Kirton McConkie

It’s Not All Billable

Business EN ↓ 6 episodes

Hosted by Jonathan Bench and Kato Aerts, It’s Not All Billable takes listeners inside the lives of lawyers practicing across borders. Each episode explores how legal professionals navigate work-life balance within diverse cultural and legal environments. With insights on corporate and employment law developments from around the world, the show offers a global perspective on the practice of law, and what it means to build a career beyond the billable hour.

Author

Kirton McConkie

Episodes

Life with a Lawyer – Balance, Sacrifice, and Support at Home 29.04.2026 47:20

In this special episode of It’s Not All Billable , Jonathan and Kato invite their spouses, Mary Ann and Jean-Paul, to join the conversation for an honest look at what it’s really like to be married to a lawyer. Together, they reflect on law school, career ambitions, family life, and the ways legal work shapes relationships at home. The discussion explores the blessings and challenges of flexibili...

Mentorship and Networking – Finding Guidance and Becoming It 15.04.2026 37:08

In this episode, hosts Jonathan Bench and Kato Aerts explore the value of mentorship and the role networking plays in finding the right people to guide your growth. Drawing from personal stories, they reflect on early career uncertainty, the mentors who helped shape their paths, and the difference between a mentor who offers honest guidance and a promoter who advocates on your behalf. They also sh...

Business Development – Trust, Visibility, and Finding Your Style 25.03.2026 31:44

In this episode of It’s Not All Billable , hosts Jonathan Bench and Kato Aerts dive into the often-misunderstood world of business development in the legal profession. Drawing from personal experiences and candid reflections, they explore the difference between marketing and business development, the role of trust and accessibility in building client relationships, and why many lawyers feel uncom...

Jonathan’s Origin Story – Big Family, Big World, and a Career Across Borders 11.03.2026 39:47

Hosts Jonathan Bench and Kato Aerts continue their origin-story series with an episode focused on Jonathan’s path into law. Kato interviews Jonathan about growing up as one of twelve children in small-town Wisconsin, his early love of books, language, and performance, and the experiences that took him from the Midwest to Hong Kong at nineteen, where his interest in China and international culture...

Kato’s Origin Story – Curiosity, Career Pivots, and Building a Life in Law 18.02.2026 25:47

It’s Not All Billable hosts Jonathan Bench and Kato Aerts continue the conversation with an “origin story” episode focused on Kato’s path into law. Jonathan interviews Kato about her childhood in Belgium near Antwerp, her early love of language and learning, and the personal experiences that shaped her interest in litigation and ultimately employment law. Kato shares how curiosity, family influen...

Meet the Hosts: Careers, Confidence, and Connection 28.01.2026 26:06

In Episode 1 of It’s Not All Billable , hosts Jonathan Bench and Kato Aerts kick off the podcast by introducing themselves, sharing how they met through the International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA), and explaining why they created a cross-border space to talk about the parts of legal careers that aren’t measured in billable hours. Drawing from their own journeys, they reflect on imposter...