Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast

An Inside Look at How Atlassian Uses Its Own Tools to Power Legal Workflows and Encourages Thoughtful Adoption of AI (Stan Shepard, General Counsel)

Nov 6, 2024

Stan Shepard, General Counsel of Atlassian, offers an engaging look into his career journey from finance journalist to legal leader at a major tech company. He reveals how Atlassian's legal team leverages internal tools like Jira and Confluence to enhance collaboration and streamline workflows. The conversation highlights the role of AI in automating legal requests and improving efficiency. Shepard also shares valuable advice on adopting AI responsibly within legal departments, emphasizing cultural shifts towards modern communication practices.

32:53

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Episode guests

Stan Shepard

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Atlassian's legal department has successfully leveraged its own tools like Jira and Confluence to streamline workflows and improve efficiency in managing legal requests.

Stan Shepard highlights the importance of a growth mindset among legal professionals, encouraging them to embrace new responsibilities and learn skills to enhance collaboration with business strategies.

Deep dives

The Evolution of Atlassian's Legal Team

Atlassian's legal department has grown significantly, evolving from a small team to over a hundred members in just nine years. This expansion reflects both the company's growth and the increasing demand for legal support as the business scales. The legal team strategically aligns its growth with that of the company, focusing on supporting business needs rather than purely expanding for volume's sake. Factors such as the demands of the pandemic and regulatory requirements have underscored the importance of having a flexible and robust legal function to support rapid business changes.

Intro

2min

Atlassian's Growth Journey and Legal Evolution

8min

Transforming Legal Leadership: From Expertise to Strategic Integration

2min

Revolutionizing Legal Workflows with Technology

13min

Harnessing AI for Responsible Legal Workflows

3min

Advocacy in Software Legislation

4min

This episode features Stan Shepard, General Counsel of Atlassian, a leading provider of team productivity and collaboration software. Stan discusses his unique career journey from a finance journalist to the current GC of Atlassian. He shares valuable insights into how Atlassian's legal department leverages the company's productivity software products and AI for maximum efficiency.

Episode Highlights:

[00:00:09]: Introduction and Stan's background - Learn about Stan's journey from finance journalist to lawyer at Charles Schwab, and eventually to his current role at Atlassian.

[00:04:00]: Why Stan transitioned from journalism to law - Discover his motivations for pursuing a legal career, including the desire for greater impact and client interaction.

[00:07:00]: The growth of Atlassian's legal department - Hear how the legal team has expanded significantly alongside the company's rapid growth, particularly during the pandemic.

[00:12:39]: How Atlassian's legal team uses their own products - Stan explains how Atlassian's legal department utilizes Jira, Confluence, and other tools to streamline workflows and improve collaboration.

[00:14:10]: AI routing of legal requests - Discover how AI automates the process of routing incoming legal requests to the appropriate specialists.

[00:17:02]: Atlassian's new AI product, Rovo - Learn about Rovo's search, chat, and agent capabilities, designed to enhance teamwork and efficiency.

[00:23:31]: Advice for legal departments adopting AI - Stan provides practical guidance on how legal teams can effectively integrate AI into their workflows.

[00:24:29]: Responsible AI implementation - Stan emphasizes the importance of approaching AI adoption with a focus on ethical considerations and mitigating potential biases.

[00:28:16]: Atlassian's involvement with BSA | The Software Alliance - Learn about Atlassian's advocacy work in the global software industry and their efforts to shape responsible tech policy.

Key Takeaways:

Embrace continuous learning: Stan's career path underscores the importance of adaptability and a growth mindset.
Leverage technology for efficiency: Atlassian's legal team exemplifies how technology can optimize legal workflows and improve collaboration.
Adopt AI responsibly: Stan highlights the need for a thoughtful and ethical approach to AI implementation.

Resources Mentioned:

Atlassian: www.atlassian.com
Jira: Atlassian's project management software.
Confluence: Atlassian's knowledge management software.
Loom: Atlassian's asynchronous video messaging tool.
Rovo: Atlassian's new AI product with search and chat functionality.
Responsible Tech Review Template: A guide for responsible AI development. (Available on Atlassian's website)
BSA | The Software Alliance: bsa.org

Connect with Stan Shepard:

LinkedIn: Stan Shepard

Episode Credits

Editing and Production: Grant Blackstock

Theme Music: Home Base (Instrumental Version) by TA2MI