Astro Update for the November 2021 New Moon // By Your Astro Advocate - Lauren O'Sullivan

"I realised that as much as I can advise on the law, I can also change it" summarises the essence of this conversation with the wonderful Janvi Patel; an entrepreneur, female founder, producer and an activist for women and children’s rights. These titles (expanded on below) only scratch the surface of Janvi’s accomplishments and pioneering path! 

As a private practice lawyer, Janvi received an instinctive feeling that she needed to leave her role – which was at odds with her as an ambitious and diligent woman who didn’t associate with being spontaneous. However, she trusted this soul nudge, left and this led to a path of entrepreneurialism and activism unfolding…...

Janvi co-founded Halebury (launched 2007) and spearheaded operational, structural and cultural change within the legal services profession through a unique business model relating to senior in-house Counsel resourcing, which was then acquired in 2018 by Elevate, a global law company. 

Janvi is also  a founding board member of the legal campaign #FreePeriods, which aims to end period poverty and was part of the team that successfully campaigned the UK Government for free period products in schools. Amongst many other things, Janvi is also on the investment committee of Aliavia Ventures - a female founder VC fund, is a founder of Support SEND Kids to ensure SEND child have access to education, and most recently she has launched a production company and is in the process of finalizing a documentary series.  

We also chat a little about Janvi’s Human Design in this conversation; she is a Manifestor which I could really see in her - an entrepreneurial initiator who is trailblazing us into new ways. In this episode we dive into:-

Janvi’s background, journey into law  and early professional years

• Indian immigrant background – pressure to do well and have a professional career
• Scraping by in A-levels; Mum calling to get her a place at University
• Studying Law and Accounting at Manchester University
• Training Contract as Charles Russell and qualifying in employment
• Always feeling different as a lawyer – not seeing anyone else who looked like her
• Inner feeling arising “I need to quit and not be here' - quitting private practice

Entrepreneurship and activism 

• Co-founding Halebury
  • Early challenges with no money and no clients
  • Juggling early family life and moving to LA
  • How the success of Halebury fast tracked and tips for starting a business
• Activism  
  • The Free Periods campaign - how the team went about this
  • Females being left out of the conversation and science
  • School on Wheels - how it helps homeless children in LA and challenges during 'lockdown'

Contact information for Janvi and some of the projects she supports if you wish to help:-

• Janvi's LinkedIn page
• School on wheels - support here
• SEND kids - support here

Legally Different’s contact information:-

• Email: hello@legallydifferent.com
• Legally Different on Instagram
• Website: www.legallydifferent.com

Thank you for tuning in! This marks the season finale - keep in touch for what’s coming in season 3!

Lauren 

Join me in this conversation with Vanessa Challess; Founder, Principal and the force behind of Tiger Law and its sister businesses Tiger Bytes and Tiger HR - force being the operative word here as Vanessa has such passionate and motivating energy!

Vanessa is not afraid to speak what is on her heart and mind which makes for a very real and open conversation. We dive into a number of topics such a female inequality in law, integrity as a lawyer and what it means to be a real leader.  You will hear about Vanessa's journey to becoming a lawyer which, after quitting school at 15, wasn't a conventional path (which sums up Vanessa's uniquely inspiring ways), her experiences in private practice (including inequalities faced as a woman in law, amongst other things) which very much fuelled Vanessa's desire to create her own business and do law on her own terms.

Vanessa's leadership style, which we dive into and unpack, is aptly captured by the  name 'Tiger Law'. What really stood out to me is how passionately protective and caring Vanessa is over her staff; nurturing their talents, encouraging them to be themselves and having their backs was something that came through to me strongly. 
 

In this episode we dive into:-

Background and  journey into law 

• Leaving school at 15;
• ‘Real’ realisations about what Vanessa wanted for her life;
• Back to education - humanities based A-levels and why Vanessa thinks these are valuable;
• Philosophy degree – the lure of academia; and
• CPE conversion & LPC vs benefits practical learning avenues.

