The PERSUIT Podcast

Unbeknownst to many, mass arbitration is actually something that recently evolved in the legal landscape as an alternative to large class action lawsuits. What should companies be aware of, and how can they deal with mass arbitration successfully? This week, we're joined by Maui Gevero , Senior Manager of Legal Advisory at PERSUIT . We dive into what mass arbitration is and how companies can proac...

A lot has happened since Inderpreet Sawhney became General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Infosys in 2017. After globetrotting through several firms and businesses, she now oversees an in-house team that is witnessing incredible advances in generative AI firsthand. And like many other GCs and legal professionals, she’s curious to see how these innovations will redefine value in the field....

Nobody loves the billable hour. For too long, law firms have viewed it as a necessary evil, partly because the right technology just hadn’t shown up yet. But now, ChatGPT and large language models have entered the public scene. And Jim Delkousis , Founder and CEO at PERSUIT , is loving every minute of it. Today, he’s watching AI breathe new life into his vision of a legal industry that values outc...

Like many young attorneys, Cynthia Lareine , Director of Community Development at PERSUIT , experienced the relentless grind early in her legal career. Feeling the pressure to always say “Yes,” she survived a culture that viewed clocking out as a sign of weakness. But today, she’s channeling her drive and experience to help advance PERSUIT’s mission to drive better outcomes in the legal industry....

Litigation is like war. Long, drawn-out, and unpredictable. Which is why many law firms are reluctant to quote fixed fees for these types of matters. But David Falstein , VP of Product at PERSUIT (and former lawyer and legal sourcing expert at J&J), thinks that’s really just an excuse to delay inevitable change. And he gives a compelling argument as to why AFAs can be a winning proposition for...

There’s a lot of excitement and some trepidation around the introduction of AI in the legal ecosystem. One thing that everyone can agree on is that it’s imperative for legal functions across organizations - regardless of size - to start thinking about their AI strategy. The real value comes from learning what’s working and initiating those conversations early on. In this special webinar recap host...

The hourly bill is a relic in the age of AI. Accelerated change is driving unparalleled efficiency in the legal industry. So it’s time for law firms to stop valuing time and effort over outcomes. Also, it’s just a crappy way to work. In this special webinar recap, PERSUIT’s Director of Legal Advisory, Laura Spalding , and Legal Advisory Manager, Cassieoppia Snowden , present an overview of alterna...

There was a time when Chris Grant , Head of Legal Engagement at HSBC , started to second-guess his career path in law. A lack of innovative tools and collaboration to help streamline efficiencies gave him a chronic case of wanderlust as he bounced between in-house and private practice. But now that forward-thinking tech vendors and AI technologies are finding their feet, the future that Chris was...

Thanks to large language models like ChatGPT, legal ops has seen incredible accelerated change over the last nine months. And some teams are still struggling with how much they can reasonably integrate these tools into their processes. Gregg McConnell , Global Director of Legal Operations and Innovation at Corteva , thinks they shouldn’t be afraid to hop on the AI train. But embracing this innovat...

ChatGPT and similar large language models are already making a historic impact on law firms and in-house legal teams alike. So what does the future hold for day-to-day work practices in the industry, and how will we weigh the value of time going forward? In this special episode, we recap our extraordinary webinar with Shannon Thyme Klinger , Chief Legal Officer at Moderna . Jim and other members o...

In early 2021, I. Stephanie Boyce made history as the first woman of color to become President of The Law Society of England and Wales (LSEW) in its 200-plus years. During her tenure, she was instrumental in pushing for new socio-economic initiatives, including the ACT (Achieving Change Together) task force. Although her time as acting President is over, her work to advance the DEI discussion by p...

The growth in demand for legal services has been flat for more than a decade. Can AI help to change this trend and disrupt the way that law firms work? This week we're joined by Maui Gevero , Senior Manager of Legal Advisory at PERSUIT . We dive into some trends that have significantly impacted demand in the legal industry, and how law firms are expanding their teams faster than they’re growing de...

