Pioneers and Pathfinders

Today's guest, David Wilkins, is one of the foremost thinkers on the legal profession today. Though he’s had many significant roles and accomplishments in the legal field, his resume doesn't capture his inspirational story or the enormity of his contributions to the profession. Nor does it captures his intellect, quick wit, warm personality, or joyful presence. He’s without a doubt the most recognizable voice in the legal industry today. Listen in to our conversation to hear about: - David’s journey from the South Side of Chicago as the son and grandson of Black lawyers, to his clerkship with Thurgood Marshall, and eventual decision to enter teaching at Harvard. - How he thinks lawyers can help solve the huge problems facing humanity, against a backdrop of looming generational change, digitization, and technology. - Why he thinks the legal profession needs a more sophisticated focus on the care and development of our people in the same way as many other industries are doing.

As buyers of legal services, in-house counsel are in a powerful position when it comes to legal industry innovation. Today’s guest, Kristen Cook, has used that position to do remarkable things as vice president and deputy general counsel at 7-Eleven. Kristen has been at the forefront of transforming how legal services are procured, how services are delivered back to the organization, and using Lean to improve legal operations. Her work has been recognized across the industry, including two ACC Value Champion awards which recognize how value is enhanced through the use of people, processes, technology, and data innovations. Listen in to hear: - How Lean Six Sigma shaped Kristen's career path and inspired her approach to legal operations. - The role of data in creating value for her department and for 7-Eleven. - How Kristen plans on integrating lessons of COVID-19 to create the cutting-edge legal department of the future.

Today’s guest is a longtime friend of Seyfarth, Susan Lambreth. Susan is a founding principal at LawVision and is nationally recognized as one of the top leadership, practice group, and project management consultants for law firms. She is also the chair and founder of the LPM Institute, a leading resource for educating law firms and law departments on implementing project management in their organizations. Susan has been extremely influential in shaping the business of Big Law for many years now. She is one of the true trailblazers of legal project management, and many of today’s law firm project management offices can trace their origins back to her pioneering work. In fact, Seyfarth teamed up with Susan in the early 2000s, as we were strengthening our practice group structure. Listen in to today’s conversation to learn more about: - Susan’s take on how project management and process improvement are related, but different skill sets, and how they interact with one another in today's environment. - What types of people are taking on the LPM role and the experience they bring to the table. - And what the current war for allied professional talent says about the industry.

Today’s guest is a departure from our typical slate of legal industry change agents. Over the course of 23 interviews, we have focused on the unique journeys of our guests, which is—by its nature—a backward-looking endeavor. Join us as we take a look into the future with world-renowned futurist Ross Dawson, to help shed light on the path ahead. Ross recently joined Seyfarth for an exclusive conversation on The Future of the World of Work. During part one of this special two-part series, he discussed the big trends shaping the future of workforces. In part two of the conversation, Seyfarth attorneys will focus on the legal implications and issues that organizations should consider as workplaces evolve. Until then, listen to today's episode to learn: - What Ross means by "the individual economy" and why this means organizations should give workers more choices. - What the shift to remote work means in terms of the way we think about ourselves as workers, as humans, and as connected individuals. - And why Ross continues to be an optimist about the future, even at a time when technology is exacerbating polarization.

Today’s guest is the one and only Bill Henderson. In his day job, he’s a professor of law at Indiana University Maurer School of Law where he holds the Stephen F. Burns Chair on the Legal Profession. Bill is a prolific writer and speaker on the legal market who is well known for assembling some of the best and brightest thinkers on the legal industry in his blog, Legal Evolution. Bill has been a longtime friend of Seyfarth, and he's worked with the firm on our own innovation journey. Listen in to today’s conversation to hear: - How Bill's outsider perspective as a firefighter and paramedic shaped his career in the law and colored his assessment of law firm hierarchy. - How a simple proposal to teach a class on the business of law firms in 2003 revolutionized the law firm curriculum. - And why he thinks the legal market today is a lot like the automotive market of the turn of the 20th century.

Long before the pandemic raised the curtain on issues of workplace flexibility, today’s guest was leading the way in changing how law firms think about flexibility, and how they can best use it to drive performance, productivity, and innovation. Manar Morales is president and CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance—a think tank dedicated to helping organizations create inclusive cultures that advance diversity and flexibility in order to attract and retain top talent. Seyfarth has long supported the mission of DFA. In 2020, Seyfarth had the honor of receiving DFA’s Tipping the Scales Award. And in 2016, when our host Steve Poor was chair of the firm, DFA gave him the Flex Leader Award in recognition of his leadership in creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace through holistic flexibility. More recently, Seyfarth has partnered with DFA on The Belonging Project, a national effort to combat the impact of COVID-19 on diversity in the profession. Listen to learn: -Why Manar uses the term “holistic flexibility” to differentiate between the “reduced hours” approach to flexibility traditionally used by many firms. -Why she says flexibility must be de-gendered, de-parented, and destigmatized. -What advice Manar gives to her clients as they contemplate implementing hybrid work policies into work models based on co-location.

