Advertise on podcast: Fiftyfaces Focus - Inspiring People in the Law

Maud Sarlieve is an expert in International Criminal Law, International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights and a leading authority in the development of creative legal thinking to address the environmental and climate crisis.  Her professional commitments and casework have taken her to conflict and post conflict environments in SE Asia, the Middle East, Central and East Africa, Latin America, The Balkans and Eastern Europe. She is currently Judge Assessor with the French National Court of Asylum, a Founder of CTRL-Z – focused on climate and environmental justice in addition to numerous other roles. Our conversation starts with Maud's path into international law, which did involve some twists and turns. We discuss her early years in practice and some of her early assignments and what she learned from each one. We discuss then how she applies development of creative legal thinking to enable the evolution of approaches in areas involving the environmental and climate crisis.  We discuss the crime of ecocide and how it is defined, and explore how the war in Ukraine is heightening awareness of this issue. As in many podcasts in this series we discuss diversity in law, and the mindset required to practice in fields that can involve protracted processes, that can, in some cases, stretch out for many years.  This podcast is brought to you with the kind support of DLA Piper Ireland. https://www.dlapiper.com/en-ma/locations/dublin

Susan Ahern who is a barrister, international arbitrator and accredited mediator with a specialization in sports law and regulation. She is currently Chair of the Sports Law Bar Association of Ireland, and formerly was General Counsel for World Rugby/ Rugby World Cup limited. She has over 25 years experience as an iNED including RTE, World Wheelchair Rugby, UCI Cycling World Championships, Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board and the Residential Tenancies Board. Our conversation starts with her high school journey and the first time that competitive sports entered her life.  From shot-put to volley-ball she excelled at whatever she turned to, and this continued into college life and beyond, when she played volleyball at a National level. We trace then her path from studying law, which took a surprising, yet productive tour into banking, and then back to law when she became an in-house counsel at a sporting organization. We trace then the evolution of sports law as an area of law, and draw a parallel with sports and its professionalization.  Susan compares running a legal department to captaining a sports team, because of the collective purpose and mutual support and engagement inherent in that. Sports law has evolved significantly over the last decade and both the commercial and regulatory aspect have broadened so much that it is now difficult to bridge both aspects as Susan did throughout her career.  However, the richness inherent in it has led to the development of entire sports law departments and therefore multiple career opportunities. Susan also holds a number of non-executive roles and Board roles and she provides insight as to what it takes to be successful in these roles as well as the skills needed to be a successful arbitrator. After a detailed discussion of diversity and its evolution in both the field of law and sports, we turn to some personal reflections which, as might be expected, also come from inspirational sporting images.  We are reminded to "live our dreams, awake in action". 

Karen Killalea is a Partner and Head of Employment at Maples Group Ireland.  She has over 20 years of experience in advising employers on employment law, disputes, change, compliance and HR best practice. Our conversation starts with Karen's thirst for adventure which developed early and she put into action during her college years.  We learn about the benefit of not having a set plan, living by one's wits and of breaking into a new educational and work culture.  From London to Italy to Dublin, Karen charts her early years in legal practice and how she was drawn to employment law.The discussion reveals that employment law has evolved to incorporate a set of complex issues that are really a staging ground for so many issues of our time - from the focus on diversity, equity and inclusion to empowering people and setting new standards in the aftermath of Covid. We look at the evolution of the regulatory backdrop as well as the changing complexity of the workplace.  This gives rise to an intellectually stimulating and challenging legal backdrop in which empathy and an appreciation for human behavior is key.  This is also an area that is getting increasingly more sensitive and high profile, so a fascinating time to be in practice.We move then to discuss some of the Karen's other adventures from skiing to cycling to traveling the world. The Maples Group, through its leading international law firm, Maples and Calder, advises global financial, institutional, business and private clients on the laws of the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Ireland, Jersey, and Luxembourg. With offices in key jurisdictions around the world, the Maples Group has specific strengths in areas of corporate commercial, finance, investment funds, litigation and trusts. In Ireland, the law firm provides full service and specialty Irish legal services and is the leading international law firm in the jurisdiction.The Maples Group firmly believes that embracing diversity and inclusion fosters a better culture of sound decision making leading to enhanced results and better all-round performance. Its Diversity & Inclusion Steering Group has responsibility for measurable progress in the promotion of diversity and inclusion across the Group.Among other targeted strategies to promote Diversity and Inclusion, the Maples Group offers scholarship programmes, employee training seminars, formal mentoring programmes, extensive leadership development retreats and ongoing professional coaching to attract, retain and advance a diverse workforce, to promote equitable and inclusive workplace practices and to foster both employee engagement and a positive working culture.In addition to partnering with industry specific working groups, such as Women in ETFs and 100 Women in Finance, the Maples Group was recently one of the first law firms in Ireland to sign up to the Ireland for Finance, Women in Finance Charter. The Charter is an industry-led, government-supported measure to encourage gender diversity in the financial services industry in Ireland. As a signatory to the Charter, the Group has committed to progress gender diversity and is participating in voluntary reporting.

