The Abstract

As top legal leaders across a variety of industries, our podcast guests are no strangers to building teams from scratch and scaling them to adapt to the needs of a rapidly expanding business.  Listen as we share some of our favorite words of advice from past episodes about hiring and growing elite legal teams from some of the most seasoned general counsels and executives working today. Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-64   Topics: You’re starting a leadership role at a new company. What’s your first move?: 0:06 You’re about to go public. How do you build an expert international legal team from scratch?: 2:51 How do you prepare your legal team to be the next generation of GCs and legal leaders?: 8:06 How do you prepare your domestic legal team for an international expansion?: 10:41 How do you bring in the right talent to build out your legal team?: 15:41 How do you identify whether a candidate has the skills they need to succeed on your legal team?: 18:17 How do you keep your team motivated to stay on during moments of crisis, like the Covid-19 pandemic?: 23:24   Connect with us:  Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft   SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues.   Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

How can the general counsel become a true partner to the executive team? How about in the context of a public company? How can the general counsel ensure that that same can-do attitude that they bring to the table pervades the rest of their legal team?Join Matt Campobasso, General Counsel at Enfusion, as he shares stories and lessons from his unique legal career: starting as a prosecutor outside of Chicago, litigating at a firm for more than a decade and becoming partner, then transitioning to in-house and leading legal at a publicly-traded fintech company.Listen as Matt discusses how his time in the courtroom shaped his approach to in-house legal, how to build a department of independent, driven lawyers, cultivating a business mindset in your team, and more.Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-63Topics:Introduction: 0:00Tyler asks about his career as an Illinois prosecutor: 1:36Tyler asks what inspired Matt to be a prosecutor: 4:32Tyler asks about transitioning in-house roles in tech: 16:33Tyler asks about managing work relationships after you become general counsel: 24:15Tyler asks about instilling a business mindset in a legal team: 29:56Tyler on hiring lawyers with an owner’s mindset: 37:32Tyler asks fun questions: 43:50Book recommendations: 49:22What Matt wish he knew as a young lawyer: 52:16Connect with us:Matt Campobasso - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrc1921/Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinnSpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraftSpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

How can corporate leaders make compliance training entertaining enough that their employees will pay attention? How do you know if compliance training is effective? What has a founder in this space learned about building for and selling to HR and legal?Join Roxanne Petraeus, Co-Founder and CEO of Ethena, as she discusses how her company is changing compliance training by making it more personalised, effective, role-based, and specific to scenarios happening in her clients’ companies. Starting her career as an officer in the U.S. Army, she made the leap from consultant to founder and built a platform that saves time, engages distracted employees, and satisfies regulators.Listen as Roxanne discusses why content is as important as technology, how to measure the success of compliance training, the value of balancing quantitative data with qualitative feedback, and how her company is leveraging AI to better serve their clients, and more.Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-62Topics:Introduction: 0:00Finding the inspiration to serve in the military: 1:30Leaving McKinsey & Company to found Ethena: 6:25Scaling up content quality alongside technology: 9:04What companies are getting wrong about in-house training and how to make a change: 11:44Measuring the success of a new compliance training: 13:34Going beyond boring or cringy compliance trainings: 16:45Observing new trends in compliance training: 20:40Leveraging AI as the founder of a tech company: 23:16Comparing compliance issues and needs between small companies and enterprise clients: 29:02Mapping the future for Ethena: 31:50Favorite part of your day and pet peeves: 34:12Book recommendations: 35:50What you wish you’d known as a young founder: 36:58Connect with us:Roxanne Petraeus - https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxanne-bras-petraeus-2292b8109/Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinnSpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraftSpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

What skill set should the Chief of Staff to a Chief Legal Officer of a major international corporation need? How do you build trust with a Chief Operating Officer? How do you cultivate the right culture with a large legal and compliance team?Join Zoe McMahon, Chief of Staff, VP of Legal Strategy and Operations at HP, as she shares stories and lessons from her thirty-year career at the world’s second largest computer manufacturer. Starting her career in environmental responsibility, Zoe has transferred her skills to a diverse roster of teams, including HP’s global human rights office, privacy, and legal operations.Listen as Zoe discusses how she drives change from within, why she loves working on the forefront of developing legal and business fields, her fascination with long-term change, why she values strong relationships, and more.Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-61Topics:Introduction: 0:00Tyler asks about starting a career in environmental issues: 2:02How do you advocate for the environment from within a company?: 4:04How do you resource responsibly?: 5:02Why Zoe moved into privacy: 8:03Can you build credibility without a JD?: 9:25Should you change career trajectories? 12:55What does the Chief of Staff to HP’s Chief Legal Officer do?: 19:36How do you build strong relationships at work?: 23:57What part of HP’s culture is Zoe proudest of?: 26:41Fun questions: 30:30Book recommendations: 34:02What Zoe wish she know when she was getting started: 40:04Connect with us:Zoe McMahon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-mcmahon-44074814/Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinnSpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraftSpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

