The Legal Spectrum Podcast

Hosted by Muckle LLP

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Latest episode

Mar 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Business. Law. Conversation. This is a business podcast series with a legal twist. Join our Muckle LLP lawyers and guest business leaders, for Q & A’s and conversation across the full spectrum of topical business issues.Business challenges. Buying a business. Accessing finance. Engaging employees. Managing commercial contracts, property or disputes. Each episode will give you practical tools, tips and tactics to improve your organisation and address real-life legal needs, with lashings of extra business insight on top.Follow us @MuckleLLP or visit www.muckle-llp.com Podcasts are not legal advice. Laws may have changed since recording.

Listen to episodes

38 recent

March 31, 2026Episode 1247 min

Digital in the charity sector

In this month’s episode, Alison Jones is joined by Paul Coby, CIO at Persimmon Homes and Trustee at MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), alongside Emily Cecile-Pritchard, Director of Digital at MOLA, to explore digital in the charity sector.Together, Paul and Emily draw on insights from Paul’s recent book, The Digital Leaders Playbook: 60 Fundamental Maxims for Success for Today's IT Executive, to unpack how charities can think differently about, and successfully embrace, digital. From the idea that “There are no IT projects, only business projects,” to the importance of being human, they share practical perspectives from their experiences in both the commercial and charitable sectors. They also discuss how charities can reduce IT costs, highlight the value of developing relationships across the business, and touch upon the growing threat of cyber attacks.The episode concludes with top tips from Emily and Paul for strengthening digital culture within charities.

January 14, 2026Episode 1134 min

How are charities using AI?

In this month’s episode, Michelle Cooper, CEO of Point North Community Foundation, and Tom Neill-Eagle, Co-Founder of AI-powered platform Plinth, join Alison Jones to explore how artificial intelligence is being used in the charity sector. Together, Michelle and Tom discuss how the traditionally risk-averse charity sector can benefit from adopting AI, and how AI tools have been used at Point North. They also share, amongst other things, practical tips for organisations considering where to start on their AI journey. With 76% of charities beginning to use AI, but only 2% doing so at a strategic level, this episode explores how charities can use AI confidently and with purpose.

October 31, 2025Episode 1021 min

Charity Matters: Trustee Week Special

To celebrate Trustees Week, we’re proud to be hosting a brand-new podcast, which will cover a range of topics related to trusteeship, from the advantages of being a trustee to the key challenges.Our people are trustees and governors of a number of charities and schools throughout the region, so we have hands-on experience and understanding of the region’s social, political and economic framework.In this latest episode of ‘The Legal Spectrum’, our legal experts and trustees Alison Jones, Hugh Welch, Lydia Stuart and Carla Boaks walk us through how they chose to use their legal expertise for good, the charities they support and how they got started as trustees.The team also offer up their top tips to anyone considering becoming a trustee and the importance of joining a charity you have a real passion for.Prefer to watch your podcasts? Click here to watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vtLyewgIkLgPlease note that the information shared in this podcast was correct at the time of recording. Alison has since taken up a fantastic new trustee opportunity at The British Museum.

September 18, 2025Episode 926 min

Is a four-day workweek too good to be true?

Is a four-day workweek too good to be true? In this month's episode, Alison Dunn, CEO of the Society Matters Group at Citizens Advice Gateshead, joins Samantha Pritchard and Jill Donabie to discuss the four-day workweek, debunking the myths about how this can function within a charity. After initial scepticism about this new work pattern, Alison watched 'Redefining Productivity: The 4-Day Workweek' and felt inspired to participate in a pilot program for the four-day work week. She explains how it has affected Citizens Advice Gateshead and its employees, ensuring they have time to decompress from the complex and emotionally taxing issues they advise on. Alison shares the journey toward this new scheme, detailing the board's reaction to the proposal and its impact on occasional absences and retention rates. Jill Donabie, partner in our employment team, joins the conversation and raises questions about the legal ramifications of the four-day workweek.

May 21, 2025Episode 828 min

'What makes a great board?' with New Writing North

In this month's episode, Fiona Melvin and Matt Forster of New Writing North join Alison Jones and Victoria Walton in our Sports, Education, and Charities team to discuss what makes a good board.New Writing North is a charity that unites people through books and writing and supports talented people from all backgrounds to achieve their creative ambitions. Having won the North East Charity Awards Trustee Board of the Year award in 2024, Fiona and Matt discuss what makes their board great, the value of recruiting younger trustees, and their top tips for having an award-winning board.

February 27, 2025Episode 732 min

Tyneside Cinema: from curtain down to a brighter future

Nic Greenan, CEO and Custodian of Tyneside Cinema, joins Samantha Pritchard to discuss the importance of the relationship between a CEO and a charity’s board of trustees, particularly when finances are squeezed, as well as the cinema’s future ambitions.Tyneside Cinema is an independent cinema and cultural venue in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne, and the last remaining newsreel theatre still showing films. Nic shares the cinema's journey from before she was appointed CEO to where it’s at now, highlighting the challenges faced and how the trustees have come together to save the curtain from coming down. With the iconic building being their biggest asset, Nic also talks about the plans for continuing the story and the memories, that many people have of the cinema, for another generation and across a wider demographic.

November 1, 2024Episode 619 min

Centring Lived Experience with Parkinson’s UK

Gary Shaughnessy, chair of Parkinson’s UK, joins Samantha Pritchard and Alison Jones of Muckle LLP to discuss the incredible physical challenges he’s taken part in to manage his own condition and to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson’s UK, and his role as chair at this charity. Their conversation centres around how Parkinson’s UK embeds the lived experiences of the people and families the charity supports into its leadership, decision-making and policy setting and how it ensures this is done authentically and meaningfully throughout the organisation.Gary explains the importance of having an organisation that is committed to listening to the community’s experiences and acts to answer and solve issues that matter to them.

August 28, 2024Episode 547 min

Responsible decision making

Rob Williamson, chief executive of the Community Foundation serving Northumberland and Tyne & Wear, and James Garbutt, investment director at Rathbones, join Samantha Pritchard and Alison Jones of Muckle LLP to discuss how the Community Foundation engages with its stakeholders and collaborates with others to develop robust and responsible policies that underpin its approach to accepting donors' gifts, investing wisely and distributing grants responsibly. James' support of the Community Foundation and its approach to responsible investment opens up a conversation around what charity leaders can think about to ensure their key policies reflect their stakeholders’ range of perspectives, achieve buy-in across the board, staff and communities a charity serves and can evolve as the context a charity operates in changes.

June 24, 2024Episode 443 min

Small charities, BIG ambitions: achieving fast-paced growth with True Colours Theatre

Alisar Taylor, founder and CEO, and Shannon Charters, makaton lead, both of True Colours Theatre, join Alison Jones and Carla Boaks to discuss the charity’s impressive growth in a short space of time.True Colours Theatre is an inclusive theatre and performance charity. Established in 2014 in Newcastle, the charity works with adults and children with a variety of needs, including autism, ADHD and anxiety. This podcast coincides with Small Charities Week (24-28 June).

March 27, 2024Episode 343 min

From vision to reality: bringing a major project to life (Lilidorei)

Mark Brassell, Chief Executive Officer of Alnwick Garden Trust, joins us to discuss Lilidorei, an educational children’s play park, which cost £18.5m and created more than 60 new jobs in the region. The ambitious project took seven years from concept to reality, with the park opening in May 2023. Mark discusses what charity leaders need to be thinking about when planning a major project to both secure the project's success and also maintain service as usual at the charity.