What happens when a leading authority on value-based pricing gets frustrated in a pub? He builds a global platform for the legal industry in under six weeks. In this episode of the Law and Beyond Show, host Chantal McNaught sits down with Shaun Jardine, the "feathered" founder of Legal Gigs and author of Ditch the Billable Hour.

Shaun shares the journey of mapping over 380 Business of Law events globally and explains why the traditional legal conference model is ripe for disruption. The conversation focuses on the strategic ROI of exhibiting, the rise of niche events (from legal wellness to desert horse riding), and why pluralistic platforms are the future of legal networking.

Stick around for a deep dive into the "anatomy of a stand-up comedy" and a jazz recommendation that will change your background music game forever.

Check out LegalGigz: https://legalgigz.com/ Shaun will also be a Keynote at the Legal Innovation and Tech Fest in Sydney on 28 and 29 April 2026 - Legal Innovation & Tech Fest Agenda

🎙️ 𝟮𝟴–𝟮𝟵 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 — 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

The LEGAL INNOVATION & TECH FEST 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 is just around the corner, bringing together legal professionals, tech leaders, and innovators across the industry.

We caught up with Anna Turner ahead of the event to talk about what’s top of mind this year — 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱.

💡 Key points:

↳ AI is shifting from hype to real impact

↳ The way legal work is priced and delivered is changing

↳ Future lawyers need tech fluency + adaptability

↳ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺

People in Legal will be there as media partner — looking forward to seeing many of you on the ground!

#PeopleInLegal #LegalTech #AIinLaw #LegalInnovation #FutureOfLaw #LegalEvents #LegalCommunity #Lawyers #TechInLaw

🎙️ 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗜. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲.

At the Family Law Education Network Conference, David Woolstencroft sat down with David Lisitsa from NewLaw.com to talk about what’s actually happening inside law firms right now — beyond the AI headlines.

💡 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀:

↳ Many firms are still running on 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 that don’t integrate with modern workflows

↳ AI isn’t about replacing lawyers — it’s about 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀

↳ The biggest efficiency gains often sit with junior lawyers and support staff

↳ Poor 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿 — they get repeated for years

↳ Better systems don’t just improve output — they help 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁

#PeopleInLegal #FLENA #LegalTech #AIinLaw #LawFirmEfficiency #LegalOperations #FutureOfLaw #LegalInnovation #Lawyers

🎙️ Still spending hours manually preparing court bundles?

There’s a better way.

At People in Legal, we sat down with Dan Page from Bundledocs at LawFest 26 to unpack how document bundling is quietly transforming legal workflows.

Because in law… time isn’t just money.
It’s margin, capacity, and client experience.

💡 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀:

↳ Document bundling doesn’t need to be manual — automation can save hours per matter
↳ Efficiency gains aren’t just operational, they directly impact profitability
↳ Integration with existing legal tech stacks is key to seamless workflows
↳ Innovation is continuous — not a one-off feature drop
↳ The future? AI will likely play a role… but the fundamentals still matter

#PeopleInLegal #LegalTech #DocumentAutomation #LegalInnovation #LawFirmEfficiency #APACLegal #LegalOperations #WorkflowAutomation #FutureOfLaw

“The incentive structure rewards conflict, not resolution.”In this episode of the Law and Beyond Show on People in Legal, Chantal McNaught engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Ryan McLaughlin, founder of Flannel People Mediation.

Ryan shares his journey from traditional law practice to establishing a human-centered mediation approach, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and empathy in navigating divorce disputes. He discusses how his practice aims to alleviate the adversarial nature of traditional litigation, focusing instead on helping clients achieve amicable resolutions while maintaining their dignity and financial stability.

The conversation also touches on the challenges lawyers face in understanding client needs and the evolving landscape of legal practice, particularly in the context of mediation.

Takeaways

'I want to deliver a result, which in this case is solving a conflict.'

'Divorce is not a happy, lovely, wonderful time.'

'We all want to feel that way and we want to spend our money where we're treated that way.'

'There's no failed mediation if you guys walk out of here and you're in total disagreement.'

'How do we be more than just naively hopeful or kind of passively hopeful?'

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Flannel People Mediation

02:47 Defining Human-Centered Mediation

06:32 Understanding Client Needs in Mediation

10:52 Lawyers' Expectations and Mediation Challenges

15:44 Innovative Approaches in Mediation

19:20 Lawyers as Mercenaries: A Critical Perspective

23:30 The Intersection of Law and Technology

27:52 Gratitude and Living with Purpose

Check out Ryan's work at Flannel People Mediation

🎙️ 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲. 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗜. 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲.

At LawFest 2026, we spoke with David Whiting the Principal of Whiting Lawyers — who’s spent 30+ years answering real legal questions from real people.Different era. Same core problem:People don’t just want answers… they want 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁.

💡 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀:

↳ The best lawyers are still found through personal referrals, not search results

↳ AI is powerful, but it often misreads nuance in legal questions

↳ The profession is becoming more complex and litigious over time

↳ Strong lawyers balance being generalists and specialists

↳ The future belongs to those who can adapt to change, not fight it

#PeopleInLegal #LawFest2026 #LegalProfession #LegalTech #AIinLaw #FutureOfLaw #Lawyers #LegalCareers #Networking

“𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲… 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁?”🎙️ On the ground at LawFest — a conversation between Andrew King and David Woolstencroft.What stood out?Not the noise.Not the hype.But the 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴.🎥 In this chat, they unpack: ↳ 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗭𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗣𝗔𝗖 ↳ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁 ↳ 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁-𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘁 ↳ 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆, 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸… 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿The shift is subtle, but powerful:From: tech vendors vs law firms 👉 To: partners building togetherThat’s where the real opportunity is.#LegalTech hashtag #LawFest hashtag #AIinLaw #APAC #LegalInnovation #ProductMarketFit #B2BSales #PeopleInLegal #FutureOfLaw

“𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁… 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱.”🎙️ In this People in Legal episode, David Woolstencroft sit down with James d'Apice, a commercial litigator specialising in shareholder and director disputes — unpacking what really causes business relationships to break down.And more importantly… how to prevent it.💡 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀: ↳ The best disputes are the ones you never have — 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 ↳ Most issues start as “𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀” long before they become legal problems ↳ Relationship dynamics matter just as much as contracts ↳ Strong negotiation strategies can 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 ↳ Prevention isn’t just legal — 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 + 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻In a world where businesses move fast…it’s often the small misalignments that create the biggest disputes.This conversation is a reminder: 👉 Legal strategy isn’t just about protection 👉 It’s about preserving relationships before they break🙌 Family Law Education Network Conference 2026!#LegalTech #BusinessLaw #DisputeResolution #CorporateLaw #Leadership #PeopleInLegal #LegalInsights #ConflictResolution #BusinessStrategy