In this episode Ben shares his fascinating journey into the US Army where he Blackhawk helicopters and became a military lawyer and then a managing attorney for a large government agency.   Always passionate about leadership, Ben is now a coach for lawyers helping them to develop the skills and unlock the confidence to bring their best selves to work, build great teams, and deliver for their clients.   We have a lot in common and had a great discussion about why great leadership proves so elusive in law and how and why this needs to change.  Ben kindly created some resources ..read more

Luaskya Nonon has been an employment attorney for 20 years and, alongside her legal work has created the Diversity Equity and Inclusion consultancy Equity Principle Consulting. This is taken from the front page of her website. I'm in complete agreement with it, and that's why I was so keen to have a conversation with Luaskya. If you keep doing things the way you always have, there should be no surprise when you get the same results. No More Business As Usual In this episode we dive into Diversity and Inclusion in law firms especially, what's working and what's not.  What the future mig ..read more

The Law in Lockdown and Beyond Podcast with Hannah Beko, Lawyer, Author, Speaker, Coach & Trainer In this episode, we talk to Claire about her portfolio career, from leading a property litigation team inside an international law firm to becoming a tribunal judge, founding a business consultancy, being a non-executive director, and now working with wolves! Having followed Claire's journey over the past few years, it was fantastic to hear more about how meeting the wolves inspired her to adapt her mini MBA course to include retreats in the wild with these great creatures.  We hear abou ..read more

Client Listening Expert Darren and Lawyer, Coach/Trainer & Author Hannah Beko, discuss the expectations lawyers put on themselves to work long hours and how clients really view it - is it really what they expect? How have things changed post-pandemic? Do lawyers put the pressure on themselves to be all things to all people unnecessarily, damaging their own mental health and well-being at the same time as potentially reducing client service excellence? You can connect with Darren here Darren Francis | LinkedIn Working long hours under pressure increases the risk of lawyer burnout and if ..read more

In this post pandemic world, have the expectations of clients changed? Do they care what time their lawyers work until? Are they more aware of different working patterns and do some clients actively promote the use of usual working hours rather than expecting their lawyer to work late? In this episode, I speak with Client Listening expert Darren Francis about his thoughts on this topic which clients have raised with him when he's engaged by firms to conduct client listening interviews.  About your host, Hannah Beko Podcast host Hannah Beko is a lawyer coach and corporate trainer for ..read more

I was delighted to record this episode with Rebecca talking about her experiences of working throughout the pandemic, how she feels more isolated now than in lockdown, and the challenges facing the criminal Bar at the moment. After meeting Rebecca at my Manchester launch of The Authentic Lawyer book, we also discussed Authenticity in the Law and how she believes this has impacted her own work, plus how she takes care of her mental health and wellbeing, especially in challenging times. You can find Rebecca on Twitter @RebeccaLPenfold. About your host, Hannah Beko Podcast host Hannah Beko is ..read more

For this episode, I had a great discussion with Emma Cowell.  In this episode, Emma shares her journey from "usual practice" into a combination of floristry and consultancy.  She talks about the pressures on junior lawyers.   Emma describes herself as a lawyer, friend, mentor, lipstick enthusiast and all-around champion of women! She is on a mission to start a legal revolution.  And I second that!  Emma has also started a website offering information and support to those thinking about their future in law - https://lawlifemanchester.co.uk/ Do connect with Emma on Li ..read more

For our first episode of 2022, I was delighted to be joined for a chat by Sarah Giles. Sarah and I met a few years ago and were united in our shared passion for lawyer wellbeing. In this episode, Sarah shares with me why she decided to leave HR after 16 years and to create her own business as a confidence and resilience coach in the pandemic, alongside homeschooling! We discuss the mindset shifts it takes to build your own business and also Sarah shares her tips for building more confidence and resilience.  Do connect with Sarah on Linkedin here https://www.linkedin.com/in/s-giles/ A ..read more

In this episode of Friday Conversations, I had a great conversation with Steve about what a Mental Health lawyer is and the sorts of work he gets involved with.  I asked Steve to tell us how he "decompresses" after a day dealing with very challenging work.  He shared the importance of creating space away from work and having strong boundaries around work time and home time.  Steve also told us a little about his journey in starting his own business Lawlor's Law Limited.  He is also the host of the Legal Wolf Podcast talking about the stigma around mental health and how t ..read more

In this episode of Friday Conversations, I had a fantastic chat with Viktor Osasu a banking and finance lawyer, mentor to junior lawyers and speaker on fishing for talent in unconventional pools. Viktor discusses how we can "fish for talent" in unconventional places and also the importance of mentoring to both junior and senior lawyers.  On 11th September Viktor will be hosting his first mentoring masterclass on How to Kick-start a Successful Career - Things I wish I knew. It is aimed at those who are just qualifying or starting new roles and jobs. Success is a decision and too many ti ..read more