Early Professional years

• Private practice – ‘looked like misery’
• Facing inequalities for being female and different in her style
• Pheonix out of the flames moment: sole bread winner, pregnant and sacked – set out in legal consultancy followed by creating her own law firm.

Tiger Law

• Starting Tiger Law – what fuelled it and the process of a starting a law firm;
• What is behind the name;
• Supporting staff to be human and nurture their individuality
• Leadership in law and how Vanessa is doing it differently;
• Social media and personal brands – how to use it wisely- freedom of expression vs professional;
• Integrity and resilience in the legal professional and what it is to be a service provider;
• Using technology in law to help lawyers and clients; and
• How ‘Tigerizing’ things helps to filter out the client they don’t want to work with.

Finishing up 

• Why Vanessa is Legally Different; and
• What advice Vanessa would give her younger self

HELPFUL LINKS + CONTACTS

Contact information for Vanessa and Tiger Law:-

• Tiger Law's website
• Vanessa's LinkedIn
• Tiger Law's Instagram
• Tiger Law's Twitter

Legally Different’s contact information:-

• Legally Different's email: hello@legallydifferent.com
• Legally Different on Instagram
• Interested in Human Design? Want to find out how you're uniquely design to work, interact with others, make decisions and get clarity on your purpose, gifts and strengths?  Book your Human Design session with Lauren here.

Thank you sooooo much for tuning in.

Lauren 

I chat with Seth Bradley who’s mission for lawyers and professionals is “practice when you want to, not because you have to". Seth is a real estate entrepreneur and an expert at creating passive income while working as a highly paid professional. He’s a former big law attorney and is now the managing partner of his own firm, Bradley Law Limited, helping his clients with their real estate and asset protection needs. Seth is the host of the Passive Income Attorney Podcast, educating attorneys and other professionals on how to stop trading their time for money so that they can practice when they want to, not because they have to. In this episode we dive into:-

Seth’s background and journey into law 

• Growing up in a blue collar family in West Virginia
• From Med School to Big Law
• Money mindset and exchanging time for money

Big law career

• The lure of the golden handcuffs
• Looking up the ladder and lacking inspiration by the 9-5 to 65 model
• ‘Ah ha’ moments which led to breaking free of the golden handcuffs

Passive Income Attorney

• Transition period - money mindset changes and mentors
• Discovering real estate investing – from early experiments to expertise
• How it’s possible to ‘practice when you want to, not because you have to’
• How lawyers can leverage their legal skills in other areas inc. entrepreneurship and investing
• How Seth and his PIA platform can help lawyers to free up their time

Finishing up 

• Why Seth is Legally Different; and
• What advice Seth would give his younger self

HELPFUL LINKS + CONTACTS

Seth’s contact information:-

• GET STARTED:       The Freedom Blueprint
• Free download for a limited time at http://www.attorneybydesign.com
• The Billables to Abundance Bible - Free download for a limited time at http://www.escapethebillable.com
• JOIN: EPIC – The Esquire Passive Investor Club: https://passiveincomeattorney.com/join-the-passive-income/
• The Passive Income Attorneys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/passiveincomeattorneys
• Call: https://calendly.com/sethbradley/invest
• Email:  seth@passiveincomeattorney.com
• Websites: www.passiveincomeattorney.com; www.lawcapitalpartners.com ; www.bradleylawlimited.com
• LinkedIn:   www.linkedin.com/in/sethpaulbradley
• Facebook:  www.facebook.com/sethpaulbradley
• Instagram:  www.instagram.com/passiveincomeattorney
• YouTube:   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBFCoOy_AM7-8F6h0DiHdSw

Legally Different’s contact information:-

• Legally Different's email: hello@legallydifferent.com
• Legally Different on Instagram
• Thank you to our supporter, Franc and Iris. Use code LEGALLYDIFFERENT15 for 15% off of a pair of blue light protective glasses.
• Interested in Human Design? Want to find out how you're uniquely design to work, interact with others, make decisions and get clarity on your purpose, gifts and strengths?  Book your Human Design session with Lauren here.

