Counsel Culture: The Business of Law Podcast

After a summer hiatus, Counsel Culture is finally back! We’re kicking off with an exciting new episode featuring James Booth and Edin Imsirovic from Financial News. Together with Meg, they discuss Paul Weiss' impressive growth one year later and A&O Shearman’s recent hiring of two private equity partners from Sidley and making people redundant (probably). Thank you for listening.

This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone to discuss the return of deals, Kirkland & Ellis Partner moves and diverse lawyers being used as “window dressing” in client pitches.  Thank you for listening.

 This week, Meg is joined by Associate Director Liam McCafferty to discuss how the legal industry (and others) can use the Labour Cabinet as an example for increasing socio-economic diversity, what an increase in UK-focused infrastructure and planning work means for law firms and A&O and Linklaters' financial results announcements.   Thank you for listening.

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week, Meg is joined by Michael to discuss the UK and French elections' impact on the market, UK law firms' financial results so far and what constitutes the global elite within the legal sector. Thank you for listening.

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week, Meg is joined by Gus and Dina for their monthly disputes & investigations episode. This time they discuss the latest updates in the Post Office Inquiry and the class action against Glencore, the second-ever collective settlement approval order in opt-out proceedings in the CAT, and the fate of the Litigation Funding Agreements (Enfo...

 In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Week, Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone to delve into several stories from this week's legal news. They discuss topics including the complexities of dating as a lawyer, strategies for managing stress, mental health and wellbeing, and why employees are seeking stability in their careers amidst economic instability. Additionally,...

 In this episode, Meg is joined by Eric Staal, Vice President of Global Markets at Lex Mundi, to discuss challenges faced by General Counsel in responding to geopolitical issues affecting their companies, and handling various stakeholders as part of their response, how those challenges have changed the relationship between in-house counsel and external advisers and what options are available to GC...

This week Meg is joined by Senior Consultant Dina Hudson for the third instalment of our Counsel Culture Disputes & Investigations Monthly series. They discuss the reputational risks of the FCA's "name and shame" proposal, the internal and external communications considerations and challenges for the BBC in the wake of Huw Edwards’ resignation and the importance of having a robu...

In today’s episode, Meg and Senior Consultant Dina Hudson are joined by Mary Inman, Partner at Whistleblower Partners LLP. They discussed Whistleblower Partners LLP and the work they're doing worldwide, as well as the legal, reputational and psychosocial risks faced by whistleblowers. They also spoke about what regulators and employers can do to ensure whistleblowers are taken seriously and r...

This week, Meg welcomes Tony Williams, retired Principal at Jomati Consultants, to the show. They discussed Tony’s plan post-retirement from Jomati as well as the various milestones through Tony’s career including his biggest challenges, most rewarding moments and lessons learned. He also shared some thoughts on how the legal industry has changed and some predictions for the future.  Thank you for...

This week Meg is joined by Ana Carolina Salomão, CIO and Partner at Pogust Goodhead. They spoke about the firm's compensation case against BHP over a collapsed dam in Brazil; seeing ESG as a business opportunity; group actions and collective redress trends across Europe and the Litigation Funding Agreement (Enforceability) Bill 2024. Thank you for listening.

This week, we have the privilege of welcoming a very special guest, Camille Vasquez, a Partner and Co-Chair of the Brand & Reputation Management Group at Brown Rudnick. Camille, who has worked with a number of high-profile clients, gained global recognition for her successful representation of Johnny Depp in a televised defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard two years ago. The team d...

This week Meg is joined by Stefan Ciesla, Co-founder of Ayora, a company that provides AI for legal revenue management. They discuss Ayora's report called "Addressing the $36bn value gap in law firms: a primer for innovative law firms" which claims that the legal industry is losing up to $36 billion a year due to sub-optimal revenue and working capital management. They also speak ab...

Today, Meg is joined by Gus and Dina for the next instalment of our Disputes and Investigations Monthly series. They discuss the Christian Horner case, the latest legislative proposals regarding SLAPPS, the FCA planning to name firms being investigated earlier and more often and the SFO offering monetary compensation for whistleblowers to come forward. Thank you for listening.

 This week Meg is joined by Steven Barrett from Radcliffe Chambers to discuss when barristers should call themselves barristers and whether judges should be banned from using social media. They also spoke about Latham & Watkins' decision to cut off automatic access to its international database for Hong Kong lawyers and Freshfields asking lawyers to opt for lower-class travel to meet sust...

This week Meg is joined by John Hyde , Deputy News Editor at The Law Society Gazette. They sat down to discuss the latest developments in the Post Office Inquiry including what the next phase looks like, the impact on the victims and the SRA’s involvement. They also spoke about the latest on Axiom Ince, analysing Pragnesh Modhwadia's property company being shut down, the SRA's review int...

This week’s episode marks the first instalment of our Disputes and Investigations monthly series. Meg is joined by Byfield Founder Gus Sellitto and Dina Hudson , Senior Consultant in our Disputes and Investigations practice, to discuss Byfield’s updated Disputes & Investigations PR service offering, the highlights from The Lawyer's Top 20 cases for 2024 , PR considerations amid investigat...

This week Meg is joined by HSBC’s Head of Professional & Business Services, Victoria Ritchie. They discussed various aspects of HSBC's annual law firm strategy report for 2024 including, how law firms are planning for the impact of the basis period reform on their finances, how they're investing in ESG, overseas expansion and technology and how banks are helping them facilitate those...

This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Michael Evans to discuss the new black box partner remuneration model at Paul Weiss, Slaughter and May announcing it will name and shame those who work from home full time, SSB Law going bust and owing £200m to litigation funders and the government reversing the July PACCAR decision for the Post Office Inquiry. Thank you for listening.

This week Meg is joined by Account Director Liam McCafferty to discuss this week’s biggest legal stories. They cover the Post Office scandal, Linklaters' latest hire in the US, SRA fines for breaches of transparency, M&A advisers table from the London Stock Exchange Group and the latest update on Axiom Ince and the compensation cap. Thank you for listening.

In what is the last Counsel Culture episode of 2023, Meg is joined by Joint Managing Directors Michael Evans and Ben Girdlestone to discuss the biggest stories of 2023. They cover the A&O and Shearman merger, Paul Weiss’ recruitment, the Axiom Ince fallout, how firms have handled their messaging around the Middle East conflict and predictions for 2024. Thank you for listening.

This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Michael Evans to discuss the news that Deloitte and KPMG are asking staff to use burner phones on Hong Kong trips and CTS has fallen victim to a cyber security attack. They also discuss the SRA ruling out a one-off levy on solicitors to compensate clients of Axiom Ince and the effectiveness of workplace wellbeing schemes. Thank you for listening.

This week’s episode of Counsel Culture is now live! Meg and Joint Managing Director Ben discuss Allen & Overy's ransomware, breaking glass ceilings for women in law, and junior lawyers wanting to join firms and do work that align with their values. Thank you for listening.

As regular host Meg takes a well-deserved break, Account Director Liam and Joint Managing Director Michael step in to speak about the week’s biggest legal stories. They discuss the Rwanda scheme ruling, Axiom SFO raids, the recent trends in younger lawyers preferring ethical work, international firms entering Africa and the acquisition of Chambers and Partners.  Thank you for listening.

In this week's episode, Meg is joined by Thomas Kendra, Arbitration Partner from Hogan Lovells, to discuss market trends in litigation and arbitration in Europe and Africa, how Asian investments in Africa are affecting disputes across the continent, the Nigeria arbitration case in the London courts in October and the ICSID and UNCITRAL code of conduct affecting arbitrators.  Thank you for lis...