In-House Outliers

Recorded live at the 2023 CLOC Global Institute in Las Vegas, this episode features special guests Denise Doyle (Managing Director of Legal Operations, modCounsel) and Farrah Pepper (Chief Legal Innovation Counsel, Marsh McLennan). During her conversation with Alex Kelly, Denise shared some key advice for legal ops leaders that are in the early stages of developing their organization's legal operations function, and spoke on how law firms can collaborate more effectively with their clients. Farrah stopped by to share her insights on the importance of saying "yes" to new professional challenges, and traced her career journey to legal operations. She also spoke a bit about how she worked her way up to becoming CLOC's current Vice President.

In-House Outliers kicks off its 2023 CLOC Global Institute podcast series with a live episode featuring Contentful's Director of Legal Operations Ashley Adams and Epiq's Senior Consultant Brenda Hansen. Ashley joined Alex Kelly to discuss how she got her start working in legal operations, how she developed her expertise at public speaking, and her CGI presentation about the keys to building a legal ops function from the ground up. Brenda shared her thoughts about some of the broader trends within the legal operations space, outlining important first steps for transforming an organization's approach to legal spend management. She also offered insights into her key takeaways from CGI, including her opinions on the future role of A.I. and other legal tech innovations.

Alex Su, Head of Community Development at Ironclad, joins Alex Kelly on the podcast this week for a conversation about his unconventional career journey, which led him from law school to sales to his current role—and helped him hone his creativity and skills as a social media guru. Alex also discussed his thoughts on A.I.'s future place in the legal field, and underscored the philosophical differences between how law firms and corporate legal teams approach technology and innovation.

Andrew Stephens, General Counsel at MongoDB, joins Alex Kelly this week for a conversation about leadership, and the keys to forming meaningful connections with your colleagues. Andrew also discussed his thoughts about legal operations, why he enjoys working for growth stage tech companies, and the fascinating details of his career journey.

Helen Lowe, Head of Operations, General Counsel's Office at easyJet, joins Alex Kelly this week for a conversation about the importance of keeping a level head in any situation, and how a strong willingness to lend a hand is the mark of a good leader. Helen also shared insights into her own professional journey, and how her early-career experiences helped strengthen her ability to crystallize information and easily identify solutions to whatever challenges come her way.

Lenor Marquis, Head of Litigation Operations at Hitachi Energy, joined Alex Kelly this week for a conversation about her career journey. Lenor discussed the key differences between working for firms and working in-house, the specific skills needed for leading litigation, and her thoughts on the benefits of legal technology.

Lisa Lang, Vice President and General Counsel at Ohio Northern University, joins Alex this week to share insights from her unconventional career path, which led her from a role as a legal specialist in the military to her current position as General Counsel. Lisa also shared her thoughts on key skills she had to acquire in order to make her professional transitions as seamless and rewarding as possible.

Kate Carlile, Chief Legal Officer at Toll, joins Alex Kelly this week to discuss the biggest differences between working as an in-house lawyer and working with a firm. Kate also underscored the importance of having a broad knowledge base, and why a strong understanding of finances can help ease an in-house legal team’s cross-collaborations.

Sandy MacDonnell, Senior Manager of Legal Operations at DocuSign, joins Alex Kelly this week for a conversation about the benefits of professional development, and how leveraging her experience working in Product Marketing has helped elevate her legal operations work. Sandy also discussed the importance of maintaining a sense of your work’s broader purpose, and learning to connect with your colleagues.

Jo Vong, Legal Operations Manager at Plaid, joins Alex Kelly this week to discuss the evolution of legal technology and Jo’s career journey in the field of legal operations. Jo also shared insights into the importance of viewing mistakes as opportunities for personal grow.