Barely Legal, Morally Wrong? is a monthly dive into real world dilemmas that sit on the line between lawful and unacceptable. Hosts Alix Meekison and Mandy Laurie unpack the facts, explain the law in plain English, and ask how the public will react. Expect sharp thinking, straight talking and practical takeaways for leaders, founders and HR who have to make the call when the rulebook and real life collide.
What can businesses learn from elite sport about building successful teams? Following a recent visit to The Open at Royal Birkdale, Alix and Mandy explore what it takes to bring together people with different skills, personalities and ambitions and get them working towards the same goal. They discuss the importance of creating a shared purpose, defining individual roles and recognising that the strongest technical performer is not always the right person to become a manager. The conversation ...
25 Jun 2026
Bringing Your Whole Self to Work, with special guest Neil Hutchison
For Episode 10 of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, Alix Meekison and Mandy Laurie are joined by their first special guest, Neil Hutchison from Room for Growth. This episode explores one of the most common phrases in modern workplace culture: bring your whole self to work. It sounds positive. It sounds progressive. It sounds like the kind of thing every good employer should want to encourage. But what does it actually mean when it meets the reality of employment law, HR responsibility, workplace b...
28 May 2026
Holidays
In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, Alix and Mandy discuss Holidays and ask whether the traditional way we think about working time is still fit for purpose. From annual leave and burnout to flexible working, childcare, public holidays and the reality of being constantly available, this is a thoughtful conversation about how modern working life has outgrown the systems designed to regulate it. They explore whether current rules around time off really reflect the world we now live ...
30 Apr 2026
Single Parents
In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, Alix and Mandy explore the realities of single parenting and the assumptions that still surround it. Following on from their recent discussion on grief, they turn their attention to a topic that is often part of everyday life but rarely discussed openly. From the language used to describe single parents, to the judgement and stigma that can still exist, this episode takes a candid look at the experience both inside and outside the workplace. Ali...
26 Mar 2026
Grief at Work
In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, Alix and Mandy explore one of the most personal and difficult issues any workplace will face: grief. Prompted by the sad loss of Jen Hardy, founder of Cancer Card, they discuss how employers respond when someone is dealing with bereavement and whether workplace policies truly reflect the reality of loss. From time off after a death to delayed funerals, miscarriage, IVF, pet loss and anticipatory grief, this is a thoughtful and honest conversatio...
26 Feb 2026
International Women’s Day
In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong we use International Women’s Day as a springboard to ask a tougher question: are we making progress, or are we starting to slide backwards? We talk equal pay and the realities that still sit behind the headlines, the wider rollback of women’s rights in the US and what that signals culturally, and the quiet retreat from equality and diversity commitments in senior leadership. We also discuss whether quotas and positive action remain necessary tool...
29 Jan 2026
NDA v FOI
In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong we unpack the difference between NDAs and FOIs and why they often work in opposite directions. We look at how FOI requests promote transparency for public bodies, when a subject access request can be used in the private sector, and the role of the Information Commissioner when disclosure is disputed. We discuss whistleblowing protections, proposed limits on NDAs in cases of harassment and discrimination, and the practical reality of confidentiali...
27 Nov 2025
Clashing Rights
In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, Alix Meekison and Mandy Laurie unpack clashing rights at work and beyond. They look at how the courts balance protected characteristics, why no single right automatically wins, and how disability and belief are assessed in practice. Along the way they revisit headline cases, from a guest house room refusal and the Northern Ireland cake dispute to the Miss Higgs social media ruling. They explore flags, free expression and when symbolism can creat...
30 Oct 2025
Does HR Need a Glow Up?
In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong we ask a simple question: does HR need a glow up? We look at how HR moved from the heroes of the COVID years to a function pulled in every direction. We talk about line managers off-loading people issues, the rise of D and I and whether the spend delivers, AI-written grievances, DSARs and FOIs that drain time, and the pressure to meet every need for every person. We also ask when HR can say no, what a fair pushback looks like, and why a safe spac...
16 Oct 2025
Launch Night Special
In this special episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, recorded live at the launch night of Meekison MacKinnon & McGhee, Alix and Mandy take the stage at Burness Paull LLP’s Edinburgh office for a conversation that goes back to where it all began. They look at what inspired the creation of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, the journey that led to Alix starting her own company, and the themes that continue to shape both her work and the podcast. It is a lively, personal discussion filled with ...
25 Sept 2025
The Astronomer CEO Affair
In our first episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, Alix Meekison and Mandy Laurie unpack the Astronomer CEO scandal. Mandy, head of the employment team at Scottish law firm Burness Paull LLP, looks at the legal side in plain English what the rules actually say about consensual relationships at work, disclosure duties and conflicts of interest. Alix coming from her decades of experience in HR, digs into people and culture power dynamics, whistleblowing, how colleagues are affected and why le...
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