The Legal Department

Attorney wellness seems like a trend, but until recently, lawyers had few obvious resources to deal with stress and burnout from this challenging career. Law professor and wellness coach Janet Thompson Jackson is working to change that. A pivotal experience with a struggling law student opened her eyes to the urgent need for better wellness support. In this episode of  The Legal Department ,...

Think you're too busy managing legal work to get involved in public policy? Think again. In this episode, Chad Golder, General Counsel of the American Hospital Association , shares why it's important for lawyers (especially in-house counsel) to develop relationships with trade associations and share their company's perspectives with policy makers. A former clerk to Justice Stevens, Golder shares p...

The General Counsel role is the brass ring in the in-house career. How do you know if you want it? In this episode, veteran GCs Julie Kinch and Deborah Solmor share their insights on the General Counsel role—what makes it unique compared to other in-house positions and how to know if it's right for you. They describe how the GC role is different than other in-house roles: It's more business and ma...

Are you tired of the friction between IT and Legal? In this episode of The Legal Department podcast, Sarah Richardson of This Week Health , shares her insights on what the CIO wants in a GC partner. Discover how IT and Legal can become strategic allies, collaborating on everything from cybersecurity to vendor negotiations. Learn about the importance of proactive communication, clear advice, and a...

A "Thumbs Up" might seem like a harmless response to a text message, but it turns out it might not be so safe for work after all. In this episode, Professor Eric Goldman delves into the legal implications of emojis and how they can influence the outcome of a case. He offers valuable tips on handling discovery when emojis are critical evidence and explains why you should be cautious when expressing...

The CFO is one of the most important partners for the General Counsel. To maximize this relationship, legal teams must understand the CFO's priorities. In this C-suite conversation with Kevin Rubin , CFO of BetterUp, discover how in-house counsel can deliver tangible value to the finance function. Learn to position legal as a strategic partner, effectively communicate complex risk landscapes, and...

These days, we're expected to bring our "whole selves" to work, right? Well, not always. Leaders often find themselves in an "authenticity paradox" where they are expected to share just the "right" amount with their teams, peers and leadership. Executive Coach Dina Denham Smith says that this emotional labor is taxing on leaders, especially lawyers. This often unacknowledged labor takes its toll a...

Hold on tight! The Legal Department is going on a wild ride of acquisitions, IPOs, and spinouts with Eric Lentell, General Counsel of Archer Aviation. At the start of Eric's legal career, the GC informed him that the company had been sold and he no longer had a job. Since that first role, he has ridden the roller coaster at companies like Fitbit, DISH Network, and Google, taking companies to IPO a...

Negotiation skills are fundamental for lawyers, but how many of us really know what it takes to get the most out of a mediation? Alex Carter , Professor and Director of the Mediation Center at Columbia Law School, mediator, and author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Ask for More," shares her insights on negotiation and how to succeed in mediation. Turns out, it's not just knowing you...

Michelle Banks has "been there, done that" in The Legal Department. The former General Counsel of The Gap led a global legal and compliance team for the largest specialty retailers in the U.S. Now, she's an executive coach, helping other in-house lawyers navigate their roles. In this conversation, Michelle shares advice on how to position yourself for a general counsel position if you haven't had...

Tired of being "just a lawyer"? If you're thinking about moving from the legal department into a business role, this episode is for you. Michelle Johnson-Tidjani served for years as General Counsel of Henry Ford Health and before that at top healthcare companies such as The Cleveland Clinic and Tenet Healthcare. With a true passion for learning the business and supporting company objectives, Miche...

Forget the stereotype of lawyers toiling away in isolation. Buckle up, legal eagles, because you're about to become strategic partners with the C-suite! This episode of C-Suite dives deep with Jim Dunn , CEO and President of LD Human Capital Consulting . Jim pulls back the curtain on the Chief Human Resources Officer role, offering a treasure trove of practical advice for the legal department to b...