Thank you for tuning in!

Lauren :-)

Welcome back to Legally Different. We are joined my Aman Costigan; lawyer, partner, yoga teacher, entrepreneur and investor. 

Aman founded Beyond Yoga for Lawyers (which she runs on the side of being a lawyer/partner) following a desire to create her own business “I just wanted to do my own thing with no rules”.

Aman is 9 years qualified and a partner at her firm. As a proud and successful lawyer, she focused solely on her legal career for the first 5 years, but at year 6 something else was calling her, so she decided to take stock of things and asked herself ‘what do I really want’? Aman realised that in creating her legal career, she had dropped all of her hobbies and interests and, as a naturally multifaceted and multi passionate person, this didn’t align with version of success. So, Aman made a decision to follow that calling, own her non-linear nature and step out as a lawyer “and”…..

Aman is a successful lawyer AND so much more, including a yoga teacher and entrepreneur. It is admirable to see how she is owning this and in doing so is giving a much needed permission slip to other lawyers and professionals. I also love how as a lawyer/partner at her firm she does things differently – one thing that stood out to me was the vision boarding session she ran aka ‘the vision board party’.

It’s no surprise that Aman is a Manifesting Generator in Human Design – something we delved into in the episode if you’re curious to find out more.

Tune in to hear about Aman’s process in creating Beyond Yoga for Lawyers and how she is ‘Legally Different’ in so many ways.

What you can expect:-

Aman’s journey into law and legal career

• Attending a local murder trial which ignited a passion for law
• Committing to law school – not getting what Aman wanted but realising a deeper lesson later on
• Qualifying as a professional regulatory lawyer
• Dedication to Aman’s career and making partner
• Reviewing Aman’s version of success and taking stock
• Craving change and recognizing fulfilment in being a lawyer “and”…..

Beyond Yoga For Lawyers

• Aman’s process to creating BYFL
• The need/desire for freedom
• Where BYFL is now and how it helps lawyers
• Other interests which create the lawyer “and” in Aman

Finishing up 

• Why Aman is Legally Different; and
• What advice Aman would give her younger self 

HELPFUL LINKS + CONTACTS

• Beyond Yoga for Lawyers on Instagram
• Beyond Yoga for Lawyers’ website
• Legally Different's email: hello@legallydifferent.com
• Legally Different on Instagram
• Thank you to our supporter, Franc and Iris. Use code LEGALLYDIFFERENT15 for 15% off of a pair of blue light protective glasses.
• Interested in Human Design? Want to find out how you're uniquely design to work, interact with others, make decisions and get clarity on your purpose, gifts and strengths?  Book your Human Design session with Lauren here.

Thanks so much for tuning in!

Welcome to this conversation with Eimear McCann, Commercial Director at TrialView and a lecturer in EU and immigration law. 

Eimear has certainly had a multi-faceted and non-linear path into and around law, which you will hear all about! From her early career as a writer to working in immigration law for a law centre to private practice to legal tech. 

When Eimear began to feel stuck in private practice and craved a way out into something else, without anything on the table, her solution was “I’m just going to have to get really creative about how I get out of this” which I love – you will see that creativity is a common theme in Eimear’s journey and is something she is so passionate about in law. At this juncture, she began by stripping out of the legal references in her CV to reimagine her experience – love this tip for getting a new perspective on experience, skills and purpose!

During this process, Eimear discovered legal tech and was so drawn to it as the “intersection between law and creativity” and has since had a successful and diverse career in legal tech in commercial and operational roles working for Flex Legal, Summize and currently TrialView.

Eimear shares interesting insights around the role of creativity in law, our work and lives. We discuss how traditionally (and still currently in many areas) the law and school system tends to label and separate creativity as though it doesn’t have a place in law. Eimear shares her passion for where creative thinking can assist – even in logical tasks!

“We are all wired to create” – I will leave you with that before you dive in.