Where's the intersection in a career as a creative and as a lawyer? What stories would you tell if you were writing a play about your career in startup law? How do you go and convince some accomplished actors to sign up and perform it off-broadway?  Join Sarah Feingold, the legal expert and playwright behind Dirty Legal Secrets: Based on True Startups—running Off-Broadway this October in New York City—as she shares her experience collecting and staging anonymous stories from startup lawyers that they can’t tell themselves. She leveraged her own experience as the first general counsel at start-ups Etsy and Vroom.   Listen as Sarah discusses how she leveraged her own experience as the first general counsel at start-ups Etsy and Vroom to tell other lawyers’ brave legal stories, how to balance your creative pursuits with legal work, how to expand beyond in-house to advise, teach, and join boards, and much more.  Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-60   Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Becoming Etsy’s first lawyer (and 17th hire): 2:48 Transitioning to General Counsel at Vroom: 6:57 Writing a play: 9:18Getting started on your first draft: 13:59 Finding actors and producing your own play: 16:52 Learning to promote yourself after a career in legal: 19:54 Staging Dirty Legal Secrets: 21:37 Keeping your creative spirit alive while working full-time: 25:28 Leaning into a “portfolio” career: 28:20 Favorite part of your day and pet peeves: 30:13 Book recommendations: 31:24 What you wish you’d known as a young lawyer: 33:21Cellunova Productions presents Dirty Legal Secrets  October 17-27, NYC Buy tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dirty-legal-secrets-tickets-1001791825317  Connect with us: Sarah Feingold: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahfeingold/  Tyler Finn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft  SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues.  Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

How do you turn your passion for sports into a career? What does it take to advise pro athletes and celebrities on investments and deals? And how can you start to angel invest yourself?Sunjay Mathews, investor, advisor, and dealmaker in the sports and media sector, was able to make the leap from in-house counsel at FanDuel and DAZN, the biggest names in sports betting and streaming, into a legal and business consulting powerhouse. With his deep understanding of the complex (and often outdated) regulations surrounding sports betting, he began leading at the intersection of crypto and athletics, advising on sports partnerships with FTX and investing in blockchain-reliant companies like BetDex, and joining the board of tixbase.Listen as Sunjay shares lessons from his career at the cutting edge of burgeoning industries, dealmaking with pro athletes, getting started as an angel investor, and more.Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-59Topics:Introduction: 0:00Transitioning from law associate to sports legal advisor at FanDuel: 3:40Dealing with anachronistic regulations in the sports betting industry: 6:47Moving into streaming at DAZN: 10:39Getting a start as an independent advisor: 21:47Dealmaking with pro athletes and celebrities: 26:08Getting started as an angel investor: 34:12Consulting on sports marketing with FTX and getting involved with crypto: 38:06Investing and advising companies like BetDEX, tixbase, and Just Women’s Sports: 42:20Uplifting Just Women’s Sports: 49:35What you wish you’d known as a young lawyer: 57:11Connect with us:Sunjay Mathews: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunjay-mathews-b227a723/Tyler Finn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinnSpotDraft: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraftSpotDraft is a leading CLM platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

How should General Counsel and legal teams be leveraging generative AI? How do you get started on your AI journey and what mistakes should you avoid? Where is the AI revolution heading?Join Cecilia Ziniti, Founder and CEO of GC AI, as she discusses how and why she made the leap from working as a corporate lawyer to creating a generative AI product specifically designed for in-house counsel. Find out how her years leading legal for AI-powered tech companies like Replit, Anki, and Cruise (and serving as lead counsel on Amazon’s Alexa) prepared her to create a company offering a groundbreaking product that serves the various needs of lawyers with precision and care.Listen as Cecilia discusses the similarities between lawyers and large language models, how to begin experimenting with generative AI with the goal of making both your professional and personal life smoother, why you can’t let others tell you you’re “just” a lawyer, and why legal professionals should always use emojis.Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-58Topics:Introduction: 0:00Leading legal at Replit: 2:52Why lawyers should use emojis: 5:40Starting a business after gaining extensive experience working with AI: 13:00Considering how GCs should leverage AI: 22:18Hiring legal teams in the age of AI: 39:03Teaching a class on AI at Stanford University: 47:35Book Recommendations: 51:52What you wish you’d known as a young lawyer: 55:11Connect with us:Cecilia Ziniti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciliaziniti/Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinnSpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraftSpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

