Talking Law with Dr Sally Penni MBE

Harold Brako

This episode of Talking Law is brought to you by Addleshaw Goddard

Today you’ll be hearing from Harold Brako, a Finance Litigation and Disputes Partner at Addleshaw Goddard.

An experienced litigator, Harold works with clients across the UK, Africa and the Middle East.

He also leads his firm's inclusion and diversity strategy and was shortlisted for the Diversity Champion Award in 2019.

He talks about the lead his firm is taking on tackling racial, gender and class diversity and reveals the racism he has dealt with in his career.

Presented by barrister Sally Penni, founder and chair of Women in the Law UK

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Thanks again to Addleshaw Goddard for supporting this episode.

In episode one, meet Jodie Hill, Managing Director & Solicitor at Thrive Law.

Shortlisted for Law Society Excellence Awards "Personality of the Year" 2018.

Jodie's passion for fair treatment of people living with mental health issues led her to set up a revolutionary law firm.

Plus, news of forthcoming Women In The Law events and details of how you can get involved.

Presented by barrister Sally Penni, founder and chair of Women in the Law UK.

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 successive governments’ leading to insufficient funding for the criminal justice system. Jo explains that criminal barristers have received a 28% reduction in real earnings over the last two decades, further compounded by the effects of the pandemic.

As the leader of the criminal bar association, Jo has made it his mission to bring the plight of barristers into the public domain so the wider public can understand the severity and complexity of the challenges facing the criminal legal system. Jo highlights the root cause of the backlog in cases being heard; a problem which was substantial and growing even before the arrival of the pandemic.

Jo also reflects upon one of his most memorable and traumatic cases, the murder of mother-of-four Saima Khan by her own sister. He reveals the story behind the case, and why it left its mark him. The case is explored in a TV documentary called ‘The Lady Killers’ .

This episode is supported by Salford Business School.

Presented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPenni1

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or at WomenInTheLawUK.com

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 Judge’ or SJ for short.

Banke looks back upon the hard time she went through when securing a training contract; the multiple rejection letters she received and offers some advice to anyone starting out on that journey.

Banke also reveals the initiatives that she is working on at CBRE to champion Diversity and Inclusion, and also considers how the industry can do more to futher D&I within the GC space. Hear a fascinating story of how Banke dealt with a situation where her daughter had experienced racism at school, using an analogy of a rainbow.

Presented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPenni1

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 being initiatives that have been implemented at CMI and why they’re crucial for all organisations to foster a healthy working environment.
You can now support Talking Law on Patreon

Presented by Sally Penni MBE, barrister at law at Kenworthy’s Chambers Manchester and founder and chair of Women in the Law UK. Follow Sally on X @SallyPenni1 and Instagram @sjsallypenni