David Carthy is Managing Partner Ireland of DLA Piper.  He was previously a partner at William Fry in Dublin as well as President of the Irish Exporters Association..  He previously spent over 7 years with the Ireland India Business Association where he spent 5 years as Chairman.  Our conversation starts with David's path into law and his early focus on the commercial aspects of his practice.  He was intentional about building business networks through trade bodies and held various leadership roles in groups that grew in relevance as Ireland's role in international trade increased.Moving to his role as Managing Parter Ireland at DLA Piper we detail how he built the business from scratch - where he was the first employee in 2018 to over 110 lawyers today.  He details how he looked to other branch offices of the firm in order to develop a model as to how to grow the Dublin office and began to recruit using a values-based approach.  The values that he focuses on are a global perspective - a comfort level with working with team members in a network around the world, as well as a boldness and comfort level with change.  Finally, he seeks team members who are genuinely collaborative and go beyond paying lip service to this notion.When the values are aligned around growth, collaboration and reach goals in this way, the organization grows in a cohesive way that can be diverse by design.  David describes the intentionality with which he approached developing a diverse workforce and the office has significant female representation at all levels.  We end with some words of wisdom relating to the satisfaction of working in teams and the introduction of balance between one's professional and personal life. 

In our first legal series of 2023 we are delighted to bring together three voices from the Irish legal scene and one from the UK bar.  We discuss the challenge of employment law and its evolution, how to build a branch office of a law firm from scratch through focusing on values, the benefits of professional sport and legal practice and the burgeoning and fast-paced development of the field of Sports law. We look first a model for building a firm from scratch, by scrupulously focusing on values and being intentional about diversity.  We move from building businesses to the intricate business of navigating employment law, where we meet Karen Killalea, partner of Maples Ireland who infuses this area with enthusiasm as a staging ground for so many of the issues of our time around human capital.In our discussion of sport we hear from Susan Ahern, an arbitrator and sports law expert  about the explosive of growth of this area and Susan also shares her best practice in arbitration and directorships.   Finally, we move from sports law into the practical world of sport and hear from barrister in training and one-time multi-sport professional Christian Scotland Williamson about the passion he has for teamwork, showing up and delivering his all, thanks to his time playing in the NFL. The guests of Series 1 of 2023 are:David Carthy, Managing Partner Ireland of DLA Piper as well as former President of the Irish Exporters Association. He was previously a partner at William Fry in Dublin.  He previously spent over 7 years with the Ireland India Business Association here he spent 5 years as Chairman.  Karen Killalea, Partner and Head of Employment at Maples Group Ireland.  She has over 20 years of experience in advising employers on employment law, disputes, change, compliance and HR best practice. Susan Ahern, who is a barrister, international arbitrator and accredited mediator with a specialization in sports law and regulation. She is currently Chair of the Sports Law Bar Association of Ireland, and formerly was General Counsel for World Rugby/ Rugby World Cup limited. She has over 25 years experience as an iNED including RTE, World Wheelchair Rugby, UCI Cycling World Championships, Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board and the Residential Tenancies Board. Christian Scotland Williamson is a two sport athlete who played Premiership rugby at a professional level in the UK, and then moved to the US where he played NFL football with the Pittsburgh Steelers. While playing sport he completed an MSc in International Business and he is currently pursuing a course to become a barrister and is a broadcaster for TalkSport.

