The Legal Ops Podcast

At the start of 2024 Jenn McCarron became President of the Board of the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC), succeeding Mike Haven. We invited Jenn back on to the show to discuss: * the process of becoming President * the factors she considered in weighing up the role * CLOC's role in the legal ops community, and how it has developed over time * what changes we can expect in the future under Jenn's leadership * the extent to which Jenn's background in entertainment will be relevant to her role We also continued our tradition of beginning the year with predictions, and we invited Jenn to join us in making some of her own and assessing ours. These are some of the topics we discussed: * legal ops as a partner to the business, not just the legal team * continued growth in the importance of data and analytics * focus on enterprise technology rather than legal point solutions * future use cases for artificial intelligence * the importance of managing AI risks LINKS Jenn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennmccarron Jenn’s phone screen (discussed at 30 minutes and 40 seconds into the recording): http://tinyurl.com/5hem49yp

Alex and Elliot discuss: * The recent leadership challenges at OpenAI and what, if anything, it means for the pace of AI development and adoption * A review of podcast episodes during 2023, their favourites and why * Musings on expectations for 2024 * Elliot's continuing work on the "AI for legal teams" training course, which will be published in early 2024 under the Legal Ops Institute brand This is our last episode for 2023. A big thanks for listening to the show - we'll be back in late January or early February 2024. LINKS Legal Ops Institute: https://www.legalops.fm/institute

Noah Waisberg, an AI expert and author, talks about selling AI systems to lawyers, the value of AI in the legal industry, generative AI in contract review, and identifying material contracts and risks. He also discusses the benefits of structured data and the challenges in handling volume.

Alex and Elliot discuss: * A recent article looking at the effects of AI on productivity and quality of work by consultants at the Boston Consulting Group * A study by an English law firm finding poor legal advice provided by various Large Language Models, including GPT and Bard * A recent article discussing whether or not generative AI will be a source of competitive advantage for law firms * Elliot's anguish, and enjoyment, producing material for the upcoming "AI for legal teams" training course, which will soon be the first course published by the Legal Ops Institute A big thanks to our friends at LinkSquares for sponsoring this episode. For more information, check out their website: https://linksquares.com/ LINKS Article on AI used by BCG consultants: https://www.mi-3.com.au/20-09-2023/harvard-business-school-study-bcg-finds-knowledge-workers-using-chat-gpt-outperform Law firm research paper on AI providing legal advice: https://lpscdn.linklaters.com/-/media/files/document-store/pdf/uk/2023/october/report_linksai-english-law-benchmark_october-2023.ashx?rev=fc8c65ae-00f6-408e-9aec-4bf7846f82db&extension=pdf Article on generative AI and law firm competitive advantage: https://www.law.com/legaltechnews/2023/10/30/for-law-firms-will-generative-ai-really-be-a-major-competitive-differentiator/ Legal Ops Institute sneak peak: https://www.legalops.fm/institute

In this Talking Tech episode Alex and Elliot speak with Tim Parilla and Ashlyn Donohue from LinkSquares. LinkSquares helps organizations streamline contract management and drive efficiencies for contract-related workflows with an all-in-one CLM and legal project management platform. In addition to learning about the LinksSquares product, we discuss a range of important issues including how to get buy in for a CLM implementation, which parts of an organization are the main beneficiaries of a CLM system and why data is so valuable to legal teams. LINKS LinkSquares website: https://linksquares.com/ Tim Parilla on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-parilla-64a4b36/ Ashlyn Donohue on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashlyn-donohue-098aa31b Cockpit Counsel podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/456zmn84 Cockpit Counsel podcast on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/27em7e4p

Microsoft is one of the most innovative and widely recognised companies in the world. How does an organisation with this level of scale and success think about legal operations? What are its strategic initiatives and thought leadership that the legal ops community can learn from? To what extent is its legal department leveraging AI and other cutting edge tools to drive efficiencies and optimization? These are among the topics we discussed with Lydia Petrakis and Tom Orrison. Lydia is a Senior Corporate Counsel and Digital Strategist focused on issues of strategy, innovation and planning as they affect the legal team. Tom is a Senior Director of Legal Operations focused on contracting, procurement, productivity solutions and support services. Both work in Microsoft's Corporate, External and Legal Affairs (CELA) department, one of the largest of its kind in the world. Other topics we discussed with Lydia and Tom include: * How the legal team is leveraging AI * The vital importance of data * The importance of understanding, and documenting, process * How to prepare lawyers and legal teams for change * How automation is adopted differently across three major work types: transact, comply and advise LINKS Lydia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydiapetrakis/ Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-orrison-873ba04/

Alex and Elliot discuss: * A recent article by Ironclad's CEO arguing that AI is entering its "Napster phase" * ChatGPT now having access to current information via the internet * Recent trips to Japan, observations on intake systems in daily Japanese life and its implications for legal workflows * Elliot's new MacBook Air and Alex's ruminations on various Apple products LINKS Article on AI entering its Napster phase: https://www.fastcompany.com/90942310/ai-napster-who-going-to-own-it-next ChatGPT can now access the internet: https://www.zdnet.com/article/chatgpt-can-finally-access-the-internet-in-real-time-but-theres-a-catch/

Guest Justin Hectus discusses building and delivering technology for legal teams, including staying focused on core mission, understanding end customers, shipping early and iterating fast, future of custom built legal solutions, building and retaining star players, and developing talent through music, art, and side hustles.

Alex from the Legal Ops Institute discusses contract acceptance via emoji and reports on AI reducing law firm revenue. They also highlight the low adoption of AI among legal professionals and mention the upcoming ALITA Awards.

Tom Stephenson, host of the Dear Legal Ops podcast, discusses the evolution of legal operations, career progression, and the intersection of tech, ops, and people. They also emphasize the strength of the legal ops community and the importance of passion and connections for success in the field.