Innovative Legal Leadership

Thomas Barothy has journeyed from a finance background into legal, spending some time as a CFO and Head of Risk Control before jumping into his present role as Group Legal COO at UBS. He shared with me some of his greatest surprises and insights from his first couple of years optimising the legal department and creating a legal business plan. What we talked about: - Transitioning from finance to legal -War stories about dealings with in-house lawyers - Why lawyers need to learn about and acquire managerial business skills -Setting the vision, the mission, the strategic priorities, and more -Where to start to be an effective legal COO 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.

Chris Fowler started his career as an in-house counsel for Volkswagen and Experian. He then made his way to BT, where he has been the Head of Major products, COO of the legal function, and, currently, General Counsel BT Technology and Transformation. What we talked about: - Getting up to speed on the operational side of running a legal department - Automating basic tasks to free people up for big strategic initiatives - Getting the most out of people and making sure they feel part of something that matters - Advice for taking on the first 90 days as a new COO 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.

After starting his career at a law firm doing work he didn’t like, Rob Fletcher found the perfect fit as a business lawyer at GE. He spent 15 years at Johnson & Johnson working his way up to Worldwide VP of Litigation, and now, he is Chief Legal Officer at Stryker. His advice: develop your business IQ. We discussed: - Expanding business IQ to build knowledge and grow your personal brand - Proving the legal department’s value to the business and using data and analytics to forecast future concerns - Why transparency, approachability, and authenticity have become part of the general counsel role - What qualities he looks for when building a high-powered team - Having the confidence to offer advice outside of legal and compliance issues 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.

Phyllis Harris’s career has had many phases. She worked for the EPA for 20 years before moving out of the public sector — first at Walmart as SVP of Corporate Functions and Legal Operations and now as General Counsel, Chief Compliance, Ethics and Government Relations Officer at the American Red Cross. Throughout, she has advocated for environmental sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and equity. We discussed: - How the role of general counsel has become more proactive with a focus on showing your value as a strategic partner - Tackling issues of environmental sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and equity - How running the legal department like a business engenders more credibility - Empowering teams to do extraordinary things 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.

Cameron Findlay aspired to have a career that began in government and then evolved to the private sector. Remarkably, he accomplished that. In his illustrious career, he has been a Sidley Austin partner, the Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Labor, and general counsel at three Fortune 500 companies — Aon, Medtronic, and currently, he’s Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary at Archer Daniels Midland. In this episode, we talk about: - How the role of a general counsel has changed over the years - His roles in government including as Deputy Secretary of Labor - The business of running a legal department - Attracting top legal talent - Advice for aspiring general counsels 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.

In the introductory episode of Innovative Legal Leadership, you'll hear from your host, Jim Delkousis, on what you, the listener, can expect from this podcast. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.