In-House Outliers

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 leg...

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 indus...

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 an...

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...

On this episode, Brightflag's Chief Customer Officer Kevin Cohn returns to share his annual legal ops and legal tech predictions for 2024. Kevin also recaps his 2023 predictions, and offers insights into the role of A.I. within legal departments in the year ahead, what the future holds for legal operations hiring and compensation, and more.

On this episode, Alisa De Dominicis (VP Global, Legal, and E&C Operations at Rimini Street) joined Alex Kelly to discuss the various skill sets—from project management to technology integration—that go into being an effective legal operations leader. Alisa also shared insights into her career journey, and underscored some of the data that CEOs seek out from legal teams, as well as how that dat...

On this episode, Legal Operations Leader Laurie David-Henric joined Alex Kelly for a discussion about the importance of creating your own career opportunities by seeking out professional challenges, and how that mindset helped her build out the legal operations functions in the various roles she has held. Laurie also shared insights into how she has helped legal teams maximize limited resources th...

On this episode, Kimberly Williams (Head of Legal Operations at SMBC Group) joined Alex Kelly for a conversation about her professional journey, and how it led her from working as an Associate to leading the legal operations function at her organization. Kimberly also discussed the keys to making legal technology implementations work, and how gathering the right data makes effective resourcing pos...

On this episode, Victoria Swedjemark (Founder of Glowmind) joined Alex Kelly to discuss her professional experiences working in both business and legal roles—and how each function ultimately inspired her interest in exploring the legal operations and consulting field. Victoria also shared her thoughts on how the legal ops mindset can evolve, and stressed the importance of legal leaders pushing the...

On this episode, Curt McDaniel (Chief Legal Officer at Ferring Pharmaceuticals) joined Alex Kelly for an in-depth discussion about how he went about implementing his organization's first legal operations role, and the importance of embracing new technological advancements in the field of legal work. Curt also discussed the impacts of using data to spot inefficiencies, his career journey, and h...

On this episode, Mark Allen (Director of Legal & Compliance Operations and Strategy at Zillow) joined Alex Kelly to discuss how legal ops professionals can tactfully implement change within a legal department—even when it might initially seem uncomfortable. Mark also shared insights into some strategies he's used to negotiate with outside counsel, discussed his remarkable career journey, a...

On this week's episode, Lyndsey Cain (Director of Legal Operations at The New York Times) joined Alex Kelly to discuss the holistic approach she takes when undertaking change management initiatives, and the importance of building trust and fostering open communication with the in-house legal team when working in a legal operations role. Lyndsey also shared insights from her own professional jo...

On this week's episode, Eric O'Donnell (Head of Legal Operations at TotalEnergies) joined Alex Kelly to discuss how data provides the foundation upon which legal spend management initiatives are built, and the role of change management in tackling legal operations projects. Eric also shared insights into his globe-spanning career journey, and how always striving to expand his knowledge and...

On this week's episode, Connie Brenton (Founder of LegalOps.com, CLOC Founder and Founding CEO) joined Alex Kelly to discuss her remarkable career journey, the industry-wide impacts she's had on the field of legal operations, and the advice she would offer to those who are just starting out. Connie also underscored the importance of using data to inform strategy, her approach to change man...

On this week's episode, Ashlyn Donohue (Director of Legal at LinkSquares) joined Alex Kelly to discuss how she leverages data to help develop processes and guidelines that make her legal team more efficient. Ashlyn also shared her thoughts on how to optimize the use of legal technology, and underscored the importance of establishing processes and communication in the era of hybrid work.