Studying Law Around the World

This week on Studying Law Around the World, I had the pleasure of hosting Daniele Bartoli, Managing Associate at Gatti Pavesi Bianchi Ludovici, one of Italy's premier law and tax firms.Daniele’s career is a brilliant case study in building international commercial awareness. He joined his firm just ten days after graduating from the University of Bologna and has since built a formidable practice advising private equity players and industrial groups on complex M&A transactions. Beyond his corporate practice, he is a leading voice in legal innovation, advising startups in his hometown of Venice, and representing Italy as a National Representative for the International Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Committee.In this episode, we explore the distinct differences between advising private equity versus industrial clients, the critical lesson he learned during a secondment in Kazakhstan, and why the best legal advice is often the simplest.

This week on ⁠Studying Law Around the World Podcast⁠, I had the opportunity to speak with ⁠Greg McNab⁠, a Partner in Dentons' Corporate group and the Canada Co-chair for the firm's Mining group.Greg’s career path is a masterclass in leveraging past experience. He began his professional life as a mechanical engineer and later worked as an engineering specialist for the provincial police. He eventually went to law school, bringing a deep, practical understanding of heavy industry into his legal practice. He navigated the massive Stelco restructuring at McCarthy Tétrault, transitioned to an in-house role, and ultimately built a massive cross-border practice spanning Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Americas.In this episode, we discuss the realities of executing international M&A, how the definition of a corporate stakeholder has completely transformed, and the most valuable communication skill a junior lawyer can master.

This week on Studying Law Around the World, I had the privilege of hosting a fascinating discussion with John-Paul Rodrigues and Justin D. Rochester.Ontario holds a truly unique position in the global legal landscape. It is one of the only jurisdictions in the world that independently licenses and regulates paralegals to provide direct legal services to the public.John-Paul is a lawyer, an award winning legal instructor, and the Paralegal Program Coordinator at triOS College. Justin is a highly respected licensed paralegal practicing criminal law with over 7,000 court appearances. Together, they are the co-founders of The Paralegal TownHall. In this episode, we dismantle the myths surrounding the profession and explore why the future of access to justice relies on lawyers and paralegals working side by side.

This week on Studying Law Around the World, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Faren Bogach, a commercial litigator, construction law expert, and the founder of Construct Legal.Faren’s career path is a fascinating study in taking control of how you practice. She began at a boutique firm before moving to Big Law, where she built a powerhouse construction practice and became an equity partner. However, she eventually realized that the traditional law firm infrastructure did not align with how she wanted to work.Faren left to launch Construct Legal, a firm built entirely around client outcomes and a radically different approach to team culture—including implementing maximum billable hours and a firm-wide profit-sharing model. We discuss the realities of construction law, why clients avoid conflict, and how to actually mentor young lawyers.

This week on Studying Law Around the World, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nick Cohen. He is a practicing attorney and the Chief Operating Officer at Matador Solutions, an agency that manages digital growth for over 150 law firms nationwide.Nick grew up in a family of trial lawyers and started running his parents' firm marketing when he was just 12 years old. He eventually built Matador Solutions while attending law school at night, managing 14 hour workdays to graduate, pass the bar, and launch his own injury and employment practice.In this episode, we discuss the brutal discipline required to work full time while attending law school, the ethical landmines of legal marketing, and the rapidly shifting landscape of AI search.

This week on Studying Law Around the World, I had the absolute honor of sitting down with Hana Dhanji, the Founder and CEO of Cognitrex Inc.Hana has built a truly extraordinary career. She began practicing law in some of the most demanding, elite environments in the world, working at firms like Sullivan & Cromwell and Hogan Lovells across New York, London, and Dubai. She later transitioned into executive coaching, advising high performing professionals and founders, before launching her own enterprise learning platform. Armed with a JD/MBA from the University of Toronto, her work brilliantly sits at the intersection of leadership, human development, and organizational systems.In this episode, Hana shares her profound insights into how performance is engineered. We discuss why intelligence is rarely the differentiator in elite environments, how to audit your own career progression, and why true learning must be built as an infrastructure rather than a simple checklist.www.cognitrex.comwww.hanadhanji.comhttps://substack.com/@hanadhanjihttps://medium.com/@hana_cognitrexCEO

This week on Studying Law Around the World, I had the privilege of hosting Albert Lin, a Partner at Northview Law and an absolute master of corporate deal making.Albert’s career is a fascinating journey across multiple disciplines. He started his professional life as a scientist researching the human immune system and cancer at Princess Margaret Hospital. He later pivoted to private equity and then to law, spending years at McCarthy Tétrault before joining the private equity investment team at Brookfield. To date, he has advised on and closed over $30 billion in corporate merger and acquisition transactions, earning recognition for the M&A Deal of the Year.

This week on Studying Law Around the World, I sat down with Rachel A. Sachs, a Filipino-German Canadian lawyer and the founder of Sachs Law Professional Corporation.Rachel has intentionally built her practice around serving older adults, a decision deeply rooted in her family history and her profound respect for the elders who shaped her life. Before opening her own firm, she navigated corporate compliance, studied in the UK, and became a prominent advocate for Internationally Trained Lawyers (ITLs) in Canada.We discuss the unspoken biases against aging clients, why the legal market is failing foreign-trained talent, and how to actually get value out of legal mentorship.

This week on Studying Law Around the World, I sat down with Bianca Thomas, Senior Counsel in Technology and Operations at BMO.Bianca is a “Rising Star” in the profession. Her career spans boutique litigation, financial services partnerships at Shopify, capital markets work in the precious and base metals sector, and leading a team of legal operations professionals.We discuss transitioning between practice areas, the role of legal operations, and how courtroom communication skills can transfer to a corporate boardroom.The guest speaks in a personal capacity. Her views do not reflect her employer or any affiliated organization. This discussion is for information only. It is not legal advice and is not an official statement.

In this episode of Studying Law Around the World, I sit down with Rumyana Davidson, a Strategic Advisor and former Chief Legal Officer specializing in the global mining, metallurgy, and energy sectors. With over 15 years of experience executing billion-dollar joint ventures across the GCC, Africa, and Central Asia, Rumyana shares the unspoken rules of international market entry and cross-border deal execution.We explore why relying purely on Western transactional logic can kill a deal in relationship-driven markets, the strategic advantage of taking off the "lawyer hat" during high-stakes negotiations, and why the global mining sector is currently facing a massive talent gap that young professionals must step up to fill.With the massive PDAC 2026 conference approaching, Rumyana also provides actionable advice on how early-career lawyers can build a genuine, global network instead of just standing in the corner at industry events.