Contract Heroes

AI is no longer a future concept; it's transforming legal operations today! In this episode of Contract Heroes, Shelle Elzer, Legal Operations Manager at NetApp, shares how her team successfully implemented Agiloft's AI platform, Astra, to streamline contract management and drive significant efficiency gains. From navigating a rigorous RFP process to reducing manual redlining and saving hours of w...

In this episode of Contract Heroes, hosts Marc and Pepe welcome back Laurie Ehrlich, a legal leader who has navigated the full spectrum of the industry, from steering the "battleship" at global enterprises to leading a lean startup through a major acquisition. Laurie shares her whirlwind journey as the former Chief Legal Officer at Dioptra and her current role at Icertis following their acquisitio...

In this episode, Kraig Conrad, Chief Executive Officer of NCMA (National Contract Management Association), explains the role of the NCMA as a neutral forum supporting contract management across the U.S. federal space and globally. He highlights its certifications, standards, and focus on professional development. The conversation also explores how the contract management profession has shifted fro...

Everyone's talking about AI for contracts. Not everyone can actually make it work. Brian Powers, Co-Founder and CEO of Markups.ai, has a refreshingly honest take: AI is overhyped, adoption is elusive, and most teams trying to "add AI" to their contract workflows are going to struggle to show ROI. But when it's set up right — trained carefully on a client's specific workflow, integrated into the to...

Legal operations is growing fast, but there's no standardized pathway for professionals entering the field. That's the gap Colin S. McCarthy and Anne Graue are working to close with Our Legal Community (OLC). On this episode, Colin and Anne share why they created OLC—a global community focused on certification, knowledge sharing, and career growth for legal ops professionals. They pair newcomers w...

In this conversation, Jessica Vander Ploeg, Vice President of Legal Operations at Belron, shares her unconventional journey from interior design and market research to leading global legal teams. Now Vice President of Legal Operations at Belron, she explains how she oversees strategy, technology, and process enablement across multiple countries.  The discussion dives into practical approaches to l...

In this talk, Patty Corey shares her path into legal operations and what she's learned along the way. She explains how focusing on good processes, precise data, and teamwork between legal and procurement teams can make contract management smoother. Patty talks about how to clean up data, choose the right metadata fields, and build helpful playbooks that help teams work faster and more accurately....

Meet Kyle Myers, Chief Product Officer at IntelAgree, one of today's leading AI-powered CLM platforms! Starting the conversation, Kyle shares his path from working at KPMG on automation and process improvement to joining IntelAgree soon after its founding in 2018. He explains how the company was built with a clear goal to make contract management faster, smarter, and easier through native AI. Kyle...

In this episode, Samir Bhatia, CEO of Brightleaf Solutions, talks about his journey and how his company uses AI to improve contract management. Brightleaf first worked with law firms, but under Samir's leadership, the focus shifted to helping corporates manage large volumes of contracts. Their first big client was British Telecom, and since then, Brightleaf has built powerful AI software to extrac...

In this episode, Sarah Brouwer, Senior Corporate Counsel at Trudell Medical International, joins Marc Doucette, CEO and Co-founder of Koho Consulting, to discuss the real-world challenges and strategies behind a successful contract lifecycle management transformation. Together, they share insights from Trudell’s multi-phase CLM rollout, including lessons in change management, phased implementation...

On this episode of the Contract Heroes podcast, we’re joined by Matt Patel, COO and Co-Founder of Malbek, to talk all things CLM replacement. Matt breaks down the common pitfalls of legacy systems—from high maintenance costs and outdated architecture to poor user adoption—and explains why many organizations are rethinking their approach. We dive into the challenges of navigating a crowded CLM mark...

In today's episode, Aaron Fischer explores the evolving landscape of contract lifecycle management (CLM), highlighting the impact of AI, risk mitigation, and efficiency in legal operations. He addresses the challenges of implementing CLM, emphasizing stakeholder engagement and executive support. Drawing from his experiences in the music and tech industries, Aaron illustrates the practical benefits...

