Legal Off the Leash

Hi, and welcome to Legal off the Leash, with your hosts, Elizabeth de Stadler and Scott Simmons. Why are we doing this podcast? We want to help create a legal profession filled with successful and happy lawyers. Because we know lawyers are unhappy. And while most firms care about unhappy lawyers who leave, they should be just as worried about the ones who are staying. Presenteeism, or what some people call quiet quitting, costs the global economy about 9% of Global GDP. That is USD8.8 trillion. If the global legal market is USD797 billion, that means lawyers are pissing away [Elizabeth, where’s the calculator!]... ahem, a lot of money. Lawyers are bombarded with information about how to make themselves, their firms and their lives better. At the best of times it is just too earnest, at worst it is bewildering. In Legal Off The Leash we cut through the crap and talk honestly with a vast array of people who are cleverer than us about law, life, laughter and line dancing. We don’t talk about line dancing, but we do talk far too much about Harry Potter. This podcast is about Elizabeth and Scott tearing each other new ***holes and interviewing guests about how to make firms and lawyers better and happier. It is a must-listen for any lawyer who isn’t a malignant narcissist. Actually they’re welcome too.

Episodes

Feb 3, 2026

49 min

Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this beautifully tender and surprisingly funny episode, Elizabeth and Scott sit down with writer and diabetes advocate Bridget McNulty, author of Daily Glimmers. Bridget unpacks the transformative practice of noticing “tiny joys” and how this simple act became a lifeline through profound grief. From the neuroscience of micro-joys to the brutal honesty of living (and working) while heartbroken, Bridget shows why every lawyer needs glimmers: not as toxic positivity, but as a grounded, evidence-backed mental health tool for surviving modern life.
🔑 Key Themes
Glimmers vs. Happiness: Why micro-moments of joy matter more than chasing big highs.
Grief & Joy Intertwined: How profound loss reshapes attention, perspective and emotional capacity.
Nervous System Science: What glimmers do physiologically and why lawyers need this reset.
Attention as a Daily Choice: How news, screens and overstimulation steal our inner quiet.
Humanity at Work: Why breaks, nature, silliness and softness make us better professionals.
💬 Memorable Quotes
“It was so all consuming. It was like a fire that blazed through my life and it just burned everything to the ground.”
“Even in those awful days… there were still these tiny little moments… the only chinks of light that I could find.”
“Joy comes from inside. Happiness is dependent on outside factors.”
“Glimmers calm your nervous system… even if it’s only for a couple of seconds.”
“We’ve stepped away from being human to such an extent that we do need to remind ourselves.”
“Everyone deserves a life that’s full of the beautiful ordinary.”
 
📌 Important Insights & Actionable Takeaways
Grief destroys your emotional scaffolding, but micro-joys rebuild it. Glimmers act as tiny anchors when everything else feels unrecognisable.
Joy is internal, gentle, and sustainable. It stabilises the nervous system in ways happiness can’t.
Attention is the real battleground. Without intentional practices, the modern world defaults us into stress, reactivity and emotional depletion.
Glimmers aren’t a project; they’re a lens. They don’t add to your to-do list, they shift how you see what’s already there.
Lawyers need humanity breaks. High-pressure cultures, billable hours and perfectionism numb us to the very moments that support wellbeing and resilience.
Meaningful careers require meandering. The linear “achievement timeline” is a myth; fulfilment comes from permission to explore.
 
You can find Bridget on Linkedin and Instagram.
 
And you can buy 'Daily Glimmers: The Art of Finding Tiny Joys Every Day of the Year' here.