Sapna Pandya is executive vice president and general counsel of Red Bull North America--one of the most iconic beverage companies. But the company is much more than that, covering media, events, marketing, and distribution. Pandya's team provides legal support for this complex business. In this episode, Sapna shares how to foster a culture of professional development in The Legal Department and wh...

Contracting is the "meat and potatoes" of in-house practice, but sometimes it seems to lack sizzle, yet Laura Fredrick disagrees. She's so passionate about contracting that she founded How to Contract , a contract training business focused on helping lawyers and in-house contract teams learn real-world contracting skills. Laura is no stranger to in-house practice, having spent seven years leading...

Activision's Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer Jen Brewer is in The Legal Department to share her experience leading a global ethics and compliance function. An award-winning corporate governance and compliance professional, Jen led a cultural transformation at Activision Blizzard and engaged 140+ "heroes" in the company to promote a culture of openness, transparency, and listening. In this epis...

From the first day of law school, you were trained to be the one with the answer, with little to no training about working on a team. But in the workforce, you should work with others, and as the saying goes, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."   In this episode of The Legal Department, change management consultant Michele Mollkoy shares how curiosity, list...

Prioritize happiness is not the advice you'd expect from a real estate partner in Big Law. But Tim Reimers isn't In the average bear. In this episode of The Legal Department, we talk about how to build a mutually beneficial relationship with outside counsel and how in-house counsel and GC's can set the tone in deals to keep the team focused on the mission at hand. Above all, Tim underscores that r...

ICYMI, there's a sea change happening at law firms. Progressive firms like Husch Blackwell are recognizing that law practice isn't a one-size-fits-all career. After noticing that colleagues who left the firm for in-house roles were unprepared or maybe didn't find the right fit, Glynias worked with the professional development team led by Sommer Bougie and in-house lawyers from the firm's clie...

Considering a job with Are you struggling to understand the difference between restricted stock, options and appreciation rights? How should you evaluate a compensation package that includes equity? It all comes down to risk tolerance and timing. Eric Clark, CEO of financial planning firm BCWM is in The Legal Department to demystify these and other common incentive compensation vehicles. A former...

Valerie Portillo leads the legal department and law firm integration at Diversity Lab , the organization that pioneered DEI for the legal profession. The Diversity Lab convened a hackathon of legal leaders at Stanford Law School, where the Mansfield Certification was developed. This framework has become "the" standard to measure diversity and inclusion at more than 300 law firms nationwide. ...

In this jam-packed episode,  Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire , President of  50/50 Women on Boards , pulls back the curtain on what it takes to land a seat on a corporate board. In a conversation tailored specifically for lawyers, Betsy discusses why lawyers need more than governance experience to serve on corporate boards. She shares why building a network of business conta...

The client's definition of “a good lawyer” is different than yours." "Harry Potter's Lawyer" in-house veteran Dana Lira SVP Legal at Warner Brothers Discovery shares tactics for being a good business partner and building relationships with clients. We talk about why communication is one of the hardest "soft skills" to master in-house and how you can grow your career by finding the white space in e...

Scott Becker created a massive media company while working as a lawyer. Over several decades, he and his CEO, Jessica Cole, built Becker's Healthcare, the largest media company focused solely on the healthcare industry. Today, with several daily newsletters, podcasts, conferences, and other events, Scott and Jessica develop an essential community for all healthcare business leaders. In this episod...

In this "how to" episode, Michael Melcher, executive coach and author of Your Invisible Network , is in The Legal Department to share strategies for building your network. Relationships are essential to career success and can be a source of joy and fulfillment in life. In Your Invisible Network, Michael says that "relationships are a form of wealth under your control." While sometimes the path to...

If you’re a busy GC and you think you don’t have the time to think about legal operations, then you’re probably the very person who needs it the most. It’s a force multiplier that many GCs don’t know existed. On today's episode of The Legal Department Mary O'Carroll , former director of legal operations for Google, offers the "why" for GCs considering whether to invest in legal operations. Mary sh...