While we give our guests a summer break, Steve shares some of his favorite moments from the podcast so far, and some thoughts from his own journey that were triggered by the conversations with our guests. Today's episode is on the topic of the pioneering journey itself. By revisiting our past interviews, we will explore the commonalities among the paths of our guests and see what lessons can be extracted for our own journeys. In many ways, each one of our guests has followed the beat of their own drummer. Yet, in listening to their various stories, certain patterns begin to emerge. Some, like Steve, have followed a more traditional trajectory, using that trajectory to change the way we think about the delivery of legal services from inside the system. Others have started on what appears to be a traditional path, but at some point veered into other directions, becoming legal tech startup founders, alternative service provider pioneers, and change agents in other parts of the legal ecosphere. Today, we will hear highlights of our guests’ journeys, with emphasis on: - The “aha” moment that can send careers in a different direction. - The role of curiosity and an abiding interest in improving the way things work. - The incredibly simple belief that can unlock entirely new ways of thinking, doing things, and new ways to transform the profession. Be sure to listen to the end for three key takeaways that pioneers can use at any point of their journey. Quoted guests include: Jacqueline Schafer Jason Barnwell Alex Su Christian Lang Cat Moon Dan Linna Heidi Gardner Jae Um

While we give our guests a summer break, Pioneers and Pathfinders will release three recap episodes in August with highlights from our first 22 episodes. In each recap, Steve will share some of his favorite moments from the podcast so far, and some thoughts from his own journey that were triggered by the conversations with our guests. In today’s second recap, Steve takes a deep dive into the role of storytelling in the innovation journey. If you've ever read a book to a child or become immersed in a fictional world, you know the power of storytelling and the impact it has on people. The impact isn’t just the product of pictures and words. Stories are a tool for passing on knowledge and cultural values and norms. For pioneers specifically, they can be used to explore and resolve conflict, to make novel ideas more accessible, to build strong memories, and to reduce resistance and anxiety. That's why many of our Pioneers and Pathfinders guests have tended to be excellent storytellers and make such fantastic guests. And for a podcast about personal journeys, it's not surprising that storytelling has been a theme. Listen to this episode for: -How storytelling creates heroes—and why you should make systematic storytelling a part of your change management program -Using storytelling to increase engagement by connecting effort to results -Leveraging the natural traits of the lawyer for more effective storytelling -Why knowing your audience is the most important first step -Why lawyers need to move from storytelling to marketing to selling -Using storytelling to build a community and shine a light on the path forward Quoted guests include: -Jason Barnwell -Jae Um -Dr. Larry Richard -Alex Su -Michele DeStefano -Joe Borstein

While we give our guests a summer break, Pioneers and Pathfinders will release three recap episodes in August with highlights from our first 22 episodes. In each recap, Steve wills hare some of his favorite moments from the podcast so far, and some thoughts from his own journey that were triggered by the conversations with our guests. For our first recap, we explore the topic of innovation itself—a concept that came up frequently, given our focus on pioneers and pathfinders. In light of how how much has changed in the last two years, many of our guests mused on the meaning of the word "innovation," how their work has evolved, and where the industry should go next. At at time when the practice of law looks very different—at least at a superficial level—what does it mean to be innovative? Are there more innovative techniques being deployed now? And how can we become more innovative, both as a profession, and as individuals? Listen to this episode for: • The definition of innovation in 2021 • The role of problem definition in innovation • Why innovation is everyone's job • Tips and tools for becoming more innovative This recap features highlights of our interviews with the following guests. Listen to their full episodes for more insights. Dr. Heidi Gardner Cat Moon Jae Um Jason Barnwell Lucy Bassli Susan Hackett Nicole Bradick Michle DeStefano

When we use the term “pioneer” in the name of this podcast, we're talking about those who blazed a trail for others to follow and hopefully improve upon. No one fits that description better than today's guest, Jeff Carr. While GC of FMC Technologies, Jeff launched the ACES program—what was then a novel way of pricing legal services. Now, he’s in what he calls “R3" status: recently re-retired. It's really not surprising that someone with a career as varied as Jeff’s, and with as many diverse interests, would have a hard time with traditional retirement, but over the years, he’s had several general counsel jobs and had an extensive career as a lawyer. Jeff has been a leading advocate for efficiency, process, and legal service delivery. Like so many of our guests, he has had a fascinating path, following many interests—from music, to nuclear war theory, and now, racecar driving. Listen in to today's conversation to hear how learning that he wouldn't make partner was a cathartic moment, how his wife kept him from joining the JAG corps, how he used his leverage as GC to demand change from outside counsel, and why you'll never hear him use the word “client.”