The Legal Ops Podcast

In the first episode of The Pulse, Alex and Elliot explain what it is, why they're doing it and how it will differ from the core episodes of The Legal Ops Podcast. They talk about coronavirus and the differences between how it is being handled in Australia and the USA. With Alex currently based in Chicago, they discuss his plans and whether or not he wants to, or is even able to, move back to Aust...

Elliot and Alex interview Katrina Gowans to discuss legal transformation and knowledge based working for in-house teams. Katrina is the National Legal Transformation Lead at Origin Energy, a leading provider of energy to homes and businesses in Australia. They covered: * (5:12) How Katrina became National Legal Transformation Lead * (9:28) The importance of setting a vision for any transformation...

Mitch, Alex and Elliot discuss the idea of Legal Service Balance, including: (1) What it is and how to achieve it (2) How to analyse the work done across a law department and group activities according to their risk and alignment to core business (3) What type of resource should be applied to different work groupings (4) How organisations are partnering with their law firms to drive innovation, in...

Alex and Elliot discuss artificial intelligence in the context of legal practice, including: (1) How AI is defined and whether it requires human-like intelligence (2) The difference between AI and other systems such as robotic process automation (3) How AI is already being used in the legal industry (4) How AI works and what the difference is between Natural Language Processing and Machine Learnin...

Connie, Alex and Elliot discuss the future of legal sourcing including: * The Alternative Legal Service Provider (ALSP) market and its huge growth over the last few years * What to call ALSPs and whether or not the word “alternative” is still appropriate * Why A+ quality legal work is not always required and how to match the right quality of legal work to the right matter * How to unbundle large c...

Peter, Alex and Elliot discuss the future of legal practice, including: * What skills and competencies will be required in the future by lawyers and other professionals operating in the legal industry * How recent research indicates a dramatic increase in demand for “digital skills”, including in industries outside IT * What depth of expertise in these new skills will be optimal for lawyers, and w...

Stephanie, Alex and Elliot discuss a wide range of issues relating to legal ops, including: * How Barclays Bank radically transformed the management of its legal panel, resulting in huge benefits both to the bank and to its law firms. * How the bank used data to formulate its strategy and measure the results. * What it means to shift an in-house legal function from being an enabler to a strategic...

What makes a great law-tech conference? The presentations? The networking opportunities? To what extent does the venue and the dress code matter, or the food and coffee? In this episode Alex and Elliot chat about Elliot’s recent visit to the 2019 Legal Geek conference in London’s East End, including: * the awesome industrial venue for the event * the informal and relaxed vibe * the pros and cons o...

Steven, Alex and Elliot discuss change management in relation to legal teams, covering: * What is change management and why is it necessary? * Are lawyers more difficult to change than other professionals? * The three vital components of an effective change management strategy. * Real-world examples of organisational change that went well, and why. * The state of the legal ops market and what the...

Mike, Alex and Elliot discuss how to fund your legal operations journey along with your legal department more generally. Mike explains how to track incremental business demand, demonstrate absorption and work with the business to ensure that transformation activities are properly funded and supported. They also discuss the structure of the Legal Operations function at Gap Inc., how Mike became a b...

We all know the legal industry is changing; but who are the people leading the change and how are they doing it? Elliot and Alex set the scene and provide their thoughts on the state of the legal ops market. Links Mentioned: CLOC State of the Industry Survey 2019: https://bit.ly/2OTKsOA CLOC State of the Industry Survey 2017: https://bit.ly/2uNV9vj