Legal Off the Leash
Hi, and welcome to Legal off the Leash, with your hosts, Elizabeth de Stadler and Scott Simmons. Why are we doing this podcast? We want to help create a legal profession filled with successful and happy lawyers. Because we know lawyers are unhappy. And while most firms care about unhappy lawyers who leave, they should be just as worried about the ones who are staying. Presenteeism, or what some people call quiet quitting, costs the global economy about 9% of Global GDP. That is USD8.8 trillion. If the global legal market is USD797 billion, that means lawyers are pissing away [Elizabeth, where’s the calculator!]... ahem, a lot of money. Lawyers are bombarded with information about how to make themselves, their firms and their lives better. At the best of times it is just too earnest, at worst it is bewildering. In Legal Off The Leash we cut through the crap and talk honestly with a vast array of people who are cleverer than us about law, life, laughter and line dancing. We don’t talk about line dancing, but we do talk far too much about Harry Potter. This podcast is about Elizabeth and Scott tearing each other new ***holes and interviewing guests about how to make firms and lawyers better and happier. It is a must-listen for any lawyer who isn’t a malignant narcissist. Actually they’re welcome too.
Episodes
Legal Off The Leash Episode 23: More Stupid, or Stupider?
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this end-of-season reflection, Scott and Elizabeth take stock of what they’ve learned from a series of thought-provoking conversations and what they believe is shaping the legal profession in 2026.
From AI anxiety and techno-stress to lawyer wellbeing, legal
Episode 22: Lawyers will live after all? with Lev Loukhton
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this episode, Scott and Elizabeth sit down with venture investor and former M&A partner Lev Loukhton to discuss the “AI Trojan Horse” debate making waves in the legal world. Lev offers a calm but direct response to the fear that AI will hollow out the pro
Episode 21: Creativity, Wake Up! with Celia Falkenberg & Nina Pearse
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this episode, Scott and Elizabeth sit down with Celia Falkenberg and Nina Pearse, co-founders of Creativity Wake Up, to talk about why creative thinking matters more than ever in law. Drawing on backgrounds in architecture, business, consulting and leadership
Episode 20: Prompt Like a Pro with Laura Jeffords Greenberg
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this episode, Scott Simmons and Elizabeth de Stadler sit down with AI educator and general counsel Laura Jeffords-Greenberg for a candid conversation about prompting, legal work, and what AI is actually changing inside the profession.
Laura shares how she we
Episode 19: Deleted by LinkedIn! What Now? with Melanie Goodman
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this episode, Scott and Elizabeth sit down with LinkedIn strategist and former lawyer Melanie Goodman to unpack how lawyers can actually use LinkedIn and Substack to build visibility, relationships, and real business opportunities. Melanie shares practical ad
Episode 18: When Lawyers Become Obsolete with Quentin Solt
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
This episode comes with a warning: If you think AI won't completely change the practice of law, you may not want to listen.
In this episode, Scott and Elizabeth are joined by Quentin Solt—former UK solicitor, investor, and long-time observer of AI’s evolution—to
Episode 17: The Big 5 Beasts of Law with Tom Fleuriot
Episode Overview
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this episode, Scott and Elizabeth are joined by Tom Fleuriot, a legal operations consultant with a refreshingly original lens on lawyer behaviour. Inspired by a children’s book, Tom introduces the “Big Five” animals as a metaphor for how lawy
Episode 16: Lawyers Just Wanna Have Fun
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this episode, we sit down with behavioural scientist and The Fun Habit author Mike Rucker to explore an idea the legal profession rarely takes seriously: fun.
Drawing on research from psychology, peak performance, and workplace wellbeing, Mike explains why c
Episode 15: Words Matter, ya sharks!
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this deeply personal and unfiltered episode, Elizabeth and Scott explore the power of language and how the words lawyers use about themselves shape burnout, billing, confidence, culture, and client relationships. From “recovering lawyer” jokes to the damage c
Episode 14: How to KISS
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this episode, Scott and Elizabeth are joined by plain language expert Colleen Trolove and information designer Liezl van Zyl for a lively, honest conversation about legalese: why it persists, why it frustrates clients, and what it’s really costing the profess
Episode 13: An Ode To Finding Joy with Bridget McNulty
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this beautifully tender and surprisingly funny episode, Elizabeth and Scott sit down with writer and diabetes advocate Bridget McNulty, author of Daily Glimmers. Bridget unpacks the transformative practice of noticing “tiny joys” and how this simple act becam
Episode 12: We still don't know what we're doing!