Feb 3, 2026

49 min

Jan 20, 2026

31 min

Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In episode 12, we’re back—candid, chaotic, and deeply human. After a short break, they reflect on Christmas, the realities of therapy and mental health, and why empathy matters more than ever in law. What begins as a light-hearted catch-up turns into a powerful conversation about catastrophising, client behaviour in the age of AI, and how lawyers can learn from medical professionals when it comes to trust, reassurance, and communication. This episode sets the tone for 2026—and for a profession ready for a do-over.
🔑 Key Themes
Returning with intention: pauses, rest, and reflection matter
Catastrophising vs clarity—what lawyers can learn from healthcare professionals
Therapy, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence as professional skills
Clients, AI, and the danger of judgment instead of empathy
The shift from “hard skills” to human skills in the age of automation
Letting go of rigid goals and holding ambition lightly
💬 Memorable Quotes
“Everybody should get therapy. And it's not because you think something's wrong or because there's something wrong. It's for anybody.” — Scott
“You don't cure depression, depression cures you.” — Elizabeth
“When you catastrophise, you lose like, I think it was 20 IQ points.” — Elizabeth
“You can sit there and be frustrated about the fact that people are going online, or you can understand and accept that this is the world we're living in.” — Scott
“Hold your goals lightly.” — Elizabeth
📌 Important Insights & Actionable Takeaways
Empathy beats expertise alone: Clients who arrive with Google, AI, or half-formed conclusions aren’t being difficult—they’re anxious. Meeting that anxiety with empathy builds trust faster than dismissing clients as diffilcult.
Therapy builds better professionals: Self-awareness improves communication, leadership, and resilience—not just personal wellbeing.
AI doesn’t remove the human role: Clients often ask the wrong questions. The lawyer’s value lies in diagnosis, framing, and reassurance.
Human skills are the differentiator: As technical tasks become automated, connection, confidence, and clarity become core professional assets.
Goals are fine, attachment isn’t: Focus on process, not perfection. Growth comes from consistency and kindness, not self-judgment.

Jan 20, 2026

31 min

Oct 28, 2025

51 min

Welcome to Episode 11 of Legal Off The Leash with your hosts Scott Simmons and Elizabeth De Stadler as they take a nostalgic journey through the first 10 episodes of Legal Off the Leash. From funny anecdotes about getting started to deep dives into the challenges of the legal profession, this episode offers a candid reflection on their podcasting journey.
Discover the recurring themes, memorable guest insights, and the evolution of their dynamic (and sometimes strange) partnership. Whether you've been listening since episode 1 or new to the show, this retrospective is filled with laughter, learning, and a look at what's next for the podcast. Tune in for a blend of humour, honesty, and heartfelt moments that define Legal Off the Leash.
Key Themes
A candid look back: how the show started, what surprised Scott & Elizabeth, and how it’s evolving.
Billable hour obsession: why it keeps showing up in every episode and why it matters.
Editing chaos: pauses, dropped audio, accidental comedy, and finding a rhythm.
Authenticity and “power skills”: essential for sustainable legal careers.
Overwork ≠ excellence: cultural myths that harm learning and wellbeing.
The profession’s problem with “yes culture”: How it shapes behaviours and careers.
Legal design uncovered: a structured problem-solving process, not just visuals.
Psychological safety takes centre stage: real research on lawyers and burnout.
A hopeful future: more joy, better habits, and braver conversations ahead.
 
Important Insights & Actionable Takeaways 
Repetition drives change: key issues need to be challenged often.
Don’t glorify exhaustion: clients pay for outcomes and guidance, not fatigue.
Protect mentoring: juniors need time to learn, not just to bill.
Pause before “yes”: sustainable careers require boundaries.
Try pricing the value: unlock better service quality and sanity.
Legal design = process: use it widely, not just in contracting.
Safety unlocks performance: psychological security fuels retention and innovation.
Great communication is crafted: editing improves everything - including podcasts.
Connect with your hosts
Scott Simmons
Elizabeth De Stadler

