The PERSUIT Podcast

The repercussions from the beginning of COVID-19 will continue to be felt for years to come. While there have been and will continue to be many negatives from the pandemic, for some professions, it pushed their work into the forefront and emphasized how important their roles are in everyday business and legal functions.  In this episode, we’re shifting gears away from speaking with General Counsel and legal teams to take a deep dive into procurement with Dr. Elouise Epstein, Partner at Kearney.  We discuss:  How COVID-19 has impacted procurement  Why digital is an evolving factor in the business Collaborating with legal teams    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.

We all want meaningful work and to know at the end of the day, our work mattered. Impacting the next generation by engaging with them and passing the baton to them, while simultaneously figuring out how to evolve to the next step in our careers. In this episode, we speak with Marc Barbeau, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Air Canada, about lessons he’s learned in 30 plus years of law and why he’s thrilled for this next step at Air Canada. We discuss: How to look back and learn from challenges in your past The benefits of sponsoring and the difference from mentoring Why personal growth and relationships are important What advice Marc has for up and coming law professionals   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.

For most organizations, the legal function is long overdue for transformation—and legal ops is best placed to drive that transformation. In this episode, we speak with Andrew Brereton, Vice President of Legal Operations at ServiceNow, about the what, the why, and the how of driving value and transformation for the legal organization from legal ops. We discuss: Why legal ops is vital to driving value and transformation Early initiatives that build a foundation to deliver on transformation The high-level process around transforming legal workflows Best practices for gaining buy-in and managing change  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.

Ivan Fong holds pu blic service in high regard. The son of immigrants (his parents fled China during the communist revolution), Ivan experienced the advantages and opportunities of living in the United States firsthand. Public service is his way of giving back to the country that gave his family so much. His time at the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and as a clerk to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor also provided an incredible grounding in law and government relations, that led him to becoming the Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary at Medtronic. We discuss: Gaining experience through public and community service Setting clear priorities in times of crisis Creating psychological safety in the workplace Increasing expectations for corporate responsibility  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.

When Katina Thornock was a young associate, she was fortunate to have the mentorship of strong female shareholders. When nerves would creep in before a civil deposition, one, in particular, would say, “Don’t let those old guys walk all over you. You know the material and you know the craft. Now, go do it.” Empowerment—that’s what strong mentorship and honest feedback cultivates. It’s the sacred charge of legal leaders around the world—to empower those who are less experienced and provide a support system that enables personal development. Katina takes that mission seriously as Vice President and Senior Litigation Counsel at Providence. It manifests in the stories she imparts to young attorneys, in the programs she implements that create safe spaces for young lawyers to fail and to learn, and in the work she puts into D&I initiatives. We discuss: How real honest feedback can enhance personal development How to expand the legal function in a high-growth company Seizing a seat at the business table Doing the work in DNI      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.

Lindsey Haswell was determined to be either a broadcast journalist or a lawyer. Because it’s at the epicenter of policy and economics, she chose law. She started out as a litigator at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher before making the leap to a small (at the time) startup called Uber. She viewed it as an investment in her future, an opportunity to learn how to build and run a business and how legal furthers the mission of the business. She passes these lessons along to her team in her current role as Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Legal Officer at Blockchain.com, where they are shaping the future of financial services on the internet. We discuss: Taking the risk of joining Uber The mindset shift required for going in-house Shaping predictable regulatory frameworks in crypto Bringing more women and non-binaries into crypto with MyBFF More information about Lindsey Haswell and today’s topics: LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/lindsey-haswell-5190378 Company Website: blockchain.com MyBFF on Twitter: twitter.com/MyBFF MyBFF on Discord: discord.com/invite/mybff The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz: https://a16z.com/book/the-hard-thing-about-hard-things/ 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.

Creating a legal department your CEO would brag about doesn't happen by accident. It takes intention and care to hire the best lawyers and create an environment that stimulates growth. Rankin Gasaway, the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at 7-Eleven, has created an environment where lawyers are encouraged to be courageous and trust their intuition.   We discuss: The anxiety Gasaway felt early on in his career. The right way to build relationships. How to empower your legal team. Creating a diverse legal department.  More information about Rankin Gasaway and today’s topics: LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rankin-gasaway-853b501 Company Website: https://www.7-eleven.com  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.

Richard Crabb was listed in the Legal 500 as an expert in Sports Law in 2011 and as an expert in Charity Law in 2012. But he didn’t always have a desire to work in the Legal industry. Richard’s route into law came from a career in marketing where he had to have a comprehensive understanding of the way the law operated in order to be great at his Brand Manager role in the retail industry. His early career in marketing and would raise a few eyebrows but his knowledge of psychology has helped him grow in his career from marketing professional to becoming the Head of Commercial, Tech & Innovation, Global Legal at HSBC We discuss: Untapped Growth Opportunities For Law Firms. Solutions that Lawyers are looking for. Revenue Streams For Law Firms.  More information about Richard Crabb and today’s topics: LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-crabb-6b75a311  Company Website: https://www.hsbc.com  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.

German-born Christoph Feddersen would not be where he is today, the Vice President & General Counsel at Collins Aerospace in Charlotte, North Carolina, were it not for the tremendous opportunities he was given to stretch himself.  Early opportunities came at international law firms Cleary Gottlieb and Morgan Lewis, and they continued to pop up in later roles as executive assistant to the chairman and CEO at United Technologies and vice president and general counsel for UTC Aerospace.   In his current role, he looks to pay it forward by empowering a global network of legal, trade, and contracts professionals, and providing opportunities for them to prove their mettle and grow.   It’s all part of the culture he has fostered, one built on a steady foundation of support and improvement.  We discuss: Integrating legal departments and balancing subject matter expertise across the organization Why culture is a key tool in talent retention How in-house departments and outside counsel can collaborate on DEI The value of employee resource groups  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.

The career of Jay Rosenblum, much like a stage play, has three acts. Act 1: Government Service, first as a clerk for an appellate judge, followed by a role in the Clinton Administration. Act 2: In-house government affairs roles at highly regulated financial institutions during a time of historic regulatory change. Act 3: Senior roles in corporate leadership, first as Chief HR Officer with Guardian Life, and today, as the EVP & Chief Legal Officer at Assurant. Take that as evidence that Jay believes in trying new things and taking risks. He talks about his wide-ranging career, the lessons he learned along the way, and the challenges that GCs face today. We discuss: Lessons from his time at the White House Structuring the legal department to best serve business priorities A purposeful approach to talent retention Assurant’s DEI 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 on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.