FEATURED TIMESTAMPS [00.35] Nandita’s background and career journey.  [02.46] The importance of understanding the context behind every contract.  [06.29] The importance of putting the best interests of the company first.  [07.10] Communication and understanding between legal and sales teams.  [08.57] The benefits of Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM).  [11.06] The role of flexibility in contract...

In this episode, we’re joined by Otto Hanson, founder of TermScout and Screens, and now leading the Screens business at Agiloft. Otto shares his vision for the future of contracts and why he believes we’re just getting started when it comes to transforming how they’re created, reviewed, and managed. We dive into Agiloft’s recent acquisition of Screens and what it means for AI-powered contract revi...

In this episode of Contract Heroes, we’re joined by John Roland, a legal operations leader with over 20 years of experience across industries like energy and technology. John shares his perspective on what it takes to implement a contract lifecycle management (CLM) system that truly delivers value—from defining business needs early on to aligning teams around shared goals. John also walks us throu...

In this week's episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Matt Lhoumeau, CEO and co-founder of Concord, a leading contract management software. Matt’s mission is to empower teams to manage contracts efficiently without requiring legal involvement at every step. Our conversation explores the growing role of AI in contract management, its impact on legal teams, and how CFOs are leveraging contrac...

In this conversation, procurement expert Samah Mahdi, with 15 years of experience in procurement, logistics, and supply chain management, joins to discuss the transformative impact of AI and robotics. She explores how AI enhances efficiency, optimizes supplier management, and automates procurement tasks while robotics revolutionizes warehousing and transportation. Samah highlights key challenges,...

FEATURES TIMESTAMPS [02.12] The process of selecting a contract lifecycle management (CLM) system. [05.15] The importance of addressing pain points.  [07.00] The requirements for the successful implementation of a system. [09.16] The deciding factor. [11.15] The importance of having thorough, real-life testing when implementing a new system. [13.28] The importance of cross-functional collaboration...

Today's episode features Hal Bretan, Contract Standards Executive in Residence at World Commerce & Contracting. In this conversation, Hal explores the importance of achieving "speed to contract" to enhance business efficiency, profitability, and collaboration. He highlights the challenges of traditional contracting practices and emphasizes the need for fair, balanced templates to streamline negoti...

What You'll Learn in This Episode: What is Claims Management? Jerry defines claims management and explains how a deep, holistic understanding of contract documents can help prevent disputes and strengthen third-party relationships. The Role of Communication: Discover why clear, ongoing communication throughout the contract lifecycle is essential for successful project execution. Three Pillars of C...

This week’s episode of the Contract Heroes podcast, recorded at the World Commerce and Contracting America Summit in Atlanta, features Jerry Silber, Hal Bretan, and Lita Bollimpalli discussing the benefits of relational contracting over traditional methods. Jerry highlights why traditional contracting often fails and emphasizes the importance of building strong relationships through principles lik...

This week’s episode of the “Contract Heros” podcast features Brendan Raybuck, Chief Revenue Officer at ClearLaw.  He is an expert in enterprise software, assisting organizations in developing strong sales and partner networks that drive business growth by providing top solutions. He specializes in digital channel sales ecosystems and partner engagement. He has experience creating go-to-market stra...

Key Points: Introduction to Richard Robinson: Background in legal tech and litigation support. Career journey from law firms to corporate in-house roles, including JC Penney and Toyota. Transition to Toyota: Inherited a mature legal operations team at Toyota. Initial challenges and the impact of COVID-19 on operations. Core Competencies of CLOC: Discussion on the 12 core principles of CLOC. Emphas...

Key Points: Introduction to Tiffany Hamilton: Director of Legal Innovation, Analytics, and Technology at DHL Supply Chain. Eight and a half years at DHL, starting as the sole legal ops resource. Building the Legal Ops Team: Initial challenges and strategic growth of the legal ops team. Aligning team resources with the CLOCK Core 12 pillars. Legacy CLM System Migration: Issues with the in-house leg...