Oct 28, 2025

51 min

Oct 14, 2025

52 min

Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this episode, hosts Elizabeth de Stadler and Scott Simmons sit down with Dr Emma Clarke, an organisational psychologist based in Amsterdam whose PhD research uncovered the structural and cultural forces driving burnout and turnover in law firms.
Emma explains her three-factor model of psychological safety — barriers and blind spots, leadership behaviours, and access to resources — and shares how hierarchy, billable hours and gendered time use reinforce an unsafe culture. She also talks about her AI-powered platform to detect early warning signs of workplace risk before they lead to harm.
Key Themes 
Psychological Safety Defined: Why it’s the foundation for culture, performance and well-being.
Structural Challenges: Hierarchy, billable hours, and gender differences compound stress.
The Three-Factor Model: Barriers & blind spots, leader behaviours, and access to resources.
Role Modelling Matters: Leaders’ behaviours cascade down, shaping what juniors see as “normal.”
Tokenistic Wellbeing: Why individual-focused initiatives fail without systemic change.
A Preventative Platform: Using AI and psychology to surface risks before they harm people.
 
Memorable Quotes 
“Psychological safety is a belief or a perception that people have about their environment.” — Emma Clarke
“Psychological safety is foundational. It's the foundation to culture. It's a foundation to performance. It's a foundation to well-being, engagement, retention, all of those great things.” — Emma Clarke
“There’s three critical factors… barriers and blind spots, the leader behaviours and the resources. These are the three critical factors that are important to build psychological safety.” — Emma Clarke
“Leaders think the reason people are leaving is X. When you talk to employees they say Y.” — Emma Clarke
“A number of times I heard in my research about leaders just going mental because something had happened… Everybody’s observing this and seeing that this is what happens if we make a mistake.” — Emma Clarke
“In my last performance review… you could have been good this year, but because of your health we can’t give you a good score because you didn’t do enough hours.” — Research participant quoted by Scott Simmons
“Law firms have to be really brave… if they want to retain talent, improve well-being and reduce burnout.” — Emma Clarke
“The hierarchy, this formal hierarchical structure creates a really unsafe environment for people.” — Emma Clarke
“This is not a hostage situation.” — Elizabeth de Stadlerish
Important Insights & Actionable Takeaways 
Audit your blind spots: Leaders often misdiagnose why people leave because staff don’t feel safe to tell the truth.
Reward behaviours, not just billables: Promotion criteria should include emotional intelligence, fairness and empathy.
Make wellbeing collective, not individual: Stop framing burnout as a personal failure — address the system.
Plan long-term: Law firms must look beyond each financial year to invest in future talent and sustainable culture.
Challenge definitions of success: The “big law or bust” mindset traps lawyers in unhealthy environments.
Leverage transferable skills: Law degrees equip graduates for many careers — it’s not a hostage situation.
Connect with Emma Clarke
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaclarke/
Headspace Consulting: headspaceconsulting.co
To take part in the pilot programme, contact Emma at https://helderinsight.com/.