Join Jules Polonetsky, CEO and Founder of the Future of Privacy Forum, as he shares lessons he learned from the front lines of ad tech starting in the early 1990s. Starting his career in politics as a New York assemblyman and working his way into consumer protection-focused public roles, he became one of the first chief privacy officers in the tech industry at companies like DoubleClick and AOL at a crucial moment in the history of online privacy. Now his think tank connects policymakers with corporations, and helps both sides answer tough questions about privacy and data.Join Jules Polonetsky, CEO and Founder of the Future of Privacy Forum, as he shares lessons he learned from the front lines of ad tech starting in the early 1990s. Starting his career in politics as a New York assemblyman and working his way into consumer protection-focused public roles, he became one of the first chief privacy officers in the tech industry at companies like DoubleClick and AOL at a crucial moment in the history of online privacy. Now his think tank connects policymakers with corporations and helps both sides answer tough questions about privacy and data.Listen as Jules discusses his uniquely-positioned understanding of privacy issues, the future of AI governance and the chief privacy officer role, advice to lawyers who want to move into the privacy space, and much more.Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-57Topics:Introduction: 0:00Getting a start in New York politics: 1:57Running for elected office: 11:46Taking one of the first Chief Privacy Officer roles in the industry at DoubleClick: 16:43Considering the necessary training to be successful in privacy: 24:28Founding the Future of Privacy Forum: 32:02Questioning the death of the Chief Privacy Officer role: 44:42Favorite part of your day-to-day work and professional pet peeves: 51:54Book recommendations: 56:41What you wish you’d known as a young lawyer: 1:00:01Connect with us:Jules Polonetsky: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julespolonetsky/Tyler Finn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinnSpotDraft: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraftSpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

Can playing cards teach you to be a better lawyer? How do you make it in Silicon Valley without the traditional big law firm experience? And how do you make the jump to public company general counsel?Join Andrew Woods, General Counsel at PubMatic, as he discusses the unique path he forged from professional poker player to legal star. From founding a think tank at Harvard focused on poker and law to breaking into tech and privacy as Director of Legal and Associate Counsel at Twitter, Andrew relies on his belief in the value of autonomy, mastery, and significance to guide him towards work that makes him happiest.Listen as Andrew discusses his love for game theory, landing a fulfilling job leading legal at a tech company, hiring lawyers based on their ambitions instead of their experience, and more.Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-56Topics:Introduction: 0:00Starting your career as a professional poker player: 1:33Comparing poker skills with skills required to succeed as general counsel: 6:10Taking an unorthodox path after law school: 13:02Transitioning to in-house roles in tech: 17:12Moving away from skill questions in the hiring process: 22:52Developing mastery over fields like privacy and ad tech: 29:05Breaking into privacy: 33:18Considering the future of AI governance from a privacy perspective: 36:37Making the jump to Twitter and PubMatic: 39:21Book recommendations: 54:23What you wish you’d known as a young lawyer: 57:23Connect with us:Andrew Woods - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmichaelwoods/Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinnSpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraftSpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

How do you make the leap from lawyer to founder? How do you craft the perfect pitch? What does it take to fundraise effectively? And how far will your legal know-how take you when you’re accountable for every function in the business?Join Aaron Gregory, Co-founder and CEO of Upwardli, as he shares his journey from general counsel to start-up leader. Starting his career in the highly regulated telecom and fintech industries, Aaron relied on lessons he learned while earning his JD-MBA to start a company that solves the challenges of credit invisibility for more than 50 million people in the United States.Listen as Aaron discusses how he took on the challenges that all first-time founders face–like pitching to VCs, fundraising, and growing into the CEO role—and shifted his mindset from that of a risk-conscious legal leader to a business-focused operator.Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-55Topics:Introduction: 0:00Forging a career in highly regulated legal areas: 1:25Advice to law students considering a JD-MBA: 7:20Teaching yourself to become comfortable with uncertainty: 9:57Leaving Remitly right before it went public to found a start-up: 15:10Unpacking Upwardli: 18:42Bringing your business to a start-up accelerator: 22:26Fundraising for your start-up: 27:05Making an effective pitch: 33:15Growing into the CEO role: 36:16Building Upwardli in Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 44:43Bonus questions: 48:48Book recommendations: 51:29What you wish you’d known as a young lawyer: 53:02Connect with us:Aaron Gregory - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amgregory/Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinnSpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraftSpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.