If you have spent any time in the “legal tech” hashtag on social media, you’ve probably encountered today’s guest. And you probably already know that Colin S. Levy is not your typical lawyer. Shaped by his experience graduating law school during the tail end of the Great Recession, he has taken many twists and turns, from eschewing Big Law to finding an in-house job—and most recently, taking on the role of legal tech evangelist at a contract life cycle management startup. Through it all, one of his key takeaways was that a lack of technological aptitude in lawyers was limiting the growth and evolution of the profession. And he has dedicated himself to exploring and closing this gap by finding out what makes legal industry innovators tick through his blog, podcasts, and social media. Tune in to today’s conversation to learn more about Colin, his love of legal tech, and how he uses social media to create career opportunities for himself.

In recognition of Well-Being Week in Law, we are bringing you our interview with Jeena Cho, a pioneer in the area of mental health and wellness for lawyers. Long before the nonstop stressors of the last two years, Jeena Cho was a vocal advocate for the well-being of lawyers. It started when she realized how meditation and mindfulness could help her deal with the stress of practicing bankruptcy law. Since that time, her message about the urgency of wellness for lawyers has resonated throughout the industry, thanks in large part to her best-selling book, The Anxious Lawyer. She is a regular contributor to legal and traditional media, and she also speaks and offers training and workshops to law firms and bar associations around the country. Listen in to today’s conversation to learn about: - Jeena’s journey to law—which was inspired by a long-running TV show. - How her meditation practice started. - When she realized mindfulness had broader application to the well-being issues facing legal professionals, and how it can make the profession more inclusive.

Today’s guest is Michael Rynowecer, president and founder of The BTI Consulting Group. For more than 30 years, Michael has helped service organizations enhance their performance by looking at every angle of the client relationship through the lens of the client experience. He has conducted and analyzed more than 20,000 one-on-one interviews with C-level executives to discover their expectations, needs, priorities, preferences, and opinions about outside counsel. This research has established BTI as the industry leader in delivering insights on how clients acquire, manage, and evaluate their law firm—and has been very influential in shaping how we think about client service today. Join us today for a fascinating conversation on: - How Michael's love of music helped him learn how to become a great writer. - The impact of “the great resignation” on client relationships. - His number one tip to improve client service post-pandemic.

Today’s guest is Stephanie Corey, a true pioneer in the field of legal operations. She started her career in business and finance, but became the first legal ops professional in Silicon Valley when she assumed that role for HP. She then co-founded and is a former executive member of the leading legal operations trade organization CLOC—the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium. Today Stephanie is a co-founder of UpLevel Ops, a consulting firm specializing in providing services for in-house legal departments and law firms. Join us as we explore: - The evolution of legal operations—from budgeting to a true business focus for legal. - How the culture at HP created the perfect conditions for innovation in the law department. - The role of serendipity in driving change.

Today’s guest is Jordan Furlong, a legal industry analyst who has been writing, thinking, and speaking about the intersection of law and business for more than 20 years. As the mastermind behind Law21, he is on the constant lookout for critical new developments and emerging patterns in the legal services ecosystem. He uses these insights to advise legal organizations on how to plan their strategies and achieve their goals. Listen in as we discuss: • Jordan’s fascinating take on “lawyer formation”—the education and development of practicing lawyers. • What he sees as the gaps in training, and how those influenced his own path in the industry. • How Jordan is working toward a better future for the legal profession and the society it serves, and why it takes persistence, politeness, and understanding.

Today we welcome back our first two-time guest, the one and only Susan Hackett, for another enjoyable discussion about life, law, and business. For those of you who don’t know her, Susan is the CEO of Legal Executive Leadership, LLC, and was vice president and general counsel of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) for more than 20 years. While at the ACC, she presided over the creation of the Value Challenge, designed to recognize the in-house teams and outside counsel who are driving value in legal spending. Today Susan is part of a number of entrepreneurial pursuits focused on the improvement of the legal profession. Listen in to today’s conversation to learn about: • Susan’s take on the evolving role of the general counsel in in-house legal departments. • Her recent work on programming for In-House Focus. • The ramifications of a different mindset by the GC—and what that means for service providers.

Today's guest has a fascinating in-house role, and is a leading voice for the LGBTQ+ community in the legal industry. Wesley Bizzell serves as senior assistant general counsel and managing director of Political Law and Ethics Programs, External Affairs for Altria Client Services, Inc. He oversees a comprehensive compliance program covering the regulation of government affairs, providing advice and guidance on political law compliance for more than 75 jurisdictions. Just as important for our purposes, Wesley is incredibly active in promoting diversity and inclusion within the legal and corporate communities. He is a founding member and serves on the steering committee for Altria’s LGBTQ+ employee research group, and is the immediate past president of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Join us as we talk: - All things in-house. - How the pandemic affected his work. - LGBTQ+ inclusion.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Pioneers and Pathfinders, we present this “best of” episode, featuring our first guest, Dr. Heidi Gardner. Dr. Gardner is a distinguished fellow at Harvard Law School’s Center on the Legal Profession and faculty chair of the school’s Accelerated Leadership Program and Sector Leadership Masterclass. She is also the best-selling author of Smart Collaboration and noted thought leader on the topics of collaboration, lateral hiring, in-house legal teams, leadership, and performance. Dr. Gardner’s work creates a roadmap for collaboration among lawyers who are by both disposition and training, highly autonomous. Listen in for a discussion of how working virtually has enhanced collaboration, the specific barriers to collaboration in legal, and the erosion of trust during the pandemic. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Today's guest is Matthew Stubenberg. Matthew is the associate director of legal technology at Harvard Law School's Access to Justice Lab, and president of MDLegalApps. Early on in his career, he recognized the power of pairing technology with public service, and he committed himself to exploring that potential. Shortly after graduating from the University of Maryland Law School, Matthew created a number of technology applications that increased access to justice for thousands of Marylanders and helped many thousands more navigate the Maryland court system and public court records, surfacing data that has been used to defend clients and shape reform measures. Listen in to learn more about: - Matthew's path in legal technology. - Why he is a firm believer that lawyers should learn to code.

Today's guest is Laura Safdie. Laura is the chief operating officer at Casetext, whose products include the number one-rated legal research platform Casetext Research, an all-in-one research and drafting print platform Compose, and Parallel Search, which offers the first application of concept-based search for the law. Laura joined Casetext after stints at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, the US Senate Judiciary Committee, and a clerkship in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Like a number of our past guests, she graduated from Yale Law School and later made the leap from Big Law to the legal tech startup life. Laura currently sits on the advisory board of OneJustice, a California legal aid nonprofit. She provides strategic guidance in the development and implementation of OneJustice’s innovative programs and in OneJustice’s growth. Join us as we talk about: - Why Laura chose a career in law. - How she made the jump from Big Law to the startup world. - All of the exciting things that Casetext is doing.