Oct 14, 2025

52 min

Sep 30, 2025

35 min

Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this episode, Scott Simmons and Elizabeth de Stadler dive into the world of legal design — what it really means, why it matters, and how it transforms the client experience. Forget about “slapping some icons on a contract” or “making things pretty.” As Elizabeth explains, legal design is about functionality, empathy, and solving real problems for clients.
From the importance of onboarding and websites to the plain language revolution in contracts, this conversation cuts through misconceptions and shows how design thinking can reshape legal services for the 21st century. And yes, there’s even talk of “fast caterpillars” and how bad templates fuel bad AI.
Key Themes
What Legal Design Really Is: Not decoration — but applying design thinking to law with empathy at its core.
Beyond Contracts: Why websites, onboarding, and the entire client journey matter just as much as documents.
Plain Language, Real Change: Contracts should preserve relationships, not fuel litigation.
The Template Trap: Copy-paste culture has killed critical thinking in law.
AI’s Fast Caterpillars: Without transformation, AI just makes bad contracts faster.
Human-Centric Law: Practising this way isn’t just better for clients — it makes lawyers happier too.
Memorable Quotes
“Most people we talk to think that it's a matter of slapping some icons on a document. Or we get a lot of people say, well, you're going to make it pretty, aren't you? And I go, no, we're going to make it functional.” — Elizabeth de Stadler
“Transformation is like turning a caterpillar into a butterfly, but if you make changes without the transformation bit, all you get is fast caterpillars.” — Elizabeth de Stadler
“Clients are not coming to lawyers to buy their attention in six minute increments. They're coming to lawyers for outcomes and solution and support.” — Elizabeth de Stadler
“A contract should be about, not about dispute resolution, but about dispute elimination.” — Elizabeth de Stadler
“Good contracts don't get litigated.” — Elizabeth de Stadler
“Practicing human centric law is more gratifying and contributes more to your wellness than the old way.” — Elizabeth de Stadler
Important Insights & Actionable Takeaways
Start with empathy: Map out your users’ needs, frustrations, and expectations before designing processes or documents.
Fix the basics: Websites, onboarding, and client communication set the tone long before contracts come into play.
Plain language = trust: Contracts should clearly define roles and responsibilities to eliminate disputes, not feed them.
Kill the boilerplate habit: Stop clinging to irrelevant or outdated clauses “because they’ve always been there.”
AI isn’t magic: If your templates are poor, AI just reproduces poor work faster. Clean up before automating.
Lawyer wellbeing matters: Human-centric design improves not only client trust but also lawyers’ mental health and job satisfaction.

Sep 30, 2025

35 min

Sep 16, 2025

45 min


The latest episode of Legal Off The Leash is out. And this time, we are giving the billable hour the ol' heave-ho!
 
In episode 8, we’re talking to Elani Maas—practice manager of Bromfield Family Law and co-director of Recalibrate, a value pricing consultancy helping law firms make the move away from the billable hour. Known as a value pricing whisperer and law firm transformer, Elani has dedicated her career to helping law firms ditch the billable hour and embrace a model that works better for clients, lawyers, and businesses.
 
From her early days managing accounts to spearheading full-scale value pricing transformations, Elani has seen first-hand the cultural, financial, and human costs of billing by the hour. She shares how value pricing flips client relationships on their head, why lawyers resist change, and why a future beyond the billable hour isn’t just possible—it’s already here.
 
 
Key Themes In This Episode
 
The Core Problem: Why every frustration in law traces back to the billable hour.
Clients Want Certainty: Most clients expect fixed pricing everywhere else—why should law be different?Litigation Isn’t an Excuse: Value pricing works in family and civil litigation just as well as commercial law.Changing Culture: From silos and six-minute units to collaboration, trust, and real outcomes.Mental Health Matters: How value pricing supports healthier, more fulfilling careers for lawyers.
 
 
Memorable Quotes
 
“Clients aren't coming to lawyers to buy their attention in six minute increments. They're coming to lawyers for outcomes and solutions and support.”
“We think value pricing is somehow revolutionary in the legal profession, but to the consumer, it’s just the norm.”
 
“That's exactly how I would expect to engage with a professional: I want to know the price upfront; and, if you can give me some different options, even better. I certainly would not be engaging anybody on an hourly rate.”
“I absolutely do believe value pricing is better for lawyers. Abolishing the six minute increment allows space for people to redesign what their firm actually looks like.”
 
“90% of the complaints made to the Australian governing body are about fees and it's because clients don't know how much it is until the end.”
“I want upfront fixed pricing to become the norm in the legal profession.”
 
 
Important Insights & Actionable Takeaways
 
Project management beats time recording: Value pricing scopes work in stages, making it flexible, transparent, and client-focused.
Resistance is about unlearning: Lawyers’ risk-aversion and habit-forming culture slow adoption, but new generations are more open.Client relationships improve instantly: Fixed fees eliminate awkward billing conversations, replacing them with trust and clarity.Wellbeing shift: Without timesheets as the default measure of performance, firms can celebrate broader contributions and reduce burnout.Change is being led by small law: Agile firms are proving the model works, while larger firms lag behind.
 