Twitter v. Wachtell.   What can we expect to happen? And what does it mean for the future of the billable hour?  Join PERSUIT’s CEO (and former Biglaw partner) Jim Delkousis as he shares:   - Why the case will settle quickly - Why Wachtell has so much at stake in the matter (besides a mere $60M) - How the case exposes legal procurement’s “black box” and why that needs to change Check out these res...

As general counsels and their legal teams sally forth into the age of AI, the lasting impact large language models could have on the industry is a hotly debated topic.   Catheryn O’Rourke , General Counsel & Company Secretary at Reckitt , is cautiously optimistic about the potential for AI to abolish “soul-crushing” work. But she keeps herself grounded by leaning on technological experts to he...

As Elon Musk prepares to go toe-to-toe with legal giant Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz over $90 million in billed fees, this high profile case raises several questions about outcome-based legal fees and how corporate legal teams determine a fair and reasonable price in sourcing their outside counsel.    Did Wachtell overstep in their mad scramble to bill a $60 million premium right before Musk...

This week we're joined by Mark Gregory , General Counsel & Corporate Affairs Director at Rolls-Royce We dive into his career as the longest serving exec at Rolls-Royce and the unique perspective it gives him on how his team, and the industry as a whole, are evolving in response to a rapidly changing marketplace. Mark talks about the historic misalignment of interests between in-house teams and...

Modernizing a large legal department isn’t an easy task. What’s your strategy?   Buy tech? Build tech? Experiment until something sticks? This week, we sat down with Sarah Flint , Director of Legal Operations and Technology at HubSpot to see how it’s being done at one of the world’s biggest CRM companies. Join us as we discuss:  - Hubspot’s recent wins and challenges in legal ops [8:08] - If legal...

Rozan Simoni spent his early childhood in Albania under a despotic Soviet regime. Soon after the Berlin Wall fell, U.S. Secretary of State Jim Baker came to visit Rozan’s country. The young Albanian boy never forgot two simple words that Baker uttered that day: “Freedom works.” Today, as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary - North America at COFCO International , Rozan is paying it forward by...

How does an organization’s in-house legal team help farmers worldwide feed billions of people? According to Cornel Fuerer , Senior VP, General Counsel, and Secretary at Corteva Agriscience , they start by tackling change one bite at a time. Cornel built up a wealth of private and in-house legal experience during his globetrotting journey toward his current role at Corteva. And he did it by looking...

Change is a constant, but when embraced, it becomes a superpower. This week we sat down with Alex Guajardo , the Global Director of Commercial Strategy at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP . Alex shared how she is using change in legal ops to not only stay current but to get a step ahead of the curve. Sometimes we dismiss the power of information in the process of change, but it seems the more we ha...

When Damon Hart left big law to join the in-house team at Liberty Mutual Insurance , he didn’t have a specific career goal in mind. But one thing he knew for certain was he wanted to lead change from the front. Today, as Liberty’s Chief Legal Officer, he’s enterprising legal leadership in the C-Suite by working towards the best interests of not just his team, but all 50,000 Liberty employees. Damo...

What drives you? Is it success? Is it the competition? For Dana Pierre-Louis the Deputy General Counsel at Norfolk Southern Corporation simply put, it’s “excellence”. “From a very early age, the insinuation of excellence and doing above and beyond was always there.” – Dana We sit down and talk about everything from what inspired her journey (she started at 7 years old) to how she plans on passing...

Rene Du Preez always felt she had to jump right in and give her all with everything she did. Rene started her career as the only female associate at her first South African law firm in the early 90s. Since then, the GC at Standard Bank Group has become an advocate and mentor for other African women breaking into the field. Rene shares how her experiences in investment and retail banking helped sha...

According to a March 2023 report from Russell Reynolds , Fortune 500 companies made significant headway in hiring female GCs to lead their legal teams in 2022. But as LaTanya Langley , Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Edgewell Personal Care , suggested, female legal professionals must continue to use their gifts to take up space. For much of her career, LaTanya had to overcome conven...

Megan Beauregard thought she was living out her dream at a small law firm in New Hampshire, but after a client suggested she consider moving in-house, her curiosity was piqued. So when she happened upon a Craigslist posting in 2008 for legal counsel in the energy industry, she knew it was the right time to explore new possibilities. Fifteen years later, as the Chief Legal Officer at Enel North Ame...