Innovative Legal Leadership

Olga V. Mack grew up in Siberia. It's rare for someone to become a world-class lawyer where she's from. Yet, here she is. Olga began her legal career with Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati where she studied IP, security, and privacy “before those things were cool.” From there, she moved in-house where she provided legal advice for companies like Visa , Zoosk, and Clearslide . After 15 years of practice, she received an offer out of the blue to become the CEO of Parley Pro , a contract lifecycle management platform. Today, she is molding the future of law from this position and bringing legal innovation to the masses. Topics covered: - Flirting with risk to unlock new opportunities - Asking CEOs directly where you can make the biggest impact - The value of industry knowledge - Why law needs to be held to a higher standard of service Hear more stories by subscribing to Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or any podcast platform. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Contracts are deliberately ambiguous and resistant to automation. For the most part, companies have difficulties extracting any perceivable value from them. It’s a problem all too familiar to legal departments across the business landscape. With Knowable, CFO Alec Guettel tackles this problem by transforming what has often been a liability for GCs into an incredible advantage.  This isn’t Alec’s first rodeo when it comes to solving a problem shared by legal departments. Some 20 years ago, he co-founded Axiom alongside Mark Harris. That company revolutionized the way legal talent and technology was provided to corporations.  With Knowable, he’s back at it again.  In this episode, we discuss: - The early years at Axiom - How Knowable helps legal teams extract value from their contracts - Alec’s passion for the clean energy industry Hear more stories by subscribing to Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts , Spotify, or any podcast platform. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Mary O’Carroll began her career in investment banking and management consulting, but before long, she was pulled into the nascent world of legal operations. In her 13 years as the Director of Legal Ops at Google, Mary was instrumental in defining the scope of this newly created position. As the President of CLOC, she built a community focused on the mission of increasing awareness around the legal ops function and advancing the profession. Today, she continues to dedicate her time to forging connections as the Chief Community Officer for Ironclad. In this episode, we discuss: - Defining the parameters of the legal ops role at Google - Building a legal ops community at CLOC - Providing digital solutions around contracting Hear more stories by subscribing to Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast platform. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

To be a successful lawyer, you need to be a critical thinker and an expert communicator. But according to James Kelleher, Chief Legal Officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance, the key to success lies in being two other things as well — liked and trusted. James knows a thing or two about building a successful law career. During 39 years at Liberty Mutual Insurance, he rose through the ranks of the legal department, starting out in coverage opinions, moving into litigation, and finally into management. Success happened because he took the risk of learning something new. We discuss: - Being open to taking risks - Why he remained at Liberty Mutual Insurance for 39 years - How the role of GC has changed over the years and will change in the future - How technology has changed the delivery of legal services - Pro bono initiatives Hear more stories by subscribing to Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast platform. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Attorney, news junkie, and tireless pro bono advocate Tom O’Neill has been on both sides of the corporate law fence. After law school at Notre Dame, Tom joined Jenner & Block of Chicago — a diverse, 100-year-old firm committed to social justice and serving the community. Content, Tom thought he’d never leave — until he received a fascinating offer from Exelon, a major supplier of the country’s nuclear power. From assistant associate counsel to SVP and General Counsel, this valuable experience gave Tom a unique insight into the C-suite, the energy industry, and how to lead with integrity. Now back in private practice at J & B, Tom is leveraging what he learned in the business world to drive the growth of his firm and further his passions of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Topics covered: - Taking risks and not being afraid to fail spectacularly. - Diving head first into an industry he knew less than nothing about. - Pivoting away from private practice and back again. “Trust yourself, and I think you'll find that there's real growth when you put yourself in a position where you have to grow — and you will.” — Tom O’Neill Hear more stories by subscribing to Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast platform. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player. Resources from today’s episode: - Tom O’Neill - Exelon Host Jim Delkousis Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In what role could a family legacy of law and an interest in business intersect? In legal operations, of course. In this episode, I interview Mike Haven, Senior Director, Associate General Counsel, Head of Legal Operations at Intel, about his fascinating career path and its origins. What we talked about: - The evolution of Mike’s career, beginning in eighth grade - His learnings at his different companies and roles - The first 6 months at his current role - Strategic priorities he has implemented for Intel - All things CLOC To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to the Innovative Legal Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.  Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Leading cultural change within a legal department requires consistency and innovation in response to situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic and telecommunication. Anat Hakim, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Eli Lilly and Company, joins the show to discuss her humble beginnings, building resiliency and recognizing it in others, and strategies for cultural initiatives. What we talked about: - Overview of Anat’s Career & the Transition from Law Firm to In-House - Unpacking the Formative Years of Anat’s Life - How Anat Came to Work for Eli Lilly and Company - Steps to Winning the American Lawyers General Counsel of the Year Award - Aligning Cultural Initiatives w/ Organizational Resiliency - Early Priorities & Initiatives for the Entire Legal Department - Dispelling Myths about the GC Position & Self-Reflections on the Past To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to the Innovative Legal Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.  Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

If Louise Pentland could give her 25-year-old self a piece of advice, it would be this: be willing to fail. The EVP, Chief Business Affairs and Legal Officer at PayPal said that failure has been her most valuable career experience. That’s why she hires teams with an eye for innovation and resilience. Recently on Innovative Legal Leadership, Louise talked with us about:- The trajectory of her stunning legal career -Lessons from her mentors and sponsors - Building teams founded in a culture of innovation - Understanding financials, HR, and the legal functions- - D&I and Louise’s hope for her cultural legacy Hear more stories by subscribing to Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast platform. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Having mentors and a strong sense of resilience can make all the difference when finding your footing within corporations and law firms as a minority or woman. Hiring groups need to spend time not only on hiring with diversity in mind, but also on retaining the diverse employees. Vanessa Watson, Vice President, Senior Managing Counsel at Mastercard International, describes her incredible journey into law, how she’s come into her success, and strategies for corporations & law firms. What we talked about: - Vanessa’s Shift from Theatrical Beginnings To Law - Journey into Law and the Transition to Mastercard - Vanessa’s Time at Mastercard - Disrupting the Hiring of Women and Minorities - Personal Successes and Advice for Her Children Check out the resources below for more information: - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-kaye-watson-0b980815/ - https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-association-of-minority-&-women-owned-law-firms/ To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.  Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Vanessa Sutherland pursued a law degree and an MBA so she could combine her passion for analysis with a love for finances and taxes. She worked in the telecom and tobacco industries gradually advancing through in-house roles with increasing responsibility. In 2011, she received an incredible opportunity to become the GC of a federal agency — the DOT. Currently, she is the Executive VP of Government Relations and CLO at Norfolk Southern We discuss: - Developing new skills and knowledge in a public service role - Establishing a legal ops department - Leveraging process mapping within the legal ops team - Making personal and professional adjustments to COVID - Supporting D&I initiatives with data Hear more stories by subscribing to Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast platform. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.