With artificial intelligence primed to cut lawyer workloads by around 50%, pricing on time has no future, so this is an episode you can't afford to ignore.
 
You can connect with Elani and learn more about Recalibrate Legal Operations here: https://recalibratelegalops.com.au/

Sep 16, 2025

45 min

Sep 2, 2025

56 min

Former Baker McKenzie partner and ex–Barclays MD of Litigation, Investigations & Enforcement, Jonathan Peddie, joins Scott and Elizabeth to unpack his article, The PEP Trap—The Evolving Law Firm Time Bomb, critiquing the legal industry’s obsession with Profits Per Equity Partner (PEP), why it distorts behaviour, and how better investment in people, strategy, and non-legal functions builds healthier, more sustainable firms and client relationships.
Key Themes
PEP isn’t the whole picture: It’s a narrow, short-term metric that can hide weakening demand, under-investment, and strategic drift.
Invest beyond the fee-earners: Firms thrive when HR, Finance, Compliance, BD, Marketing, and Operations are resourced and respected—not treated as expendable “cost centres.”
People > billable hours: Coaching, feedback, and development time compound into quality, loyalty, and profitability—even if they reduce short-term billables.
Strategy vs. execution: Year-to-year profit distributions bias firms toward last year’s revenue sources and away from long-horizon investments.
Measure what matters: Track demand, revenue quality, matter mix, and relationship depth—not just PEP—over 3–10 year horizons.
Memorable Quotes 
 
“It's a very short term method of comparing one law firm with another. And PEP is used by lawyers deciding where to go next, but it's also much more heavily used by law firms to advertise how successful they are against each other for recruitment and publicity purposes.”
 
“In a law firm the partners and the associates are, they think, the business. My point is no, the whole business is the business, of which the lawyers are the lawyers, And yes, of course, producers are critical. They are the makers of units of cost to time that are sold to clients. But the marketing of them, the management of them, the employee relations, HR, the finance, the doing of all of the things that are not legal services are critical to optimising them.”
 
“Law firms should be open to the idea that lawyers should sacrifice time that they might be spending fee earning to optimise their business. But they won't do it. They'll do it because they have to, not because they want to. And that's a fundamental problem with the law firm model because the expectation of hours is such that it is really dangerous to spend your time developing others.”
 
“How do I make you better at what you do? And what do you get wrong? And how can we develop you? And how can we optimise you? And if you do that, the net effect is that all of you, if you're running a law firm, all of those people will be much higher productivity and much more lean and efficient and effective and much more attractive to the client, the profits will look after themselves.”
Important Insights & Actionable Takeaways 
Red-team your metrics: Keep PEP on the dashboard, but never alone. Pair it with demand trendlines, average matter value, matter count, and % of work that appears on clients’ board risk reports.
Fund the “control environment”: Apply to your firm the same governance standards you advise clients on—strengthen Compliance, Risk, Audit, HR, Finance, BD/Marketing.
Institutionalise development: Protect recurring 1:1s, coaching, feedback, and skills training as part of partner KPIs; treat non-billable development time as an investment line, not leakage.
Succession = access to “gold” work: Maintain senior, board-level relationships and mentor successors early to preserve trust for bet-the-company matters.
Stop annual myopia: Ring-fence budget for 3–10 year priorities (tech platforms, data, client experience, leadership pipelines) so execution doesn’t drown strategy.
Re-balance partner economics: Don’t hollow out equity so far that you lose senior relationship capital; align remuneration with quality, collaboration, and client outcomes, not just hours and origination.
Career design for juniors: Seek variety early, demand feedback, and learn across environments (private practice ↔ in-house) to build judgment and client empathy.
 