Christian Scotland-Williamson is a two sport athlete who played Premiership rugby at a professional level in the UK, and then moved to the US where he played NFL football with the Pittsburgh Steelers. While playing sport he completed an MSc in International Business and he is currently pursuing a course to become a barrister and is a broadcaster for TalkSport.Our conversation - being released as a bonus in advance of our 2023 Inspiring People in Law series - dives into the world of high performance sport and the mindset and preparation that lead to success.  We also examine the importance of maintaining breadth and resisting the urge to specialize too early, and then compare the professional sports worlds of both the US and the UK, where Christian has had experience of both. In discussing sport we draw upon the wisdom of legendary coaches who are relentless in setting expectations, standards and drawing the most out of their team members. We then turn to discussing the next chapter for Christian - training as a barrister, and why this career appealed to him.  He talks about mentors who have inspired him in this arena too, including Margaret Casely-Hayford, whose own podcast appears here: https://www.fiftyfaceshub.com/dr-margaret-casely-hayford-cbe-a-renaissance-career-for-a-changing-world/This is an inspiring story of resilience and personal growth.

Nancy Stern is CEO and board member at Allston Holdings LLC. She has had a 27 year career starting as a lawyer and transitioning to a financial and business oversight role. In her latest role, which saw her assume the CEO position in 2020, she led a successful sale of that company that closed in 2021. Nancy holds a number of board roles. She was the recipient of the Woman of Achievement Award granted by the anti Defamation League in 2019. We start with reflecting on how a summer position in a family law firm at the age of 15 opened Nancy's eyes to the possibilities of studying law, and the skills that she found were instrumental in progressing through a traditional law firm structure.  She then moved to an General Counsel role at a company and we talk through that transition, and then the even greater leap to a CEO function. Our conversation spends some time looking at the traits that lawyers have that translate well into executive careers - the importance of building risk tolerance and the role that networking plays in building sustainable career paths. We move then to her various executive and community roles - and ask what makes an effective Board director (it is "nose in, fingers out"), and talk about what drives Nancy to give back to both her own community and the legal profession. This series is brought to you with the kind support of Eversheds Sutherland.  As a global top 10 law firm, Eversheds Sutherland provides legal services to a global client base. With more than 3,000 lawyers, Eversheds Sutherland operates in over 70 offices in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. The firm recognises that having diverse talent across its business brings many benefits. It is committed to accessing a wide range of views, perspectives and thinking in all of its teams and in this way is building a culture of inclusion, where each person feels able to be their true self at work and reach their full potential. Diversity and Inclusion is fundamental to the firm’s purpose of “helping our clients, our people and our communities to thrive”, and ‘Inclusive’ is one of its five values.

Kate Colleary is the director at Pembroke Privacy, a data protection consulting practice, a firm she established in 2019. To assist organizations and their data protection officers achieve compliance with privacy laws. She is the country leader of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) as well as a practicing solicitor.Kate and I were classmates at Trinity College Dublin, and we start her journey there, reflecting on how losing both of her parents when they were in their 50s, and she was a young adult led to her resilience and pledge to enjoy life through travel and seizing opportunities. We move through her career as a solicitor and what interested her in data protection and privacy law.  She reflects that while she was a student she was fascinated by family law as it was changing rapidly in the 1990s in Ireland - she now finds that data protection and privacy law is changing just as rapidly.  We talk then about what prompted her to set up her own consultancy and how she aims to make the complex clear.  She shares the satisfaction she gains from conducting data audits and fulfilling outsourced data protection officer roles. The importance of this is underscored by the fact that "trust is the new gold" and that proper use of and protection of data is so key to company integrity. There is more information about Pembroke Privacy here: https://pembrokeprivacy.com and about the IAPP here: https://iapp.orgKate's late mother, Deirdre Madden, wrote the iconic "bible" of home economics and is beloved of all Irish secondary school students: https://www.mayobooks.ie/All-About-Home-Ec-Madden This series is brought to you with the kind support of Eversheds Sutherland.  As a global top 10 law firm, Eversheds Sutherland provides legal services to a global client base. With more than 3,000 lawyers, Eversheds Sutherland operates in over 70 offices in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. The firm recognises that having diverse talent across its business brings many benefits. It is committed to accessing a wide range of views, perspectives and thinking in all of its teams and in this way is building a culture of inclusion, where each person feels able to be their true self at work and reach their full potential. Diversity and Inclusion is fundamental to the firm’s purpose of “helping our clients, our people and our communities to thrive”, and ‘Inclusive’ is one of its five values.

Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid is Global Co-Chair of International Arbitration and Co-head of the Latin American Arbitration practice at Eversheds Sutherland and is based in the New York City area. She is also an adjunct professor of law at Fordham University Law School, a peer review board member of the American Review of International Arbitration, a committee member at the Cyrus R Vance Center for International Justice, and the holder of numerous other arbitrator roles. Her areas of focus on international dispute resolution, international trade and commercial arbitration, as well as human rights and international law.  She is also the President and Co-Founder of Allusionist Pictures, a film production company. Our wide-ranging discussion starts with Meriam's upbringing in Utah where as child of a Iraqi father and Egyptian mother she was a member of only one of five Arab families in the neighborhood. She talks about her family's history and how they came to be in the US, and how that made an impression on her personality, her ambition, her adaptability and her resilience.  When she returned to Iraq as a child for some time, her experience there as a newcomer and the backdrop of war time all were formative.  As a child she had a love for the arts and pursued dance to a professional level.  We discuss what this taught her about choreography, teamwork, performance and creative expression.Moving then to her career in law, Meriam's path was far from a standard one.  She pursued a law degree and an initial professional role that didn't always square with the path taken of her peers, and when she finally discovered her passion for international law, she again did not adopt a typical trajectory.  Her path was a more indirect one, and we talk about what excites her most in the area of international arbitration and the blending of concepts of human rights law, environmental law and international arbitration.Finally we turn to another one of Meriam's passions - film and the production company that she founded and her vision for both film and the art of creating. This series is brought to you with the kind support of Eversheds Sutherland.  As a global top 10 law firm, Eversheds Sutherland provides legal services to a global client base. With more than 3,000 lawyers, Eversheds Sutherland operates in over 70 offices in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. The firm recognises that having diverse talent across its business brings many benefits. It is committed to accessing a wide range of views, perspectives and thinking in all of its teams and in this way is building a culture of inclusion, where each person feels able to be their true self at work and reach their full potential. Diversity and Inclusion is fundamental to the firm’s purpose of “helping our clients, our people and our communities to thrive”, and ‘Inclusive’ is one of its five values.

I. Stephanie Boyce is President of the Law Society of England and Wales. She is its 177th President, the sixth female and the first person of color to hold the role. She has had an extensive career in law, including periods of The Pensions Regulator in her own consulting firm, and as a former clerk at the disciplinary and regulatory committees at the Association of Chartered certified accountants. She also holds a number of board and Trustee roles, including commissioner of the National Preparedness commission. She's a member of the socio-economic Task Force, transforming women's leadership and the law advisory boards, among other roles. Our conversation starts with Stephanie's childhood, the time she spent overseas in the US, and her high school years.  We hear how Margaret Thatcher was one of her first (perhaps unlikely) role models about how she came to be interested in law, but how she never imagined that it was accessible to her due to what she recognized was her low socio-economic status.  Her early years in third level education were filled with obstacles but she learned to navigate around them, always volunteering and using opportunities to develop her network. Stephanie's philosophy with any challenge in life is PUSH - to Persevere Until Something Happens - which is what she did in the law society - having pursued her current role as President a total of four times when she was finally successful. We talk about what is at the forefront of her mind now as an advocate for the solicitor's profession in England and Wales and how she is driven to address inequities in law and the access to justice. There is more information about some of the causes being supported by the Law Society during Stephanie's tenure here:  LawCare (https://www.lawcare.org.uk/ ), Sutton Trust (https://www.suttontrust.com/) and Access to Justice Foundation (https://atjf.org.uk/).This series is brought to you with the kind support of Eversheds Sutherland.  As a global top 10 law firm, Eversheds Sutherland provides legal services to a global client base. With more than 3,000 lawyers, Eversheds Sutherland operates in over 70 offices in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. The firm recognises that having diverse talent across its business brings many benefits. It is committed to accessing a wide range of views, perspectives and thinking in all of its teams and in this way is building a culture of inclusion, where each person feels able to be their true self at work and reach their full potential. Diversity and Inclusion is fundamental to the firm’s purpose of “helping our clients, our people and our communities to thrive”, and ‘Inclusive’ is one of its five values.