What you can expect:-

Eimear’s journey into law

• Law & Spanish at University 
• Deciding not to pursue a law career and becoming a writer

Legal Career

• Becoming an immigration lawyer and working for a law centre in Northern Ireland
• Doing meaningful work and being passionate 
• Mental health in law and dealing with tough cases
• Moving to Manchester and working in private practice
• Feeling unfulfilled and craving change

Legal Tech

• Getting creative about making a career leap
• Discovering legal tech
• Roles with Flex Legal and Summize

Creativity

• The meaning of creativity and how we are all creative 
• Creativity in law – where it’s at and how creativity can help
• The future generations
• Neuroscience insights 
• Creativity and logic going hand in hand

Finishing up 

• Why Eimear is Legally Different; and
• What advice Eimear would give to her previous self wanting to get out of private practice 

HELPFUL LINKS + CONTACTS

• Eimear’s LinkedIn
• Legally Different's email: hello@legallydifferent.com
• Legally Different's  Instagram

Thank you for tuning in 

An astro update for the full moon and eclipse on 19 November by our in-house astrologer and former lawyer, Laurel O'Sullivan

The November full moon is a powerful lunar eclipse with supercharged energy. Eclipses are like portals offering the opportunity for transformation  - an opportunity to get back on purpose and on our path to fulfilling our goals and dreams. Full moons are always about beginnings and endings, so together there's a potent collaboration. The timing of this lunar eclipse at the end of a challenging year and time in general is about reclaiming your power  and self reliance. Tune in for more!

Helpful links + contacts

• Laurel’s website:www.laurelosullivan.com
• Legally Different's email: hello@legallydifferent
• Legally Different's  Instagram

Join me in this conversation with Alex McPherson, founder of Ignition Law and corporate lawyer. We chat about Alex’s journey to founding and growing Ignition Law which began life as a declaration at a New Year’s Eve party (possibly fuelled by vino) but it was nevertheless a resolution that Alex was passionate about and determine to keep….

Alex shares his path into law and early career, his transition from a senior employee at an international law firm to starting his entrepreneurial journey through to where Ignition is today as a successful leading law firm for start ups, scale ups and the entrepreneurially spirited. This is such a diverse conversation touching on many interesting angles including; challenges in the entrepreneurial journey (personal & professional), the importance of values & culture, mental health in law and agile/remote working.

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” sums up the essence of this conversation and is something you will hear Alex say part way through when we discuss Ignition’s values and what it’s like to be part of the team.

Ignition Law is ‘legally different’ in so many ways, but one way that stands out to me is how it has always been ahead of curve with remote working as ‘agile consultants’ (that’s me) have been an integral part of its model right from the start. This is a conversation which is dear to my heart as Ignition Law has been a key part of my own personal ‘legally different’ journey.

I admire Alex’s leadership style and would sincerely describe him as a human centred and values driven lawyer and leader. I’m sure you will sense that too…….

What you can expect:-

Alex’s journey into law

• Young ambitions of being a pilot grind to a halt as aspirations to become a lawyer take off;
• Early work experience opportunities and being drawn to the tangibility of law;
• A Magic Circle training contract and the early professional years including experience abroad and in-house.

Transition period

• New Years Eve – a resolution declared in front of friends which kick started Alex’s year of research and planning towards making a change;
• Alex’s reflections on how he navigated that time and what advice he’d give to someone making a similar transition; and
• Taking the leap!

Ignition Law – the early days and beyond 

• Transparency about the bumps in the road: personal and professional, money on the line, personal bereavements, working long hours and mental health pressures in the start-up phase;
• Keys to success including the importance of professional networks and the support of other law firms;
• “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” sums up the rest of this section quite well which is something Alex says part way through as we get into:-
• Attracting aligned clients and white labelling vs being authentic and transparent;
• The importance of values & integrity;
• Mental health in law;
• Ignition’s diverse hub of agile consultants;
• The important of supporting diverse talent and Ignition’s work experience programme; and
• Personal shares from Lauren about working as an agile consultant for Ignition Law and why Alex & Ignition Law are Legally Different.

