Legal 500 Podcast

Will Tolcher, Global Bar Editor of The Legal 500, speaks to Liz Dux, chambers director of Littleton Chambers. This, the first part of a two-part episode, covers Liz's career before the world of chambers management: private practice as a solicitor, becoming an equity partner at Russell Jones and Walker, which became part of Slater and Gordon, focussing on personal injury work including for sur...

Will Tolcher, Global Bar Editor of The Legal 500, speaks to Sara George, Sidley Austin's lead crisis management and strategic response lawyer in Europe and vice-chair of the Employed Barristers Committee of the Bar Council. Will and Sara discuss Sara's journey from a criminal chambers in London, through the Financial Services Authority and elite English firms through to partnership at a...

Barnaby speaks to Jeetander Dulani, an antitrust partner at Stinson LLP, about recent and upcoming trends in antitrust law, including the Biden Administration’s new merger rules, the policy of 'litigation over regulation' amid shifts towards alternative theories of harm in merger challenges, debate over the policy of 'woke antitrust', and diversity in the US antitrust bar.

Will Tolcher, global Bar editor of The Legal 500, speaks to Iain Quirk KC, a King's Counsel at Essex Court Chambers and co-founder of pinqDR - a law tech start-up aiming to bring the same legal underpinning of heavyweight international arbitration to a broader class of disputes through innovations in technology and arbitral rules. The second part of this two-part podcast delves into the caree...

Will Tolcher, global bar editor of The Legal 500, speaks to Iain Quirk KC, a King's Counsel at Essex Court Chambers and co-founder of pinqDR - a lawtech start-up aiming to bring the same legal underpinning of heavyweight international arbitration to a broader class of disputes through innovations in technology and arbitral rules. The first of this two-part episode looks at Iain's route t...

Max Hammer speaks to Angela Jackman KC, a partner at Irwin Mitchell, about the current challenges of the SEND framework and on government proposals for reform. Angela has a wealth of experience in special educational needs, having represented parents and young people in this area for over two decades. She co-authors the Legal Action Group education law updates and regularly speaks at public events...

Barnaby speaks to Agnieszka Fryszman, head of human rights law at Cohen Milstein, about difficulties in holding companies to account between the US and other jurisdictions, levelling the playing field between victims and perpetrators, and how aspiring lawyers can balance work in corporate law with representing victims of human rights abuses, modern slavery, and other violations of liberty. Agniesz...

Barnaby speaks to Lora Krsulich, a litigation associate at Susman Godfrey, about her experience of entering law school and the legal profession as a first-generation immigrant to the United States, and broader issues of socioeconomic access to the law, from a practitioner and client perspective.

In a new episode of the Legal 500 Podcast, Barnaby speaks to Megan Sense, co-founder of stage, a business development & marketing venture focused on relationships, revenue, and growth for legal services. Barnaby and Megan discuss her departure from a BigLaw business development position and the importance of an empathy-driven approach to building personal and professional relationships with cl...

Barnaby speaks to Eric Staal, Vice President for Global Markets at Lex Mundi, about challenges facing GCs this year, including broad issues relating to stakeholderism, internal and external ESG pressures, and ongoing impacts from the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Barnaby speaks to William Peake, Managing Partner at Harneys, about his career and recent appointment to the role, promotion of healthy law firm culture on a global basis, and the importance of progressive leadership.

In the first part of a two-part series on social mobility issues in the law, Barnaby Merrill speaks to David Ampaw of DLA Piper, Polly Richard of Travers Smith, and Prisca Wharton of White & Case, all prominent voices in the British legal community on social mobility, about the journey each lawyer has taken in their life and career, issues they continue to face, and the potential for positive...

In the second part of a two-part series on social mobility issues in the law, Barnaby Merrill continues his conversation with David Ampaw of DLA Piper, Polly Richard of Travers Smith, and Prisca Wharton of White & Case, all prominent voices in the British legal community on social mobility, about the journey each lawyer has taken in their life and career, issues they continue to face, and the...

Barnaby speaks to Aarash Daroodi, General Counsel and Executive Vice-President at Fender Guitars. Aarash has an incredible life story, having left the US and lived in multiple countries by the age of ten, and since taking on his role at Fender, has sought to disrupt and redefine the role of a general counsel and the relationship between law firms and their corporate clients. Barnaby and Aarash dis...

Following her research of the healthcare sector for the Legal 500 United States, Sophie Chan speaks to Mark Reagan from Hooper Lundy & Bookman, P.C. about preserving access to healthcare services, the shift to a value-based care system, and the importance of daily activities in end of life care.

In the first episode of 2023, Barnaby speaks to Lori Mihalich-Levin, the founder and CEO of Mindful Return, an organisation that offers training and support to new parents in their transition back to work. Barnaby and Lori discuss the formation of Mindful Return, the ‘leaky pipeline’ of career progression for working mothers, and what law firms should be doing to both ease new parents back into wo...

Barnaby Merrill speaks to John Quinn, the founder of Quinn Emmanuel and one of the most high-profile, successful trial lawyers in the world, on his firm’s success, work on behalf of Ukraine in the ECHR, the future of high-stakes business litigation, the increasing importance of data, and working practices in a post-Covid world.

Legal Business ' senior reporter Tom Baker sat down with Freeths' disputes partner James Hartley to relive the headline-grabbing Post Office litigation. On the agenda: slippery litigation tactics, the ins and outs of disputes funding, and the personal toll the scandal inflicted upon postmasters up and down the country.

Barnaby sits down with Charlotte Mills and Jen Goodwin from the Jackson Lees corporate and commercial team to discuss the skills (legal and non-legal) lawyers need to successfully act for family businesses and SMEs, as well as the training offered to lawyers within the Jackson Lees team to develop these skills.

Following Pride Month, David Koehne speaks to Andy Lewis, co-founding member of O:PEN, a new pensions sector network that seeks to connect LGBTQ+ pensions professionals. Lewis talks about the experience of setting up the network in 2019, discusses the importance of real diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the benefits sector-wide networks can bring to their members.

Barnaby Merrill speaks to TLT partners Esther Smith and Maria Connolly about ESG, and how firms can show leadership on all aspects of the topic both as legal advisors and as businesses themselves. The firm was a sponsor of Legal 500’s Enterprise GC conference, where Maria spoke as part of the Leading With Integrity roundtable on ESG issues.

Barnaby Merrill speaks to Jazz Hampton, CEO and Head of Legal at Turnsignl, an app that connects motorists directly to an attorney after they are stopped by police. Jazz speaks about the origins of the app amidst the chilling scenes of the George Floyd killing, the regulatory issues behind its creation, and the broader topic of legal tech as a solution to racial and socioeconomic inequity. Turnsig...

David Koehne is joined by Alesya Pavlynska from Ukrainian firm Arzinger, Anna Hałas-Krawczyk from Greenberg Traurig’s Warsaw office and Katie Newbury from Kingsley Napley in London to discuss the issues facing civilians displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and thinking about how the international legal community is getting involved.   Useful resources: Multilaw Ukraine Crisis Support Centr...

Barnaby Merrill speaks to Tony Randle, head of Shoosmiths Connected Services, and Sarah Holford, Head of Legal and Compliance at Scania and a client of Shoosmiths. The panel discusses developments in client services on the law firm side and the evolution in what clients are asking from their legal advisors.

Barnaby Merrill is joined by three barristers at Red Lion Chambers: Richard Sutton QC, Barnaby Jameson QC, and Jade Bucklow, to discuss combining life at the Bar with other pastimes, as well as the wider importance of work-life balance in the demanding world of law.