Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Ann Francke OBE Ann Francke is the CEO of the Chartered Management Institute, the UK's leading professional body for management and leadership. In this interview, Ann talks about equality in the workplace and how all organisations, including law firms, can do more to promote women to leadership positions.  Plus, Ann and Sally discuss why a good relationship with your line manager is one of the most important things at work. You’ll hear some of the well...

Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Joanna Hughes. Joanna is the creator of Joanna Hughes Solicitor Apprenticeships and Advisor to the City Century career creating collaboration of 50+ City of London law firms which identifies, attracts, recruits, onboards, educates, networks, develops and qualifies significant numbers of talented and committed solicitor apprentices. Joanna and Sally discuss why Solicitor Apprenticeships are an attractive route into the law for employees and employers alike,...

Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with The Rt Hon Victoria Prentis.   Victoria has served as Attorney General for England and Wales since 2022.  She is also a Government Minister, and the MP for Banbury.   Sally and Victoria discuss the day to day role of Attorney General and what that entails.   Victoria also shares insights into how the crossover between law and politics in her career came about.  They discuss the importance of increasing diversity when it comes to government legal careers;...

Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Lisa Abrahams & Emma Wilson.  Lisa and Emma both work in insurance at ARAG, which provides legal insurance products on a global scale.  Lisa and Emma both discuss how they came to their careers via alternative routes, and stress that it’s never too late to start. They also discuss the improvements they’ve seen in diversity in their roles.  Emma shares the role that ARAG has played in some high-profile medical negligence cases in the UK. This episode is...

Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Sarah Foster.  Sarah is a Partner in Restructuring at Addleshaw Goddard, where she provides advice on all aspects of restructuring; including business support, turnaround and insolvency.  Sarah shares her journey from studying history and history of art at university, through to taking a conversion course and training in the firm. They also discuss Addleshaw Goddard’s approach to encouraging diversity in their law careers, including their apprenticeships;...

Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Susanna McGibbon Susanna McGibbon is His Majesty’s Procurator General, the Treasury Solicitor and the Permanent Secretary of the Government Legal Department, or GLD.  She is the most senior civil servant who gives legal advice to the government of the day.  Susanna and Sally discuss the important distinction that whilst she and the GLD act in their client’s best interests, they are politically impartial.   They reflect on Susanna’s passion for ensuring that...

Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Michael Mansfield KC Michael was called to the Bar in 1967. In 1984, he established Tooks Chambers and became Queen's Counsel in 1989. He has represented defendants in criminal trials, appeals and inquiries in some of the most controversial legal cases the country has seen, particularly where issues of Civil Liberty have arisen. Sally and Michael discuss some of the high-profile cases Michael has worked on, including Stephen Lawrence and the Grenfell...

Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Nicola Williams.  Nicola is the author of the hit novels Without Prejudice and Until Proven Innocent. She’s also a part-time Crown Court Judge and one of the 100 most influential black people in the UK. Nicola shares with Sally her journey to the bar, and how the skills she learnt there took her to the Cayman Islands. Nicola shares her insights into the life of a legal professional, as she tried to balance her career as a part-time Crown Court Judge and as...

Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Nik White. Nik has been the Managing Partner of Brabners since 2018. With a background in commercial law, he has devoted his working career to the firm, having joined as a trainee solicitor in 1995.  Brabners is a leading independent law firm which helps private, public and third-sector organisations, as well as private individuals.  They recently worked on the now infamous “Wagatha Christie” case for their client Colleen Rooney.   Sally discovers what it...

Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Lord Jonathan Sumption Lord Sumption is a former senior judge who sat on the Supreme Court of England and Wales. Sally and Lord Sumption reflect on his career, the cases he enacted on as a barrister, including the Abramovich case, and why Lord Sumption once said it will take 50 years to achieve true equality at the bar. Sally and Lord Sumption also discuss the 2019 prorogation case, although he did not act on this case he shares his perspective. During...

Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Dr Shaun Wallace and Tom Lyas Dr Shaun Wallace is a Barrister at Great James Street Chambers and is also well known to the public as a celebrity quizzer. He was the first black man to win Mastermind and is now a permanent staple on ITV’s The Chase. Dr Wallace tells Sally about how he’s been driven to be a lawyer since the age of 11, but he hasn’t always been regarded as intelligent. Dr Wallace shares how you should never rest on your laurels, as each new...

Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Chad Doellinger. Chad is the Senior Vice President; Deputy General Counsel, and Chief Operations Officer for CBRE's global legal department. Chad balances his day job with a teaching position at Chicago Law School, alongside life with four children and four dogs. He tells Sally all about his career history and his route to becoming Deputy General Counsel. Sally and Chad share their views on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. They come to the conclusion that...

Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Lord David Pannick KC, a Barrister at Blackstone Chambers who specialises in public law and appellate advocacy. He is also a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford and a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords. David talks over his 40 year career and some of his most memorable cases including the case for Gina Miller on the unlawful prorogation of Parliament in 2019, he tells Sally all about the experience of dealing on such a public and politically significant...

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Erin Shoesmith, partner at Addleshaw Goddard where she leads the health and safety practice. She is regularly instructed by the firm's leading corporate clients and individuals facing prosecution or investigation by the Police, HSE, Local Fire & Rescue Service. Her practice also covers inquests and public inquiries, including most recently the Grenfell Tower and Manchester Arena Inquiries. Erin reflects on one of the most poignant cases of her...

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Christina Blacklaws, a former President of the Law Society of England and Wales who now runs her own consultancy business providing strategic advice particularly in the areas of transformational change, technological developments and diversity and inclusion. Hear Christina reflect on a fascinating portfolio career with roles ranging from advising government on the use of Artificial Intelligence in the law, to helping the The Co-operative Group...

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Shelley McGivern, partner in the Corporate team at Addleshaw Goddard and co-head of the Firm's SciTech sector. Shelley has a wealth of experience advising both corporate and institutional clients across a number of sectors with a particular focus on acquisitions and disposals and joint ventures in the real estate sector. Shelley talks about ‘flexing’ her career; progressing professionally whilst juggling a busy home life with her children –...

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Alice Stephenson, Founder & CEO of Stephenson Law. Hear how Alice struggled with progression in the law whilst being a young Mum, and became so disillusioned with the profession that she even decided to quit. Inspired by her entrepreneur husband, she then started her own law firm to see if she could carve her own path within the industry.   Alice and her firm are extremely creative in their use of social media and Alice says authenticity is...

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Jo Sidhu, a criminal barrister who is widely regarded as one of the leading criminal trial lawyers in the UK and has appeared in some of England’s most serious prosecutions. Jo served as the Chair of the Criminal Bar Association in 2021-22. Jo explains what motivated him to become a criminal barrister, and tries to explain why many in the profession are protesting; a response to what he describes as a ‘process of attrition and by neglect from...

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Ayo Onatade who is a personal assistant to judges based at the Supreme Court. Ayo describes her many roles and responsibilities, and details what it’s like to work at the highest court in the United Kingdom. Ayo is also a freelance commentator on crime fiction, writing articles and featuring on panels about the genre. Ayo explains how she found her love of crime fiction, and shares some of her favourite novels. Ayo also reflects on what it was...

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Iain Simkin. Iain Simkin is renowned for his expertise across the range of regulatory cases and he also specialises in serious crime. Iain recalls the extreme determination it took to begin his career and reflects on some of the most memorable cases of his career, including his work as prosecuting counsel in the case of Reynhard Sinaga, and the difficulties he faced in presenting evidence in that case. Iain also shares his experiences of being...

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Dinah Rose QC, who is a barrister and member of Blackstone Chambers. Dinah was also appointed President of Magdalen College, Oxford in September 2020. She is the 43rd President of the College since its foundation in 1458, and the first woman to hold the post. Dinah describes how she juggled her career at the bar around raising two children. She also recalls one of her most memorable cases; an employment tribunal on behalf of Jane Couch also known...

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Margaret Casely-Hayford. Margaret was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Honours list in 2018, for services to charity and for promoting diversity upon ending her term as trustee and Chair of international development Charity ActionAid UK. She was Director of Legal Services and Company Secretary for the John Lewis Partnership for nine years. Before that she worked for twenty years with City law firm Dentons where she had been a partner and jointly led...

Welcome to a brand new season of Talking Law with Sally Penni MBE! This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Banke A. Odunaike,  Head of Legal in EMEA at CBRE. CBRE is a real estate firm that offers a range of services to help companies with all their property needs. With over 100k employees across 100 different countries, they are the largest company of their kind in the world. Banke shares how her love of the judiciary began at an early age, earning her the nickname ‘The Shortest...

This week Sally Penni MBE is Talking Law with Alison Fagan. Ali is a Construction Disputes Partner and the Head of the Infrastructure Funds Sector Group at DLA Piper UK LLP. Ali provides risk management advice on distressed, high value or strategically critical infrastructure projects for a wide ranging pool of clients, from private sector partners to  delivery contractors. Alison talks about her organisation which, despite being in a male-led industry, is demonstrating a wealth of female...