Finishing up 

• Why Alex is Legally Different; and
• What Advice Alex would give to his younger self.

HELPFUL LINKS + CONTACTS

• Ignition Law's website
• Ignition Law's work experience programme
• Alex's LinkedIn
• Legally Different's email: hello@legallydifferent.com
• Legally Different's  Instagram
• Website for our partner Franc & Iris: www.francandiris.com

Finally, thank you to our partner for this episode, Franc & Iris blue light protective glasses. Light hygiene is so important in the digital age, thank you for protecting my eyes (in stylish way!) during screen time. You can get 15% off of your own pair (with free delivery) using the code LEGALLYDIFFERENT15 HERE.

Thank you for tuning in! 

An astro update for the November 2021 new moon by our in-house astrologer and former lawyer, Laurel O'Sullivan.

You can expect a bitesize and tangible update which is applicable to our daily lives. You will hear what the New Moon on 4 November in scorpio means and how that is likely to show up for us. 

Helpful links + contacts

• Laurel’s website: www.laurelosullivan.com
• Legally Different's email: hello@legallydifferent
• Legally Different's  Instagram

Decisions, decisions, decisions! They are a key part of our lives aren't they!? Decisions really shape our lives from the smaller everyday choices to the big life decisions. 

This episode is all about how we can make more aligned decisions in order to create a more fulfilled life. I take you through my decision making journey over the years from analysis paralysis to clarity and flow and share tools that have helped me to make decisions with more ease.

What you can expect:-

• My journey with decision making
• Decision making tools & tips
• The Human Design 'authorities' (i.e. how we are each uniquely designed to make decisions)

Key links and follow up

• Book a session with me here ⚡
• Get your Human Design chart and find out your unique decision making authority here
• Legally Different's email: hello@legallydifferent
• Legally Different's  Instagram

When “I just don’t think I’m a normal lawyer in any respect” is the answer to “what makes you Legally Different” - you know you’re in good in company. 

Join me for this chat with Babs Jamieson, Founder + CEO of Jamieson Law a start-up UK practice with multi jurisdictional expertise. Babs is a qualified solicitor in England, Scotland, Ireland and New York! After time in traditional legal practice, Babs decided she’d had enough of dreading work, feeling unmotivated by the traditional ladder and dealing with imbalances as a female – she decided to quit, set up her own firm and do it in her own way. Babs is shifting old and broken paradigms in the way that she runs Jamieson Law. 

This is such an uplifting conversation (Babs has such an infectious energy!) whilst touching on some very real and important issues. One of those conversations is about the reality of being a female in law - we dig into where very real imbalances still remain, even though some progress has been made.

Babs tells her story in such a light and real way – it’s hard not to go away feeling both uplifted and informed. 

A summary of what you can expect:-

• Why Babs became a lawyer – a very real answer!
• Imbalances in law as a female.
• Babs’ realisation she didn’t want to be a partner and asking – so what am I aiming for?
• Quitting and that moment after – oh sh*t what have I done?
• Freelancing as a lawyer.
• Creating Jamieson law – Babs’ values and the paradigms she’s shifting.
• Setting up a law firm – the regulatory stuff!
• What Babs would tell her younger self.
• Why Babs is  Legally Different. 

Helpful links + contacts

• Website for our partner Franc & Iris: www.francandiris.com
• Jamieson Law's website: www.jamiesonlaw.legal
• Jamieson Law's Instagram: @babjamiesonlawyer
• Legally Different's email: hello@legallydifferent
• Legally Different's  Instagram

Finally, thank you to our partner for this episode, Franc & Iris blue light protective glasses. Light hygiene is so important in the digital age, thank you for protecting my eyes during screen time. You can get 15% off of your own pair (with free delivery) using the code LEGALLYDIFFERENT15 here.

Thank you for tuning in!