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The Hearing – A Legal Podcast

The Hearing – A Legal Podcast

By: Thomson Reuters
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The Hearing is a legal podcast from Thomson Reuters. Listen to insightful discussions with lawyers, legal experts, and other interesting people connected to the legal industry. We delve into anything and everything – trailblazers in the law, the latest insights on legal innovation and trends, and how the profession is evolving. With hosts based in the UK and the US, we cover issues around the globe. Our current hosts: Becky Annison – Trained at a London law firm before moving in-house. Spent 12 years as a senior solicitor in a large international company, before joining Practical Law's In-house practice area team. Now, as Head of Engagement for The Chancery Lane Project, Becky uses her knowledge of contracting and law to help tackle the climate crisis. Janelle Wrigley – An attorney based in California. As head of the Antitrust & Competition team at Practical Law, leads a team of lawyers producing practical guidance for competition lawyers worldwide. Previously, Janelle was a litigator at the US Federal Trade Commission and at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York. Teneé Frazier – An attorney, editor, and speaker based in Alabama. As a member of the State and Local Government team at Practical Law, she uses her expertise in municipal law to produce substantive content for local government attorneys. Previously, Teneé was Assistant General Counsel at the Alabama League of Municipalities. Yasmin Sheikh – Executive coach, trainer, consultant, and speaker, with a background as a lawyer – practising for 12 years in a large international law firm. Founder of Diverse Matters – which helps promote equality, diversity, and inclusivity within organisations. Yasmin is also a former vice chair of the Disabled Solicitors Network at the Law Society of England and Wales. Find out more about The Hearing and other Thomson Reuters podcasts at tr.com/thehearing.2026 Thomson Reuters Economics
Episodes
  • EP. 167 – Kent Halkett (Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services)

    EP. 167 – Kent Halkett (Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services)
    Jan 27 2025
    In a recent survey, 79% of legal professionals said they felt the profession had negatively affected their mental health. And over 15% had even considered suicide. These are two of the worrying statistics we learned from this episode's guest, Kent Halkett. Kent is an attorney with the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services who has written articles about mental health in the legal community for a host of publications.

    Kent chats with host Teneé Frazier about his journey to becoming an advocate for improving mental health within the legal profession. Kent shares the story of his own mental health challenges, which culminated with him attempting suicide. He explains how publishing his story catapulted him, and this often-taboo subject, into the spotlight.

    During their conversation, Kent describes some of the warning signs of mental health issues, stresses the importance of a work-life balance, and outlines the support available for those in need. Kent also shares insights on how the problem could be addressed, such as by increasing awareness through better education – both in law schools and as part of continuous professional development.

    You can find out more about the ALM and Law.com Compass mental health survey of the legal profession here: https://www.law.com/americanlawyer/2024/05/17/mental-health-by-the-numbers-the-2024-survey-infographic/?slreturn=20250123165408

    You can read one of Kent's articles, Mental Health in the Legal Profession: A Crisis, a Case Study and a Call to Action, here: https://www.tba.org/?pg=Articles&blAction=showEntry&blogEntry=59057
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    47 mins
  • EP. 107 – Introducing… Lauren Sobel & Jennifer Thibodaux

    EP. 107 – Introducing… Lauren Sobel & Jennifer Thibodaux
    Oct 24 2022
    As you’ll know, if you want that dream job, you’ve got to nail the interview. And that’s just what Lauren Sobel and Jennifer Thibodaux had to do before taking up their posts as our new US hosts of The Hearing.

    Join Yasmin as she gets to know our new pod-mates – finding out Lauren and Jennifer’s career journeys, their roles as Senior Legal Editors at Practical Law, and what makes them tick. It gets deep.

    As Lauren and Jennifer both got the job(!) we can’t wait to join them for future episodes, as they introduce us to their own guests and topics. If you have any suggestions for who or what we should feature, please do get in touch.

    Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
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    33 mins
  • EP. 77 – The impact of AI and algorithms on the fairness of our justice systems

    EP. 77 – The impact of AI and algorithms on the fairness of our justice systems
    May 17 2021
    THE CROSS-EXAMINATION – We, along with the rest of the legal industry, have talked at length about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on our profession. But this time we concern ourselves not with the efficiencies of machine learning and automation, but instead with potential injustice and the need for vigilance in the face of seismic developments.

    AI is already being used extensively in areas like recruitment, policing and the courts – as it's often assumed that machines, unlike humans, are objective and neutral. But, as this episode discusses, computer algorithms can easily perpetuate and amplify human biases.

    Becky Annison and our three guests – who are each working to understand and fight against algorithmic injustice – discuss the causes as well as the cumulative and damaging effects of coded bias. The computer scientist and digital activist Joy Buolamwini describes this phenomenon as the "exclusion overhead" – the cost of systems that exclude and discriminate against those with experiential differences who are outside the code writing room.

    CONTRIBUTORS:
    - Sandra Wachter, Associate Professor & Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
    - Kristian Lum, Research Assistant Professor, Dept. of Computer & Information Science, University of Pennsylvania
    - Ivana Bartoletti, Technical Director - Privacy, Deloitte; Visiting Policy Fellow, University of Oxford

    Find out more at tr.com/TheHearing
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    36 mins
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