Speaker A: In our first legal series of 2023, we are delighted to bring together 3 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 at a model for building a firm from scratch by scrupulously focusing on values and being intentional about diversity. This is what David Carthy, Managing Partner of DLA Piper Ireland, had to say about how he built that firm to over 110 lawyers in only 5 years.
Inspiring People in Law: What we decided to do is very much build a values-led organisation, so you’re looking for as much diversity as you possibly can, but you want people to have the same sort of perspective, particularly around— I say 3 things I talk about in the interview, you know, having a global perspective, really understanding how people in different parts of the world might approach the problem, what they have in common, what they don’t. Having people who are relatively bold in the sense of yes towards the entrepreneurial end, but also comfortable with change. And the last was sort of being collaborative. And I think in all areas of life, no professional’s ever self-identified as not being collaborative. But the truth is some people are an awful lot better than others, and some people are competitive by nature and never get around to the collaboration bit. Some people are insecure and never get around to the collaborative bit. So we really want people who have those things in common.
Speaker A: We move from building businesses to the intricate business of navigating employment law, where we meet Karen Killilay, partner of Maples Ireland, who infuses this area with enthusiasm and also sets it out as a staging ground for so many of the issues of our time around human capital.
Speaker C: I think the workplace has become very complex. I think the practice of employment law by definition as a result has become quite complex. We are seeing a lot of employers who would have employees who are quite distressed, who are not coping very well. There are performance issues, quite a lot of disputes. In addition to the post-pandemic complexities, we are increasingly called upon to support clients in workplace investigations. And workplace investigations can be, again, tricky and sensitive, and you’ve got people’s livelihoods and their reputations on the line, and you’ve got businesses and sometimes the very viability of businesses on the line. So that’s a white-knuckle ride as well.
Speaker A: In our discussion of sport, we hear from Susan Ahern, an arbitrator and sports law specialist, about the explosive growth in this area. But with the professionalisation of sport, With the increasing TV rights and payments, with private equity coming into sport—you see that, for example, in Formula 1, in soccer, and more recently in rugby—that drove change and an increasing demand for sports law expertise. So today, sports law is a genuine career choice for students coming out of university. 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 a 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 spent playing in the NFL and other professional leagues.
Speaker D: Regardless of circumstance, regardless of any adversity that you may be facing, it’s— there is a standard that needs to be met if you expect to succeed and ultimately to win, whether that’s at life or in a game. On the pitch.
Speaker A: As always, we hear words of wisdom to live by, whether for coping with stress.
Speaker C: Client said to our senior barrister, you know, just— I how do you cope with this day in, day out? This is just so stressful.
Speaker A: How do you cope with it?
Speaker C: And the senior counsel just said, I just— I never worry. I never get stressed. I just prepare.
Speaker A: That’s all. Or for knowing what we are capable of.
Speaker D: I think The thing that has underpinned my whole adventure, whether it’s in sport or beyond, has been that you can know something in your spirit without understanding it in your head. So sometimes there’s an energy speaking to you that you know is the right way to go or the right thing to do, but rationally it doesn’t make sense. And so for me, I’ve always tried to listen to that voice.
Speaker A: Or the importance of living our dream. Dream your dream awake in action. So tune in over the next few Wednesdays where we will release a new episode of the series each week. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. All of our content is available on 50 Faces Hub. Remember, if you like what you heard and would like to support our content and our mission to amplify diverse voices across multiple professions, You can support us on Patreon. Just search for 50 Faces Podcast or click on the link in our show notes.
Speaker A: In our first legal series of 2023, we are delighted to bring together 3 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 at a model for building a firm from scratch by scrupulously focusing on values and being intentional about diversity. This is what David Carthy, Managing Partner of DLA Piper Ireland, had to say about how he built that firm to over 110 lawyers in only 5 years.
Inspiring People in Law: What we decided to do is very much build a values-led organisation, so you’re looking for as much diversity as you possibly can, but you want people to have the same sort of perspective, particularly around— I say 3 things I talk about in the interview, you know, having a global perspective, really understanding how people in different parts of the world might approach the problem, what they have in common, what they don’t. Having people who are relatively bold in the sense of yes towards the entrepreneurial end, but also comfortable with change. And the last was sort of being collaborative. And I think in all areas of life, no professional’s ever self-identified as not being collaborative. But the truth is some people are an awful lot better than others, and some people are competitive by nature and never get around to the collaboration bit. Some people are insecure and never get around to the collaborative bit. So we really want people who have those things in common.
Speaker A: We move from building businesses to the intricate business of navigating employment law, where we meet Karen Killilay, partner of Maples Ireland, who infuses this area with enthusiasm and also sets it out as a staging ground for so many of the issues of our time around human capital.
Speaker C: I think the workplace has become very complex. I think the practice of employment law by definition as a result has become quite complex. We are seeing a lot of employers who would have employees who are quite distressed, who are not coping very well. There are performance issues, quite a lot of disputes. In addition to the post-pandemic complexities, we are increasingly called upon to support clients in workplace investigations. And workplace investigations can be, again, tricky and sensitive, and you’ve got people’s livelihoods and their reputations on the line, and you’ve got businesses and sometimes the very viability of businesses on the line. So that’s a white-knuckle ride as well.
Speaker A: In our discussion of sport, we hear from Susan Ahern, an arbitrator and sports law specialist, about the explosive growth in this area. But with the professionalisation of sport, With the increasing TV rights and payments, with private equity coming into sport—you see that, for example, in Formula 1, in soccer, and more recently in rugby—that drove change and an increasing demand for sports law expertise. So today, sports law is a genuine career choice for students coming out of university. 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 a 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 spent playing in the NFL and other professional leagues.
Speaker D: Regardless of circumstance, regardless of any adversity that you may be facing, it’s— there is a standard that needs to be met if you expect to succeed and ultimately to win, whether that’s at life or in a game. On the pitch.
Speaker A: As always, we hear words of wisdom to live by, whether for coping with stress.
Speaker C: Client said to our senior barrister, you know, just— I how do you cope with this day in, day out? This is just so stressful.
Speaker A: How do you cope with it?
Speaker C: And the senior counsel just said, I just— I never worry. I never get stressed. I just prepare.
Speaker A: That’s all. Or for knowing what we are capable of.
Speaker D: I think The thing that has underpinned my whole adventure, whether it’s in sport or beyond, has been that you can know something in your spirit without understanding it in your head. So sometimes there’s an energy speaking to you that you know is the right way to go or the right thing to do, but rationally it doesn’t make sense. And so for me, I’ve always tried to listen to that voice.
Speaker A: Or the importance of living our dream. Dream your dream awake in action. So tune in over the next few Wednesdays where we will release a new episode of the series each week. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. All of our content is available on 50 Faces Hub. Remember, if you like what you heard and would like to support our content and our mission to amplify diverse voices across multiple professions, You can support us on Patreon. Just search for 50 Faces Podcast or click on the link in our show notes.
