In-House Outliers

On this episode, Stano Gejdos (Global Category Manager at Syngenta) joined Alex Kelly for a discussion about the key learnings Stano has applied to legal operations from his experience working in procurement. Stano also shared tips for implementing alternative fee arrangements, and discussed the importance of evaluating the ROI of all the legal department's processes to improve cost savings and efficiency.

On this episode, Ashlee Best (Founder of Compass Legal Operations and Wellness) joins Alex Kelly to discuss how her IT background led her on a very unique journey to the field of legal operations. Ashlee also shares her thoughts on how legal tech can transform the legal ops function, and her goal of making health, wellness, and balance a focus for those working in the industry.

On this episode, Kristen Hart (Senior Paralegal, Corporate and Legal Operations at Vantage Risk Companies) joins Alex Kelly to discuss the challenges of establishing new processes within legal departments, and how strong communication between legal ops professionals and the General Counsel can help. Kristen also shares insights from her own legal ops career journey, and how others in the industry can find opportunities to continue to grow professionally.

On this episode, Brightflag's Chief Customer Officer Kevin Cohn returns to share his annual legal ops and legal tech predictions for 2024. Kevin also recaps his 2023 predictions, and offers insights into the role of A.I. within legal departments in the year ahead, what the future holds for legal operations hiring and compensation, and more.

On this episode, Alisa De Dominicis (VP Global, Legal, and E&C Operations at Rimini Street) joined Alex Kelly to discuss the various skill sets—from project management to technology integration—that go into being an effective legal operations leader. Alisa also shared insights into her career journey, and underscored some of the data that CEOs seek out from legal teams, as well as how that data is collected.

On this episode, Legal Operations Leader Laurie David-Henric joined Alex Kelly for a discussion about the importance of creating your own career opportunities by seeking out professional challenges, and how that mindset helped her build out the legal operations functions in the various roles she has held. Laurie also shared insights into how she has helped legal teams maximize limited resources through data, and the importance of cross-collaboration when working in legal ops.

On this episode, Kimberly Williams (Head of Legal Operations at SMBC Group) joined Alex Kelly for a conversation about her professional journey, and how it led her from working as an Associate to leading the legal operations function at her organization. Kimberly also discussed the keys to making legal technology implementations work, and how gathering the right data makes effective resourcing possible.

On this episode, Victoria Swedjemark (Founder of Glowmind) joined Alex Kelly to discuss her professional experiences working in both business and legal roles—and how each function ultimately inspired her interest in exploring the legal operations and consulting field. Victoria also shared her thoughts on how the legal ops mindset can evolve, and stressed the importance of legal leaders pushing the boundaries of what their teams can do.

On this episode, Curt McDaniel (Chief Legal Officer at Ferring Pharmaceuticals) joined Alex Kelly for an in-depth discussion about how he went about implementing his organization's first legal operations role, and the importance of embracing new technological advancements in the field of legal work. Curt also discussed the impacts of using data to spot inefficiencies, his career journey, and his passion for writing.

On this episode, Mark Allen (Director of Legal & Compliance Operations and Strategy at Zillow) joined Alex Kelly to discuss how legal ops professionals can tactfully implement change within a legal department—even when it might initially seem uncomfortable. Mark also shared insights into some strategies he's used to negotiate with outside counsel, discussed his remarkable career journey, and underscored the importance of advocating for DE&I initiatives in the field of legal ops.