Aonghus Kelly is a lawyer who has a focus on the rule of law, international criminal law, human rights and the intersection of those areas with climate justice. He is presently Executive Director at Irish Rule of Law International, (IRLI) which is the legal NGO founded by and representing the bars and law societies from both jurisdictions from the island of Ireland which works overseas.  He is also a member of the Legal Action Committee at the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), which uses innovative legal strategies to challenge global injustice. He previously spent time with the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Libya, as a defence lawyer at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, often known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, at the Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo and the State Prosecutors Office of Bosnia-Herzegovina.  Prior to that he spent time, working as a solicitor in England, working on cases involving the aftermath of the war on Iraq in 2004, and in general practice in Ireland.Aonghus sets out his somewhat indirect path into legal practice and how his career has been punctuated by learning - whether in the area of human rights or, most recently, sustainability. He describes the lightbulb moment that led him to switch from commercial practice into international human rights law, and the character traits that enable him to stay upbeat and focused in this area which can be emotionally difficult.  The key to maintaining a positive outlook in this area is, according to Aonghus, focusing on the law of cumulative effect, that every action, slowly over time, will accumulate to have the desired effect. We examine some of the advances in this area, particularly the increasing alignment between human rights law and international environmental law (a theme also mentioned in the podcast in this series with Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid) and the advice that Aonghus would have for students entering the area. There is more information on IRLI here: https://www.irishruleoflaw.ie as well as GLAN here: https://www.glanlaw.org This series is brought to you with the kind support of Eversheds Sutherland.  As a global top 10 law firm, Eversheds Sutherland provides legal services to a global client base. With more than 3,000 lawyers, Eversheds Sutherland operates in over 70 offices in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.  The firm recognises that having diverse talent across its business brings many benefits. It is committed to accessing a wide range of views, perspectives and thinking in all of its teams and in this way is building a culture of inclusion, where each person feels able to be their true self at work and reach their full potential. Diversity and Inclusion is fundamental to the firm’s purpose of “helping our clients, our people and our communities to thrive”, and ‘Inclusive’ is one of its five values.

Olga Hancock is Deputy Head of Responsible Investment at The Church Commissioners for England. She also holds a position of chair of the policy committee at the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association, and is co chair of the Indonesia workstream of the Investors Policy Dialogue on Deforestation. She previously worked as a solicitor and started her career in Australia. Our conversation covers her early interest in environmental science and issues even during her study of law, and some of the sustainability issues explored on field trips that fascinated her early on.  Her move then into sustainable investing seemed a natural one, and we talk through how her legal skills primed her for a role in this vast and complex area. We dig into the key issues at the forefront of her mind now - which includes environmental issues in emerging markets, new disclosure requirements and the net zero impetus among UK institutions.  We also discuss Olga's work with the Investors Policy Dialogue on Deforestation, which has particularly resonance for her in light of time spent in South East Asia earlier in her education. We finish with reflections, on some strong role models in her life, as well as key life lessons garnered from time in Norway - an awareness of the importance of deriving joy from work. There is more information on the Investors Policy Dialogue on Deforestation (IPDD) here: https://www.tropicalforestalliance.org/en/collective-action-agenda/finance/investors-policy-dialogue-on-deforestation-ipdd-initiative/ and on UKSIF (UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association) here: https://uksif.org and on their Net Zero work here: https://uksif.org/netzero/This series is brought to you with the kind support of Eversheds Sutherland.  As a global top 10 law firm, Eversheds Sutherland provides legal services to a global client base. With more than 3,000 lawyers, Eversheds Sutherland operates in over 70 offices in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. The firm recognises that having diverse talent across its business brings many benefits. It is committed to accessing a wide range of views, perspectives and thinking in all of its teams and in this way is building a culture of inclusion, where each person feels able to be their true self at work and reach their full potential. Diversity and Inclusion is fundamental to the firm’s purpose of “helping our clients, our people and our communities to thrive”, and ‘Inclusive’ is one of its five values.