Podcast artwork thumbnail for Tools of the Trade

Tools of the Trade

Jon Van Gorp, Sally Davies

Booking Overview

This is an interview podcast about the practical challenges, career development, leadership, and wellbeing issues facing lawyers and law firm professionals, typically featuring senior legal executives, regulators, law firm alumni, and experienced legal practitioners. Credible pitches include general counsel, senior in-house lawyers, legal-sector leaders, former regulators, and experts on legal careers or professional wellbeing; booking difficulty is high because recent guests hold prominent leadership positions at major institutions.

Metrics

Episodes: 30

Frequency: Irregular

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Estimated listeners: < 100

Gender skew: Neutral

Listener location: United Kingdom

YouTube: 4.5k subscribers

Instagram: 3.8k followers

Contact Information

Publicly listed emails

webedits@mayerbrown.com

Looking for the right person? Join Podseeker to find direct host and producer contacts and manage your podcast outreach.

Host

Jon Van Gorp - Mayer Brown podcast host who interviews legal and business leaders about career development, leadership, and the changing legal profession.

Sally Davies - Mayer Brown podcast host who leads conversations on long-term legal careers, professional development, and wellbeing in the legal industry.

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

high
Typical Credentials:  
Senior general counsel, heads of legal, prominent in-house lawyers, former regulators, law firm partners, and experienced legal-industry leaders with substantial public- or private-sector experience.
Required Achievements:  
Leadership of legal functions at major companies or financial institutions, Senior roles at prominent law firms, Experience in government agencies or senior public-sector legal positions, Longstanding contributions to legal-sector mentoring and professional development

Recent Guest Discussions

Alanna Chang - AI And Digital Assets In Banking, Self-advocacy, Career Breaks, Leadership, Negotiation, And Long-term Career Growth.

Ryan VanGrack - Career Development, Adapting And Leading In The Cryptocurrency Industry, And Experience Across Public- And Private-sector Legal Roles.

Andy Stewart - Secondments, Mental Health In The Legal Industry, Mentoring, Retirement, And Advice For Young Professionals.

Recent Topics

Legal Careers, Law Firms, Leadership, Professional Development, Mental Health

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on
Tools of the Trade
:

Staying Relevant in the Age of AI

September 28, 2026

As artificial intelligence reshapes the practice of law, which skills will remain most valuable? Former UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh, now a fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, joins Jon Van Gorp to explore that question.  Show Notes: 1:38 – Eugene reflects on a career spanning computer programming, legal education, appellate advocacy, technology, and scholarship on law and AI 3:17 – He explains why the pace of technological change makes AI's long-term effects on the profession diffic...

Why Great Collaborators Win

August 20, 2026

Dr. Heidi Gardner, a best-selling author and business advisor, joins Jon Van Gorp to discuss why intentional collaboration provides a competitive advantage in today's legal industry. Heidi reflects on her career path—from international study and management consulting to researching collaboration in professional services firms (01:12)—and explains why increasingly complex client challenges require lawyers to work across disciplines and perspectives (03:28). She also shares research demonstrati...

Building a Legal Banking Career with Intention

July 21, 2026

In this episode, watch (and listen) as Jon Van Gorp talks with Mayer Brown alum Alanna Chang, who serves as US head of legal for corporate and institutional banking at HSBC. Alanna shares insights on emerging trends such as AI and digital assets, the importance of self-advocacy in large organizations, lessons learned from a career break, and practical strategies for effective leadership, negotiation, and long-term career growth. SHOW NOTES: 2:13 – Alanna discusses how AI and digital assets ar...

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Tools of the Trade
:

Counsel Brew · Medium booking difficulty · 100 - 1,000 listeners

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Frequently asked questions

Here's some frequently asked questions for
Tools of the Trade
:

How do I get in touch with Tools of the Trade?

Tools of the Trade is hosted by Jon Van Gorp and Sally Davies. Its publicly listed email is webedits@mayerbrown.com. For guest bookings, the host or producer is usually the best person to reach. Podseeker helps you find direct host and producer contacts and pitch from your own inbox.

What is the email for Tools of the Trade?

The publicly listed email for Tools of the Trade: webedits@mayerbrown.com.

How many listeners does Tools of the Trade have?

Podseeker estimates Tools of the Trade reaches fewer than 100 listeners per episode. Only the publisher has exact numbers.

Who is an ideal guest for Tools of the Trade?

Tools of the Trade typically books industry leaders. Typical guest background: Senior general counsel, heads of legal, prominent in-house lawyers, former regulators, law firm partners, and experienced legal-industry leaders with substantial public- or private-sector experience. Common among recent guests: Leadership of legal functions at major companies or financial institutions; Senior roles at prominent law firms; Experience in government agencies or senior public-sector legal positions. Recent guests include Alanna Chang, Ryan VanGrack, and Andy Stewart.

How hard is it to get booked on Tools of the Trade?

High. It mostly books established leaders in its field.

What topics does Tools of the Trade cover?

Recent episodes cover Legal Careers, Law Firms, Leadership, Professional Development, and Mental Health. Pitch an idea tied to one of these topics and mention a recent episode.

Publicly listed emails

webedits@mayerbrown.com

Looking for the right person? Join Podseeker to find direct host and producer contacts and manage your podcast outreach.

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