You can read The PEP Trap—The Evolving Law Firm Time Bomb here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jonathan-peddie-2b4b4215_the-pep-trap-activity-7361048250935566336-5ntT?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAawwUkBitHoNUDvWsruZI0-G2BsPQ6Hs80
You can contact Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-peddie-2b4b4215/

Sep 2, 2025

56 min

Aug 19, 2025

53 min

Elizabeth Rimmer on Mental Health, Burnout, and the Future of Law: Creating a Sustainable Profession
In episode 6, we’re talking to Elizabeth Rimmer, the CEO of LawCare, the mental health charity for the legal profession across the UK. She’s a passionate advocate for mental health and wellbeing within the legal profession and has been leading efforts to address burnout, stress, and mental health challenges in the sector. Elizabeth shares insights from her career, the role LawCare plays in supporting legal professionals, and her vision for a healthier, more sustainable legal environment.
Key Themes
Mental Health in Law: Understanding the collective responsibility for mental health in the legal profession.
Workplace Culture: The fine line between teasing and bullying in professional settings.
Burnout and Stress: High stress levels and the risk of burnout in the legal sector.
Flexibility in Work: The rise of remote work and its impact on mental health.
Generational Shifts: How Gen Z is changing the way we think about success and work-life balance in law.
Re-thinking Success: Moving beyond the long hours and billing targets mentality.
Memorable Quotes
"Mental health and wellbeing is a collective responsibility... it is something that should be addressed by our whole profession." – Elizabeth Rimmer
"Sometimes things said in banter or teasing can actually affect and have an impact on other people." – Elizabeth Rimmer
"We know inherently that the ways we work in law... creates almost the perfect storm for some of the challenges that we see." – Elizabeth Rimmer
"AI and tech are tools. They help us do our job. I don't see them as replacing lawyers." – Elizabeth Rimmer
"Working long hours and exceeding your billing target means you're a great lawyer. That’s a myth." – Elizabeth Rimmer
"We need to listen to what Gen Z is telling us... they are the future." – Elizabeth Rimmer
Important Insights & Actionable Takeaways
Mental Health Awareness: Addressing mental health in law is a collective effort. It's essential for organizations and individuals to create environments where people feel supported and heard.
Workplace Sensitivity: Understanding the fine line between teasing and bullying is crucial, particularly in a workplace setting. Being mindful of how our words affect others can help prevent exclusion and create more inclusive environments.
Burnout in Law: Legal professionals are at significant risk of burnout, with stress being a widespread issue. There’s a need to reassess working practices to prevent this growing problem.
Flexibility Over Rigidity: The traditional 9-to-5 structure is being challenged, especially post-COVID. Embracing remote work and flexible hours can help improve work-life balance, leading to healthier, happier professionals.
Rethinking Success: The notion that success in law is defined by long hours and billable targets is a myth. True success comes from delivering quality outcomes, maintaining mental wellbeing, and achieving a balance between personal and professional life.
Gen Z's Influence: Gen Z’s approach to work, with a focus on flexibility, autonomy, and meaningful work, is shaping the future of the legal profession. Their values need to be understood and embraced by senior leadership to retain top talent.
The Role of AI: AI is not here to replace lawyers but to enhance their work. Legal professionals should use technology as a tool to work smarter, not harder, and enhance their human skills of trust, judgment, and empathy.
You can connect with Elizabeth and learn more about LawCare here: LawCare Website

