Episodes
27
Latest episode
May 2026
Language
EN
A front seat to the New Zealand legal market, its' leading individuals, topics of relevance and flourishing workplaces. We interview epic Lawyers from various practice areas who are keen to share their story. We discuss hot topics, current affairs and the rise and fall of demand for lawyers in correlation to it all. This podcast is for any budding lawyer stepping into the field, one seeking a change or simply the curious listener, keen to hear from someone who has been there and done that. We do not discuss or provide legal advice in this podcast.
In this episode we are joined by Gerard Elwell, a Senior Associate and Head of Employment at Young Hunter. We explore his background and expert views on the Employment Relations Authority (ERA), some proposed legislative changes and creative solutions to current issues within the framework. We ask Gerard our quickfire five and gain further insight into him as a person as well as a Lawyer.
In this episode we explore Sara's background and the reasons why she chose to specialise in Family Law. We listen to all the work she does on a daily basis, hear of the new areas coming into the her practice and hear her pleas for more Family lawyers in the Hawke's Bay region. Sara is a determined Family law expert who's purpose is to help Aoteoroa's children have a better childhood than hers, listen in for some gold nuggets in this one.
In this episode we are joined by tech wizard Peter Fernando from Duncan Cotterill's partnership, who specialises in TMT under the Corporate Commercial umbrella. Generative Artificial Intelligence is a hot topic with the introduction of more tools this year in 2023 than ever before. But the written law surrounding AI hasn't changed since the Privacy Act was passed in 1993 or in more recent versions (2020) - only the subject matter has. Peter discusses the three biggest legal risks he sees in the everyday use of these tools, how his background sparked his interest in the field and his love of Formula One, before it was made mainstream by Netflix's popular Drive to Survive series.
In this episode we are joined by the effervescent Bec Robertson from the QLDC, who leads the Corporate Commercial function for the southern region. Bec is all about having a person-first approach, a growth mindset and a positive attitude towards life and work. We discuss the benefits and barriers to being forward-thinking in the modern world and put some real-life examples to it. Bec discusses how a progressive approach can benefit the lawyer as a human being, as well as the quality and efficiency of their work. She employs a task-based, project management approach to her work that she finds simplifies touch points and gives the lawyer a better view of the overall task now, rather than a pile of who-knows-what when it is too late. Listen in here or from your favourite podcast provider and please leave us a rating so we can produce more of the kinds of conversations you want to hear. https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/
In this episode, we are fortunate to have one of New Zealand's leading environmental law specialists, Sarah Scott from Simpson Grierson. Sarah has amassed a whopping 17 years at SG that have seen her gain immense exposure to various areas in the law and the opportunity to specialise and grow where she now practices. We delve into her expertise and knowledge of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) and what has been happening here recently. With two new pieces of legislation set to be phased in over the next 10 years, Scottie shares her thoughts on why it was necessary, what we have now and where to next. This of course all sits under an enormous cloud of uncertainty due to the change of Government in New Zealand. Could it mean that all this much-needed hard work is repealed and our Environmental lawyers, Councillors, Developers and the like are stuck in the same position, at least for now?
In this episode we are joined by Ana Coculescu - an internationally-qualified, Senior Associate at Dentons Kensington Swan in the field of European Union Law, Resource Management and ESG. We track Ana's career from Romania, France, Australia and ultimately to New Zealand where she now specialises in ESG, or Environmental, Social and Governance. This ESG concept is not as widely talked about as employment, family or commercial law and there is no legislation supporting it currently. We explore the broad scope of it, how it applies to organisations and where it could go next. Ana is a passionate advocate for the environment, climate change and fighting the good fight for the bigger picture. She appears on multiple panels, co-produces DKS's ESG newsletter and enjoys reading outside of work. To listen to this episode, visit .......
In this episode we explore Emma's backgrounds in Private Practice (8 years) and her In-house Government experience (8 years), and discuss the differences she has experienced first hand between the two of them, in the field of Corporate Commercial Law. Emma began her career as a Russell McVeagh Scholar and moved to the capital for the biggest opportunity of her young career. She spent 4 years learning the ropes of a large corporate culture before moving to a new mid-tier firm in Morrison Mallett. Having amassed some 8 years in Private Practice, Emma decided to try her hand fighting the good fight and moved into a Government role, and hasn't looked back. The lingering questions are - What was her preference and why? How did the day to day work differ? What was the cultural and working environment change like? What about the people? We could go on forever. This episode is for the curious Lawyer sitting on one side of the fence potentially keen to consider the other.
In this episode we sit down with Fiona McMillan, an elite Employment and Health & Safety Partner in Lane Neave's Auckland office. Fi's career has seen her faced with many opportunities, from starting out in Christchurch to opening an office in Auckland. Hear from Fi around what different opportunities you could be presented with and those you might need to search or fight for. Fi has consistently been recognised for her work across some of the industry's major media publications and awards issuers but remains humble, loyal to her family and her firm and has a great time doing it. To listen to this episode, please visit the following link - https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/s1-e08-fiona-mcmillan-on-bravery-and-taking-opportunities/id1704775728?i=1000637756019 If you enjoy this episode, please give our show a follow so you we can keep you informed of more conversations with leading NZ legal practitioners
In this episode, we discuss the world of Digital Assets with James Cochrane, a Partner in Lane Neave's national dispute resolution team. James has had a broad career spanning large top tier Firms with challenging and intricate work to specialist practice building and really honing in on his now-refined speciality. In this discussion, we visit James' passion for Cryptocrurrency and how his interest in the subject matter helped morph his thinking and skill-acquisition. James describes various laws surrounding digital assets and the remaining grey area in the legislation that supports it. To listen to this podcast, visit the below link or wherever you get your podcasts
In the first episode of Season 2, we sat down with Derek Roth-Biester, a Corporate (TMT) Partner from Anderson Lloyd's Queenstown office. Derek has been around computers and technology since he was young fella, always finding interest in them and their potential. Derek's professional career as a Lawyer has taken him all around the globe and landing in the adventure capital of the world recently. Derek's fascination with technology, and more recently Artificial Intelligence is infectious. He has a deep understanding of available tools, their purposes and limitations and has some opinions of where they could go. As the title suggests, we are in an unprecedented time with AI and no-one can really foresee what's going to happen next, but Derek and I give it a go in this episode. If you are someone who is remotely interested in AI and the upcoming surge of demand for tools or legal services surrounding them, this will be a good conversation to tune into.
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