance of personal and professional branding.

Afrasiabi also delves into the investment of time and labour for such strong marketing, how his business success has been aided by such marketing, how he plans to take his operations to the next level nationally, reflections on private equity in law firms, why he is looking to raise capital and undertake a retail share offering, and what excites him about such business growth moving forward.

In this special episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with LEAP Family Law, we explore how and why so many family law practitioners are leaving the profession and what can be done to better support them in practice.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with LEAP Family Law managing director Jenna Downy about her background as a family lawyer, how and why burnout impacts lawyers in this space, the unique challenges facing family lawyers, the many hats that they have to wear, and how burnout can impact female practitioners more than their male counterparts.

Downy also delves into her own experiences with burnout when she practised in family law, the moment of realisation that she experienced, the options that practitioners can and should be exploring, whether they are aware of such options, how LEAP is supporting family lawyers right now, and whether she is optimistic about family lawyers’ capacity to proactively and reactively navigate burnout in practice.

To learn more about LEAP Family Law, 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!

In this special episode, produced in partnership with Lawyers Weekly’s philanthropic partner So They Can, we explore the work being undertaken by the charity in Kenya and Tanzania to support children (especially young girls) living in extreme poverty by way of community health and empowerment projects, education, and family strengthening.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with So They Can’s partnerships manager, Emily Whitehouse, and country manager in Tanzania, Roselyne Mariki, about who the charity is and why it does its work in East Africa, the myriad challenges being faced by both girls and boys in certain communities in Kenya and Tanzania, including lacking access to food, water, healthcare and education.

Whitehouse and Mariki also discuss the various projects So They Can has running that are supporting children and young adults in communities, including the Empowerment Program for Women and its recent success, how individual professionals can get involved in the charity’s operations, and how businesses across Australia can support its work on the ground in East Africa.

To learn more about So They Can, 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!

Many young lawyers see AI as a looming threat – something that could disrupt their careers or put them at a disadvantage in an already competitive field. But Lucy Southwick challenges this mindset, arguing that AI is a competitive edge for the next generation of legal professionals.

In a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Lucy Southwick, a recent manager within Ashurst Advance’s client solutions practice. She shares how she began her journey in the innovation area simply by introducing herself to a senior colleague working in that space, discusses how rewarding it is to be at the forefront of emerging technologies and ideas, highlights the growing awareness among Australian lawyers of international work opportunities, and reflects on the valuable skills gained from working abroad.
She reflects on her next chapter after four years at Ashurst, discussing how AI is transforming the daily work of junior lawyers, shares why now is the most exciting time to be starting a legal career, emphasises the importance for young lawyers to see AI not as a threat but as a competitive advantage, and addresses the fear some may feel about adopting AI – often influenced by senior lawyers’ slower embrace of technological change.

Southwick also outlines three practical steps to help young lawyers confidently and responsibly navigate this evolving technology, highlights the crucial role law firms and universities play in upskilling young professionals on AI and its applications, identifies common mistakes young lawyers often make with AI and offers strategies to avoid them, and shares valuable advice on how young lawyers can harness AI to gain a competitive advantage.

From placing seventh in taekwondo at the Rio Olympics to boldly launching his own law firm, Hayder Shkara shares his anything but ordinary path into the legal profession.

Speaking on a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Hayder Shkara, the principal of Justice Family Lawyers, who admits that while he has a fondness for the TV show, Suits, his true passion for law was inspired by his grandfather – a respected judge in Iraq who championed justice for the vulnerable. He shares how, at just 10 years old, watching the Sydney Olympic Games ignited a dream to one day represent his country on the world stage in taekwondo. He also reflects on the disappointment of falling short at the London 2012 Olympic Games but shares how that disappointment fuelled him to return stronger and place seventh at the Rio 2016 Games.

He opens up on how he managed the demanding balance of completing his law degree while training full-time for the Olympics, recalls how, shortly after competing in Rio, he took the bold plunge into entrepreneurship by opening his own law firm, shares he was determined to do this to ensure he didn’t face the post-Olympic slum that many athlete experiences, and reveals how he channelled his competitive mindset into his legal career, describing the transition as climbing a mountain.

Shkara also candidly shares the toughest challenges he faced when first taking the lap to start his own law firm and how he overcame them, talks about his journey of expanding the firm through strategic acquisitions, discusses how this process has given him valuable insights into what works well in different practices, and equally important, what he doesn’t want from his own firm, and offers valuable advice to law students – insights he wishes he had known at the very beginning of his legal career.

To find out more about Justice Family Lawyer, click here.

In this special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with Axiom and Legora, we explore the transformation of legal operations made possible by a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and having the right legal expertise.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Axiom’s chief technology officer, CJ Saretto, and Legora’s go-to market in APJ, Heather Paterson, about what their respective companies do, the “impossible choice” involved with certain legal work, the headline issues and challenges that are being faced right now, and why a combination of AI and legal expertise is a suitable approach to take moving forward.

The trio also discuss moving from hype to feasible results, asking the right questions to ensure successful implementation, the combination of senior legal talent with AI and moving past traditional methods, ensuring quality legal expertise, the benefit of the partnership between Axiom and Legora, and where technology is headed and how teams can get ready.

To learn more about Axiom, click here. To learn more about Legora, 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!

Late last year, the chief people officer for national law firm Gilchrist Connell was announced as the BigLaw player’s new chief executive - a role she assumed in July. Here, she reflects on her vocational experience and details how coming from an HR background and wearing “many, many hats” lends well to leading a large legal practice.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Gilchrist Connell chief executive Belinda Cohen about her career prior to joining the BigLaw firm five years ago, the work she did as CPO, balancing the proactive and reactive as an HR professional, and how she came to be the firm’s CEO.

Cohen also discusses the firm’s vision as set out by her predecessor, Richard Wood, and how her HR background will assist in furthering that vision, how and why HR professionals are well placed to step into such senior leadership roles, how HR professionals can create such vocational pipelines for themselves, and what excites her 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!

Here, a managing partner and former law society president discusses the experience of delivering a premature baby, what it taught her, and the support offered by the broader legal profession. (Content warning: This episode contains content that may be disturbing or distressing to some listeners. Discretion is advised.)

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with DBH Lawyers managing partner Amy Nikolovski, who formerly served as the president of the Law Society of South Australia and now sits on the society’s wellbeing and resilience committee, about the work she and her firm undertakes, how she came to deliver a premature baby and how she was supported by colleagues at the time, and the personal and emotional toll of such an experience.

Nikolovski also reflects on the support mechanisms that the broader legal profession has in place and offers for working parents in law dealing with premature delivery, and how individual lawyers can be more comfortable talking about such personal and family matters with their colleagues.

Help is available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 and Beyond Blue at 1300 22 4636. Each law society and bar association also has resources available on their respective websites.

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!