Aug 19, 2025

53 min

Aug 4, 2025

43 min

In this episode of Legal Off the Leash, we sit down with Chad Aboud, Chief Commercial Officer at Goodlawyer, TEDx speaker, and host of the What You’re About podcast. From his early days in Big Law to helping lawyers design meaningful, fulfilling careers, Chad shares powerful insights on authenticity, purpose, and redefining success in the legal profession. Whether you’re just starting out or reconsidering your path, this conversation will challenge how you think about your career, your values, and what truly matters.
Key Themes In This Episode
The Early Spark vs. Harsh Reality Chad opens up about how his childhood dream of practising law didn’t match the reality he encountered in law school and BigLaw — a reminder that sometimes our early ambitions need re-examining.
Redefining Failure Chad reveals why leaving wasn’t failure — but staying without trying something different would have been.
Creating Space for Clarity A powerful reflection on why stepping out of the “fast river” of expectations is sometimes necessary to build a truly fulfilling career.
Purpose & Intentionality Chad encourages listeners to ground career decisions in purpose — and avoid relying on one role, organisation, or person to be “everything.”
Unlocking Your Unique Value Discover why success lies in amplifying your natural gifts, not just outworking everyone else.
Leading with Humanity A leadership lesson every lawyer (and leader) should hear: vulnerability and genuine investment in others create stronger, more loyal teams.
💬 Memorable Quotes
“I watched Matlock as a kid. And I was like, solve the crime, wear the gray suit every day. They admit it on the stand. Beautiful. I want to do this. And so that's why I went to law school. only to very quickly find out that this did not feel like what I was going to be doing. And I didn't really like law school that much.”
“I'm smart enough to figure something else out. And I think the hardest part for me was that I would have felt like a failure if I hadn't tried. So I actually felt more like a failure during the time, not when I left.”
“Know the purpose for why you're going. And then start being reflective and intentional about what it is you want in the next phase.”
“Start understanding where your unique value proposition is. For most people, it's not just going to be knowing the law and being there longer. That's a bit of a commodity.”
“Associates that see you as a human, know that you have some humility and know that you're investing in them. That's how you build a group of dedicated folks who are going to work hard for you on the work and in the hours that you can't or don't want to do.”
💡 Important Insights & Actionable Takeaways
Challenge the dream vs. reality gap: make sure your path truly energises you.
Reframe failure: fear not trying more than you fear leaving.
Step out of the “river” of expectations to design your own future.
Anchor your career in purpose and be intentional with your next moves.
Lead with authenticity and humility—it inspires loyalty and better work.
🎧 Tune in for a conversation that’s raw, honest, and packed with insights to help you design a legal career that lifts you up.
You can connect with Chad here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/

Aug 4, 2025

43 min

Jul 22, 2025

59 min

In episode 4, we're talking to Kirsty McShannon, founder of Azorra, a law firm specialising in the live events, festivals and venues industry, with the aim of making legal services accessible to the wider industry and providing niche legal support. Kirsty is also a trustee of The G-A-Y Foundation and a recently-appointed founding trustee of Live Trust, a new funding initiative launched following consultation with DCMS to provide financial support to grassroots music.
Kirsty has an incredible story to share that will not only resonate with so many lawyers, but we hope will also show them that, even with things get really tough, when it feels as though you can't see a path forward, you can change the direction of travel and create something very special
Important Themes In This Episode
Finding your place beyond traditional legal paths
Serving a niche and speaking the client’s language
Redefining success beyond financial metrics
Reclaiming control of your mental and physical health
The power of value-based pricing and building a strong team
Memorable Quotes
“I just thought, I need help, I’m going to have to change something, I can’t sustain feeling like this, and it really flipped on its head for me what success was.”
“The turnover was the highest turnover we’d had, and that year was the record profit year we’d had, but mental health wise, physical health wise it was just totally non-sustainable”
“I just felt like I need to be somewhere where I feel like me because I'm finding out all these things about me sort of all at the same time.”
“Don't worry if you don't fit the mould.”
“Clients couldn't care less about documents and time. What we do is so much more.”Important Insights & Actionable Insights
Don’t feel pressured to follow the traditional ladder (associate → partner) — there are many ways to define success in law.
Focus on finding the right niche and the people you resonate with, not just the legal discipline.
Embrace value-based pricing to align better with client needs and reduce stress.
Understand your clients deeply: their industry, pressures, and what truly matters to them.
Prioritise your health and build a business model that supports your life, not the other way around.You can connect with Kirsty here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-mcshannon-live-events-lawyer/

Jul 22, 2025

59 min

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