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In episode 12, we’re back—candid, chaotic, and deeply human. After a short break, they reflect on Christmas, the realities of therapy and mental health, and why empathy matters more than ever in law. What begins as a light-hearted catch-up turns into a powerful
Episode 11: A Journey Through our First 10 Episodes
Welcome to Episode 11 of Legal Off The Leash with your hosts Scott Simmons and Elizabeth De Stadler as they take a nostalgic journey through the first 10 episodes of Legal Off the Leash. From funny anecdotes about getting started to deep dives into the challenges of the legal profession, this episode offers a candid reflection on their podcasting journey.
Discover the recurring themes, memorable g
Episode 10: Breaking the Cycle: Psychological Safety in Law
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this episode, hosts Elizabeth de Stadler and Scott Simmons sit down with Dr Emma Clarke, an organisational psychologist based in Amsterdam whose PhD research uncovered the structural and cultural forces driving burnout and turnover in law firms.
Emma explains
Episode 9: WTF is Legal Design
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In this episode, Scott Simmons and Elizabeth de Stadler dive into the world of legal design — what it really means, why it matters, and how it transforms the client experience. Forget about “slapping some icons on a contract” or “making things pretty.” As Elizab
Episode 8: Breaking Up with the Billable Hour
The latest episode of Legal Off The Leash is out. And this time, we are giving the billable hour the ol' heave-ho!
In episode 8, we’re talking to Elani Maas—practice manager of Bromfield Family Law and co-director of Recalibrate, a value pricing consultancy helping law firms make the move away from the billable hour. Known as a value pricing whisperer and law firm transformer, Elani has dedic
Episode 7: The PEP Trap - A Dangerous Obsession
Former Baker McKenzie partner and ex–Barclays MD of Litigation, Investigations & Enforcement, Jonathan Peddie, joins Scott and Elizabeth to unpack his article, The PEP Trap—The Evolving Law Firm Time Bomb, critiquing the legal industry’s obsession with Profits Per Equity Partner (PEP), why it distorts behaviour, and how better investment in people, strategy, and non-legal functions builds heal
Episode 6: Burnout, Mental Health and the Future of Law
Elizabeth Rimmer on Mental Health, Burnout, and the Future of Law: Creating a Sustainable Profession
In episode 6, we’re talking to Elizabeth Rimmer, the CEO of LawCare, the mental health charity for the legal profession across the UK. She’s a passionate advocate for mental health and wellbeing within the legal profession and has been leading efforts to address burnout, stress, and mental health c
Episode 5: Finding the path that truly energises you
In this episode of Legal Off the Leash, we sit down with Chad Aboud, Chief Commercial Officer at Goodlawyer, TEDx speaker, and host of the What You’re About podcast. From his early days in Big Law to helping lawyers design meaningful, fulfilling careers, Chad shares powerful insights on authenticity, purpose, and redefining success in the legal profession. Whether you’re just starting out or recon
Episode 4: Success. What does it look like?
In episode 4, we're talking to Kirsty McShannon, founder of Azorra, a law firm specialising in the live events, festivals and venues industry, with the aim of making legal services accessible to the wider industry and providing niche legal support. Kirsty is also a trustee of The G-A-Y Foundation and a recently-appointed founding trustee of Live Trust, a new funding initiative launched following c
Episode 3: We Understand AI, Finally
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In episode 3, we’re talking to Uwais Iqbal the founder & CEO of simplexico - The Legal AI Consultancy. He has published academic research papers and industry journal articles on Legal AI, delivered AI Education to international law firms as well as to the ge
Episode 2: Purpose, take the wheel
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In episode 2, we’re talking to Paul Dunn, the co-founder of B1G1 (Buy1GIVE1), where he has created a model that allows businesses to embed giving into their everyday operations, creating lasting impact worldwide.
Paul is the author of seminal business books
Episode 1: How We Got Outside The Box
And here we go!
Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!
In its very first episode, Scott & Elizabeth tell you who they are and why they’re doing this podcast.
They share their stories of burnout, how it shaped their careers, and why they feel so passionate about helping lawyers create successful A
Introduction To Legal Off The Leash
Hi, and welcome to Legal off the Leash, with your hosts, Elizabeth de Stadler and Scott Simmons.
Why are we doing this podcast?
We want to help create a legal profession filled with successful and happy lawyers.
Because we know lawyers are unhappy. And while most firms care about unhappy lawyers who leave, they should be just as worried about the ones who are staying. Presenteeism, or what s
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