The Legal Leaders Podcast

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Sterling Miller, COO and General Counsel at Hilgers and former General Counsel at Marketo and Travelocity, about the practical use of generative AI in in-house legal teams. They discuss: How in-house legal teams can safely and effectively use generative AI Real-world use cases for AI in contract drafting, review, and prod...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Charles Jake, General Counsel, and Blake Billings, Deputy General Counsel, at Kansas State University (KSU) about what it takes to lead legal at a modern land-grant university. From supporting a statewide public mission to building a strategic and scalable legal function, Charles and Blake share how KSU's legal team n...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Danette Joslyn-Gaul, General Counsel and Vice President of Ethics, Compliance, and Legal Affairs at Georgia Tech , about building effective legal teams, navigating organizational change, and leading legal functions within complex higher education institutions. They discuss: Danette's career journey across government,...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Russ Philpott, Director, Legal Operations & Corporate Counsel at Okta, about the evolution of legal operations, the rise of knowledge management, and how AI is reshaping in-house legal teams. They discuss: Russ’s journey from commercial attorney to leading legal operations at scale Why knowledge management has become...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Robyn Diaz, EVP and Chief Legal Officer at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, about leading a purpose-driven legal function in one of the world’s most mission-focused institutions. They discuss: Building and scaling a modern legal function in a nonprofit healthcare environment Navigating complex regulatory, global, an...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Bjarne Tellmann, CEO and Founder of Fjord Stream Advisors, about how AI is transforming legal departments into “AI factories” and redefining the role of the general counsel. They discuss: What the “AI factory” means for legal teams and enterprise transformation Why governance, knowledge management, and operating models ar...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Bjarne Tellmann, CEO and Founder of Fjord Stream Advisors, about how AI-driven disruption is reshaping the legal industry – and why the biggest force of change is coming from clients, not technology providers. They discuss: Why disruption in legal will be driven by corporate demand, not just legal tech The evolution of th...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Bill Deckelman, Chief Legal Officer at Anderson, about leading legal transformation, scaling global organizations, and the future of in-house legal in the age of AI. They discuss: Building a public company's legal function from the ground up post-IPO Transforming legal teams through digital strategy, process, and technolo...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Brian Levey, Senior Advisor at Upwork and former Chief Legal Officer and Chief Business Affairs Officer, about scaling high-growth businesses, building high-trust legal teams, and how modern in-house lawyers become true business leaders.  Brian shares lessons from helping scale eBay during its early hypergrowth – from 900...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Fred Struve, General Counsel at Lunit International , about leading a modern legal function inside a fast-growing, AI-powered medical device company operating across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. They discuss: Building and scaling a global legal function across highly regulated markets The evolving role of in-house legal le...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast , host David Lancelot talks with Anne Kerwin Payne , Founder and Managing Director at Kerwin , about the evolution of in-house legal leadership, the state of the legal talent market, and what modern legal leaders need to succeed. They discuss: How the in-house legal profession has transformed from a law-firm alternative into a core business leadership f...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast , host David Lancelot, Chief Legal Officer and EVP of Advocacy at LawVu, talks with Michelle Clatfelter, Chief Legal Officer at Springfield Clinic, about her unconventional path into healthcare law, what it takes to lead as the first in-house lawyer, and how modern legal leadership is reshaping the healthcare industry. They discuss: How Michelle built a...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast , host David Lancelot talks with Katja Fenton, General Counsel at Fugro, about global legal leadership, building high-impact legal teams, and navigating complex geopolitical and regulatory environments. They discuss: How Fugro’s global operations – from geo-data to unmanned vessels – demand a sophisticated, business-aligned legal function The evolving e...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast , host David Lancelot talks with Delphina Turner, former Executive Director of Legal Operations at Panasonic Automotive, about leading legal operations transformation inside a complex, global enterprise. They discuss: Building and scaling modern legal operations without a traditional legal background Using technology, AI, and playbooks to accelerate con...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Kasper Hansen, Head of Legal Operations at Arla Foods, about the evolution of legal ops in Scandinavia, the skills today’s legal teams need, and how operational mindset transforms the in-house legal function. They discuss: How Kasper built Arla’s legal operations function from the ground up Why data, curiosity, and cross-...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Eduardo (Ed) Rastelli, Chief of Staff & Global Head of Legal Operations at IHG Hotels & Resorts, about how modern legal operations is evolving into a true business accelerator — integrating AI, data, people, and technology to transform how global legal teams operate. They discuss: How IHG’s connected BRR model (Bu...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast , host David Lancelot talks with Lisa Mather , a seasoned global legal executive and transformation leader, about her unconventional career path and the evolving expectations of modern in-house lawyers. They discuss: How a dual passion for science and law led Lisa to an “accidental” yet intentional legal career Lessons from building a global perspective...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, host David Lancelot talks with Catherine Kemnitz, Chief Strategy & Development Officer at Axiom, about how in-house law is evolving. They discuss: The shift from prestige law firms to empowered in-house careers AI’s impact: from research to judgment, strategy, and creativity Why law schools must teach adaptability and people skills Legal ops and co...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders Podcast, David Lancelot sits down with Scott Brown, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Heriot Brown to explore how legal professionals can take control of their career paths. They discuss: Why job hunting should never start only when you need a role How consistent networking and profile building create long-term opportunities Practical steps for using Linke...

In this episode of the Legal Leaders Podcast, Peter Connor, founder of T-Shaped Legal, shares how in-house lawyers can transform from “just lawyers” into true business partners. Drawing on his career at Sun Microsystems, Citrix, and beyond, Peter explains: the T-Shaped Lawyer model why adopting a business person mindset is essential how AI and technology are reshaping the legal profession. Tune in...

In this episode of the Legal Leaders Podcast, Mark Smolik, CLO at DHL Supply Chain Americas joins host, David Lancelot for a deep dive into the evolution of in-house legal leadership. Mark shares his journey from rebuilding legal teams to spearheading innovation at DHL, highlighting the qualities of a modern legal leader—curiosity, trust, business acumen, and integrity. Together they exploreL how...

In this special episode, host David Lancelot is joined by Cory Sumsion (Head of Commercial Legal at Signifyd) and Greg Lorenzon (Associate General Counsel at Clearlink) to explore what it takes to build a scalable “engine room” for the legal function. Together, they share lessons learned from their careers at organizations like eBay, Zions Bank, and beyon, highlighting how intake processes, risk-b...

In this episode of The Legal Leaders podcast, host Emma Coxhead sits down with Dr Maria Pozza, Director of Gravity Lawyers and New Zealand’s pioneering space law expert. Maria shares her remarkable journey from the UK bar to shaping New Zealand’s space legislation, revealing the pivotal moments, challenges, and mindset shifts that have defined her career. Listeners will discover: How Maria carved...

In this episode, Emma Coxhead is joined by Megan Gray to share Megan’s career journey and how her identity has evolved through life events throughout her career. Megan is a Knowledge Development Lawyer in London and has spent the vast majority of her career specialising in capital markets. Megan explains to us what the motherhood penalty is and how Megan is using her position as a legal leader to...

In this episode of the Legal Leaders Podcast, Adam Becker, the Director of Legal Operations at Cockroach Labs shares his journey from practicing law in a New York firm to transitioning into legal operations. He discusses the challenges he faced, the skills he had to unlearn, and the new ones he acquired. From managing teams to implementing technology and aligning legal objectives with business str...