In-House Outliers

In this episode of the In-House Outliers podcast, Anna Richards speaks with Frances Dupree, Principal Customer Success Manager at Agiloft, about what e-billing implementation actually takes from someone who learned it the hard way. Frances spent over a decade moving through legal operations without knowing it had a name, working as a paralegal, procurement specialist, contract manager, and e-billi...

In this episode of the In-House Outliers podcast, Anna Richards speaks with Federico Vicente, Legal Operations Specialist at LUMA Energy in Puerto Rico, about building a legal department from nothing. Federico joined LUMA three years ago to find a department running on email with no intake, no spend tracking, and no formal processes. His first move was implementing a legal service request system i...

In this episode of the In-House Outliers podcast, host Anna Richards speaks with Dan Wate, Legal Operations Manager at Associated British Foods, about managing legal operations solo across a global team of 150 lawyers in 14 countries. Dan shares his journey from joining ABF before legal ops had a name, to building a function that spans a complex, multinational business. He covers two core strategi...

In this episode, Michael Francony, Senior Legal Project and Operations Manager at Novartis, shares what it really takes to transition from buyer to true partner when working with legal technology vendors. Drawing on experience from both sides of the table he offers a grounded perspective on what makes implementations succeed or fail. The conversation covers how to define the "why" before...

In this episode, Michelle Garza, Legal Operations Manager at Generate, discusses how she built a deep and productive partnership between her legal ops and finance teams. She shares her journey from executive assistant to legal ops, and how she transformed a chaotic, email-driven accrual process into a streamlined, centralized system using Brightflag. The conversation covers practical strategies fo...

On this episode Elly Meenan (Legal Engineering Evangelist at Wordsmith. AI) discusses the rise of the Legal Engineer role and what it means for the future of legal work. The conversation focuses on how legal engineers use technology to automate legal work and build scalable systems, bridging the gap between legal expertise and technical execution. Elly also shares insights on breaking into the fie...

On this episode Daniel Zinn (General Counsel, Chief of Staff, and Corporate Secretary at OTC Markets Group) discusses the expanding role of the modern general counsel. Dan shares how his role has evolved organically from pure legal counsel to encompass strategic business partnership, operational leadership, and business development. The conversation explores how Dan's multi-faceted role allows...

On this episode, legal operations leader and industry icon Mary O'Carroll joined Brightflag's Anna Richards to discuss the evolution of legal ops roles, the differences between in-house and law firm AI adoption, and the importance of community. Mary also shared practical advice for CLOs looking to build a legal operations function.

On this episode, Dimitri Lucas (Legal Operations & Digital Transformation Manager at Sanofi) discusses his approach to developing an effective legal ops function in high-pressure corporate legal environments. Dimitri also shared tips for navigating change management, thoughts on the benefits of building upon small wins, and insights into the customer success principles he's found to be eff...

On this episode, Lindsay Schuyler (Outside Counsel Strategy & Spend Manager at John Deere) joined the show for an in-depth discussion about how to effectively select, manage, and evaluate outside counsel at scale. Lindsay also shared her insights into how to demonstrate the value of the legal department to the broader business, and how legal ops can position themselves at the forefront of tech...

In his final interview as host of the In-House Outliers podcast, Alex Kelly sat down for a candid conversation with Brightflag's Head of Community Anna Richards, who will be leading the show going forward. During their discussion, they touched on the value of community for legal ops professionals, how legal teams are balancing "efficiency vs. effectiveness" when evaluating AI tools,...

On this episode, Adam Becker (Director of Legal Operations at Cockroach Labs) joined the show to discuss the current legal technology landscape, how generative AI will impact outside counsel partnerships, and the unique challenges of building out a legal ops function.

On this special episode of In-House Outliers, Brightflag's Kevin Cohn returns to share his annual legal operations and legal technology predictions for 2026.

On this episode, Alexander de Nerée (External Firm Relationship Counsel at Ericsson) joined Alex Kelly to discuss: -Alexander's philosophy when it comes to managing outside counsel relationships -Ways to set expectations with law firms regarding AI use, and develop more open dialogues -Alexander's fascinating career journey and his best advice for aspiring in-house legal professionals

On this episode, Ryan Black (Chief of Staff, Legal at DoorDash) joined the podcast recently to share his expert insights into: -Common pitfalls legal ops can encounter during legal technology evaluations—and how to avoid them -The skills he cultivated on his journey from Paralegal to Legal Operations Manager to Legal Chief of Staff -His experience building out a legal operations function, and how...

On this episode, Stephanie Palmieri (Head of Legal Operations at CyberArk) joined Alex Kelly to discuss: -The keys to effective change management—including how to measure the success and necessity of legal technology implementations -How the size and maturity of an organization's legal function dictate what its priorities will be from an operations standpoint -The takeaways from her own incred...

On this episode, Terrene Collins (Director of Legal Operations & Chief of Staff to the CLO at Panasonic North America) joined the podcast to discuss: The importance of building relationships and engaging with stakeholders throughout the organization to build an effective legal ops function How she evaluates legal technology to ensure the tools she secures for the legal department are a good fi...

On this episode, Nicole Weidenhamer reflects on her eight-year journey at Rocket Companies, where she has risen from intern to VP of Legal Operations. During her conversation with Brightflag's Kevin Cohn, they discuss: How to build and scale a legal operations function The value of networking with other legal ops professionals and finding a community The evolving legal ops landscape, and the k...

On this episode, Jennifer Smith (Legal Operations Manager at Etsy) joined the show to discuss the key skillsets legal ops professionals need to be successful, and Jennifer's own fascinating journey into the world of legal operations. Jennifer also discussed some projects she's most proud of having spearheaded, and the impacts she sees AI having on the legal field.

Join Kevin Cohn and Stacie Neeter as they delve into the evolving landscape of enterprise legal management, and the challenges faced by modern legal departments. During their conversation, they discuss: The shift from siloed initiatives to a holistic approach to legal technology integrations, and the role AI is playing in that progression How legal departments can establish themselves as valuable...

On this episode, Daniel Young (Chief of Staff, Senior Director of Legal Operations at SharkNinja) joined Alex Kelly to discuss how data serves as the foundation for impactful legal operations initiatives. Daniel also discussed his fascinating career journey from being a veterinary technician to working in legal ops, and shared insights into his approach to legal technology evaluations.

Mathew Steer (Associate Director of Legal Management Consulting at Deloitte Legal) joins Brightflag’s Kevin Cohn for a special podcast episode about AI’s role in corporate legal departments, including discussions around: Moving from AI proof-of-concepts to rolling out true AI programs Measuring the ROI of AI Leveraging learnings and applying them to deliver value Developing a true vision for AI wi...

On this episode, Sarah Starr (Director of Legal Operations at Generate) joined Alex Kelly to discuss her approach to change management and legal technology evaluations. Sarah also shared insights into her career journey, and offered advice to those who are just starting out in legal operations.

On this episode, Suha Gehrer (Group Head of Legal Operations at Zuhrich Insurance) joined Alex Kelly to discuss the most common challenges and inefficiencies Suha has observed when it comes to implementing legal technology. Suha also shared insights into the career path that led her to legal operations, and how her previous experiences working in procurement informed her perspective on the functio...

On this episode, Darek Kochman (Director of Global Legal Operations at Kimberly-Clark) joined the show to discuss how he approaches legal ops initiatives, and the importance of leaning on high-quality data when making decisions. Darek also discussed his fascinating career journey, which led him from the US Army to financial accounting to legal operations.