In-House Outliers

On this episode, Chris Beahn (Director, Legal & Global Affairs Operations at Splunk) joined Alex Kelly to discuss the consulting and project management principles that have had the greatest impact on his legal operations career. Chris also shared his thoughts on how the legal industry has pushed technological innovation forward over the years, and the value that networking and being a part of a legal ops community can provide.

On this episode, Legal Leader Samara Abrams joined Alex Kelly for a discussion about how to navigate the legal ops function, and the importance of combining good data with trusted relationships to affect change. Samara also shared insights into how her work in Business Development informs her legal ops strategies, and shared her top tips for facilitating communication and eliminating silos.

Recorded live at 2024's CLOC Global Institute, this episode features Timothy Melchior (Trane Technologies) and Tom Rice (TravelPerk). Timothy dove into the key pillars he prioritizes when executing legal ops initiatives, including how he works to create a lean legal function. And Tom shared his insights on the rise of AI tools and how they're transforming legal work.

Recorded live at 2024's CLOC Global Institute, this episode features Stéphanie Hamon (Head of Legal Operations Consulting at Norton Rose Fulbright) and Kshitij Dua (Head of Legal Operations at HashiCorp). Stéphanie discussed the path that led her to legal operations and her key takeaways from CGI 2024, and Kshitij talked about the benefits of embracing new learning opportunities in legal ops and setting clear professional goals.

Recorded live at CLOC Global Institute, this episode features legal leaders Jason Winmill (Argopoint, Buying Legal Council) and Katrina Gowans (IFM Investors). Jason underscored the importance of engaging with the community as a legal ops professional, and talked about how to navigate obtaining resources for your legal team. Katrina discussed her approach to finding the right pace when implementing change for the in-house team, and touched on her observations about the impacts generative AI tools are already having on legal work.

Our 2024 "Live from CLOC Global Institute" podcast series kicks off with Heather Torres (Assistant General Counsel at Sonnedix) and Denise Doyle (Extreme Networks). Heather stopped by to reflect on her first year at CGI, and how data changes the way legal work gets done. Denise discussed the value of prioritizing legal spend management, the progress that is left to be made when it comes to leveraging legal data, and the potential of AI tools for legal work.

On this episode, legal leader Kaylyn Nichols joined Alex Kelly to discuss her approach to process optimization, as well as what she views as the central pillars of an effective legal operations strategy. Kaylyn also shared insights from her career journey, and discussed the transformative impacts AI will likely have on legal teams in the coming years.

On this episode, Chad Hallberg (Legal Operations Lead at Stripe) joined Alex Kelly to discuss the central pillars of the legal operations function, and Chad's approach to launching initiatives related to each pillar. Chad also underscored the importance of leveraging spend management as a launching pad for other legal ops projects, and discussed his career journey.

Lorna Khemraz (Lead AI Counsel at Legal OS) joined Alex Kelly on the podcast this week to discuss the ways that AI is poised to improve all facets of legal work. Lorna also shared her thoughts on the major differences between working in-house vs. private practice, and shared insights from her fascinating career journey.

On this episode, Martinique Aguero (Legal Operations Specialist at Zendesk) joined Alex Kelly to discuss her approach to improving legal department processes. Martinique also shared her top resources for developing her professional skillsets, and discussed the skills from her time working as a paralegal that she has carried over into her legal ops role.

On this episode, Savannah Ramsey (Senior Legal Operations Manager & Chief of Staff at Motive) joined Alex Kelly to discuss her "less but better" mindset and how it guides her legal ops strategies. Savannah also shared insights into how her mentors influenced her professional journey, and discussed how legal tech solutions have increased the functionality of her organization's legal team.

On this episode, Legal Operations Leader Sol Brody joined Alex Kelly for an in-depth discussion about the strategic initiatives that all legal ops professionals should implement when stepping into their roles. Sol also shared his advice for those new to the legal operations field, and talked about his own professional journey from the world of global trade to legal ops.

On this episode, Michael Dineen (VP of Data Science at Brightflag) joins Alex Kelly to discuss the recent rise in the functionality of A.I. tools, and how legal teams are contending with it. Michael also shares his thoughts on ChatGPT, how A.I. models work, and where generative A.I. might take the legal departments in the years ahead.

On this episode, Jessica Williams (Director of Legal Team Strategy and Operations at FanDuel) joined Alex Kelly to discuss her experience building out a legal ops function at FanDuel, and why she chose to prioritize e-billing. Jessica also discussed her fascinating career journey, and the knowledge-building initiatives she's leading for the Buying Legal Council.

On this episode, André Barrow (Head of Legal Operations at FARFETCH) joined Alex Kelly to discuss how he applies project management principles to his work in the field of legal operations to change how legal work gets delivered. André also shared his thoughts on the key priorities to focus on in a legal ops role, and discussed the importance of being part of a community while working in this industry.

On this special episode, Ian Nolan (Brightflag CEO and Co-Founder) joins Alex Kelly to reflect on Brightflag's incredible journey in celebration of the company's 10-year anniversary. Ian also discusses the rise of legal ops, the value that A.I. brings to legal departments' functionality, and what's on the horizon for Brightflag.

On this episode, Lindsey Marandola (Director of Legal Operations at Temple Health) joined Alex Kelly for an in-depth conversation about the challenges of building out a legal ops function from the ground up. Lindsey also shared insights into how she leverages data to make her in-house team more efficient, and discussed her fascinating journey to legal ops.

On this episode, Stano Gejdos (Global Category Manager at Syngenta) joined Alex Kelly for a discussion about the key learnings Stano has applied to legal operations from his experience working in procurement. Stano also shared tips for implementing alternative fee arrangements, and discussed the importance of evaluating the ROI of all the legal department's processes to improve cost savings and efficiency.

On this episode, Ashlee Best (Founder of Compass Legal Operations and Wellness) joins Alex Kelly to discuss how her IT background led her on a very unique journey to the field of legal operations. Ashlee also shares her thoughts on how legal tech can transform the legal ops function, and her goal of making health, wellness, and balance a focus for those working in the industry.

On this episode, Kristen Hart (Senior Paralegal, Corporate and Legal Operations at Vantage Risk Companies) joins Alex Kelly to discuss the challenges of establishing new processes within legal departments, and how strong communication between legal ops professionals and the General Counsel can help. Kristen also shares insights from her own legal ops career journey, and how others in the industry can find opportunities to continue to grow professionally.