The PERSUIT Podcast

Big legal departments have plenty of brainpower, but any team without direction is doomed to underachieve. That’s why the powers that be at UBS asked Thomas Barothy to bring his financial management expertise to his current role with them as Chief Operating Officer of Legal. By painting a clear vision and implementing a proper strategy for his legal department, Thomas helped his supportive team reach their true potential. Join us as we discuss: Pivoting a financial background into legal (5:01) How to approach team members resistant to change (26:10) Advice for those starting their journey in legal operations (42:11) Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: Thomas Barothy UBS Hear more stories by following 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 on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In days past, in-house legal was traditionally seen as a “last resort” for up-and-coming lawyers. While that mindset is fading, corporate in-house legal teams are constantly exposed to unique challenges, especially when it's a small team stretched to its limits. Jackie Rice, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at MillerKnoll, tells us about her transition from a large team at General Motors to her smaller IP-focused team and setting them up for success. Join us as we discuss: Learning core competencies in a new industry (6:19) Her priorities in transitioning to her new role as GC (18:54) Alleviating her team’s duties with tech and automation (24:16)   Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: Jackie Rice  MillerKnoll   Hear more stories by following 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 on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Early on in his legal career at Novartis, Maurus Schreyvogel encountered a frustrating obstacle. The legal team had no tools, no technology, no access to knowledge, and consequently, they found themselves reinventing the wheel over and over. It was so frustrating, in fact, that he was prepared to leave the company. Instead, he was presented with a mission that convinced him to stay: Establish transparency and bring about positive operational change within legal. He has remained at Novartis ever since. In his current capacity of Chief Legal Innovation Officer, he is working to set the vision for how law can help society operate more equitably in the future. We discuss: - Auditing the legal function to bring about operational change - Focusing on value rather than cost - Legal’s role in the digital transformation journey - Transforming into collaborators instead of counselors - Increasing access to law for all 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 on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

As a child of young parents, 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 with us how her experiences in investment and retail banking helped shape her as a leader and a champion for change in the African legal space. Join us as we discuss: Takeaways from Rene’s experience with multiple South African firms (8:42) Technology and workplace pivots post-pandemic (21:04) Doing away with time sheets in favor of outcome-driven expenses (32:00)   Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: Rene Du Preez  Standard Bank Group   Hear more stories by following Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast platform. Listening on a desktop and can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

With nearly 100 thousand TikTok followers and over 5 million likes, Alex Su is one of several young professionals leading the charge for change in legal through social media. The Head of Community Development at Ironclad and columnist for Above The Law also caused a stir when his article, Profitable Misery, went viral this summer. In this episode, Alex shares his thoughts on technology, the hourly rate, and the “sh*twork" often attached to it. Join us as we discuss: The Profitable Misery article and the billable hour disconnect (4:23) Younger generations forcing change in billing practices (14:53) Shedding the self-imposed lawyer identity (26:29)  Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: Alex Su  Ironclad  Above The Law  Profitable Misery Legaltechbro (Alex’s TikTok)  Hear more stories by following 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 on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Asya Alexandrovich developed a deep appreciation for the American legal system after immigrating to the U.S. as a young teenager. Her Ukrainian upbringing instilled resilience and determination that helped push her through the ranks of the in-house legal field. Today, as Chief Legal Officer for American Family Insurance in Madison, Wisconsin, she leads the charge in guiding her team to find solutions for their customers. Join us as we discuss: The Ukrainian-American dynamic in Asya’s career path (3:50) Innovation hacks for risk management and problem-solving (15:48) Why empathy is a critical leadership quality in tough times (31:44)  Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: Asya Alexandrovich  American Family Insurance   Hear more stories by following 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 on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The ambiguous nature of legal work can leave clients skeptical when it comes to alternative fee arrangements. But by overcoming their fear of overpaying for legal aid, clients can actually get the value they deserve. David Falstein , VP of Customer Success and Strategy at PERSUIT , shares why he believes alternative fee arrangements will be the ultimate successor to the billable hour. Join us as we discuss: Debunking the uncertainty around alternative fee arrangements (13:34) Challenges to transitioning to a fixed fee model in law firms (24:30) The mental health connection to billable hours (30:49)  Hear more stories by following 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 on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The billable hour is infamous for its toll on mental health in the legal field. Rather than promote innovation and inclusion, billable hours create undue stress by influencing unrealistic quotas and meaningless labor. By abolishing old behaviors, firms can attract talented and diverse associates who are eager to make a difference through out-come driven results. Nathan Collier, Director of Content Marketing at PERSUIT, joins Jim Delkousis for a candid conversation about billable hours and their negative impact on the industry. Join us as we discuss: - Mental health statistics for the legal field (6:29) - What an outcome-driven model looks like (32:21) - Why the billable hour is the enemy of diversity (48:07) Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Nathan Collier - PERSUIT Further reading on this topic: - The CDC’s 2016 Report on Professional Suicide Rates Hear more stories by following 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 on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

For this episode, we hop in the Innovative Legal Leadership time machine to revisit our conversation with Leslie Davis, CEO of the National Association of Minority & Women-Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF). Minority and women-led law firms fighting for equal opportunities is a continuing struggle. Raising awareness and presenting clear strategies to eliminate the discrimination are essential to creating change. So, come along with us as we recap Leslie’s journey into law and how she’s moving the needle for these firms. Join us as we discuss: - Leslie’s call to action to general counsel (8:16) - Initial steps to start hiring NAMWOLF firms (16:55) - Positive influence from mentors and advice (21:44) Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: Leslie Davis National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms  Hear more stories by following 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 on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Legal ops goes a lot deeper than managing templates and a list of law firms. A big focus of the function is on tracking data and determining what bits are useful for process improvement. In this episode, we chat with LaTrece Johnson, Head of Legal Operations at Palo Alto Networks, about the what, the why, and the how of setting up a legal ops function. We discuss: - The primary goals for setting up a legal function - Why the legal ops function is important - What success looks like for legal ops - Understanding spend rather than controlling it 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 on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.