In today’s episode of CLOC Talk, recorded in person at CGI 2024 in Las Vegas, Jenn sits down for an in-depth conversation with Travis Zimbelman, a legal ops and tech in-house professional with a diverse career background from international business consultancy to roles in Google and Meta. His most recent role had him leading Meta’s legal and compliance central services team.  

They discussed the evolution of Travis’ last role and team which included project management, technology, legal operations, and elements of community and connection. 

The conversation is a story of growth, going from a team of five to dozens of employees.  A story of integration of the technology component, and a reminder of the importance of project management, learning and development within legal operations.  

Travis elaborates on the impact of generative AI and how we should all consider the proof of concept first before adopting in our workflows.  

Working at a FAANG company and legal department is a learning experience in itself. Want to find out what it's like inside the likes of Netflix, Google, or Meta? Look no further! 

Enjoy this fascinating conversation and uncover strategies for embracing change, curiosity, and partnerships while maintaining human-centered change management!

In this episode of CLOC Talk, recorded live from CGI 2024 in Las Vegas, Jenn sits down with  Pepe Toriello, from CLOC’s LATAM regional group whose based in Mexico City, and Gui Tocci, leader of CLOC’s Brazil Legal Ops regional chapter.  

They discuss the nuances and challenges of implementing Legal Operations in their regions. Pepe highlights that in Mexico, Legal Ops is often perceived narrowly as technology-focused, specifically on contracts, with general counsels yet to fully adopt it.  

Gui shares that in Brazil, Legal Ops is often mistaken for paralegal work without strategic involvement, and roles blend with other duties due to a lack of dedicated headcount.  

Both emphasize the importance of technology in gaining initial interest and the critical need for a 'translator' role to bridge gaps between legal, IT, and business teams.  

The conversation underscores the foundational stage of Legal Ops in Latin America and the efforts to evolve it toward a more strategic and integrated function. 

So, get ready to travel to LATAM, via Las Vegas, and hear a lively discussion packed with actionable insights. Enjoy! 

Welcome, to this special episode of CLOC Talk, recorded live from the main stage at CGI 2024 in Las Vegas. Host Jenn McCarron had an incredible panel discussion with our closing keynote speaker, Andrew Perlman, Dean of the Suffolk University School of Law, Wendy Butler Curtis, Chief Innovation Officer at Orrick, and Alison Silver, the Global Head of Strategic Operations at Zoom.

We dive into Legal Ops 3.0, or what Jenn is calling this new incarnation of legal operations roles, and how (and where)  they should impact the business.

We also discuss how technology is being integrated into legal practices and the critical role creativity and adaptability play in driving innovation.

Whether you're a seasoned professional or new to the world of legal ops, this conversation is sure to inspire a few forward-thinking strategies.

Enjoy!!

Today on CLOC Talk, Jenn is joined by Harvard Law School faculty member, Professor David Wilkins.

Professor Wilkins identifies the current period as pivotal for the legal profession, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, technological innovations such as AI, and significant demographic shifts, in a world he describes as VUCA, volatile, uncertain, complex, and amorphous.

The two thought leaders also talk about the future of legal ops, where he sees a shift towards creating new value metrics and leveraging technology to address complex, adaptive challenges in an ever-evolving, volatile world.

A special thank you to the Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession and Jerry Ting, CEO at Evisort, who welcomed me as a speaker during their Executive Innovation Summit last month in Cambridge.

Enjoy!

Start your day with an audio guided meditation by Lisa Konie.

Start your day with an audio guided meditation by Lisa Konie.

Start your day with an audio guided meditation by Lisa Konie.

In this special bonus episode of CLOC Talk, guest host, Adam Becker, CLOC Board member and Director of Legal Operations at Cockroach Labs, does a deep dive with Chris Clearfield, an organizational dynamics visionary.

Chris is renowned for helping leaders navigate complexity within their organizations. His work as a coach, consultant, and co-founder of the Clearfield Group underscores his profound understanding of how technical and relational intricacies converge to create unique challenges for industry leaders.

From plane crashes to oil spills and beyond, Chris's insights into smart collaborative problem-solving illuminate paths to success.

You can learn more about Chris at his website: www.clearfieldgroup.com

Today we're diving into a special edition fueled by the vibrant energy of 2023's CLOC Global Institute in Las Vegas. During one of Jenn's Braindate sessions, She punk'd them by pulling them into a podcast recording on-site.

It was great. It was unplanned, and the insights from the group were electric. Our conversation covered everything from the impact of generative AI to the nuances of team dynamics during market shifts.

Join us as we reminisce on this spirited exchange of ideas that were inspired by the conference.

Enjoy the episode, and see you next week in Vegas!!

Start your day with an audio guided meditation by Lisa Konie.

Today in part two of our special episode of CLOC Talk, we are wading through the dynamic world of legal tech. Where failure meets innovation head-on. This week, we're live from Austin, Texas, where we had the privilege to be an official 2024 SXSW interactive panel.

Host Jenn McCarron was joined on stage with, Justin Felder, Senior Manager of Legal Operations at Indeed. com and Jerry Ting, the visionary CEO and co-founder of AI tech company Evisort.

Together, the three legal operations experts journey through the highs and lows of pioneering innovation in the legal tech landscape.

Today on another special episode of CLOC Talk, we are wading through the dynamic world of legal tech. Where failure meets innovation head-on. This week. We're coming at you live from Austin, Texas, where we had the privilege to be an official 2024 SXSW interactive panel.

Host Jenn McCarron was joined on stage with, Justin Felder, Senior Manager of Legal Operations at Indeed. com and Jerry Ting, the visionary CEO and co-founder of AI tech company Evisort.

Together, the three legal operations experts journey through the highs and lows of pioneering innovation in the legal tech landscape.

Join us next week for part two of this SXSW round-up!

In this episode of CLOC Talk, recorded live from CGI 2024 in Las Vegas, guest host Adam Becker, Director of Legal Operations at Cockroach Labs, chats with seasoned legal management and coaching professional, Natalie Loeb, Founder and CEO of LOEB Leadership. 

The discussion highlights the importance of wellness in the legal profession which is critical for an industry know for high standards and a culture of perfectionism. 

Adam and Natalie examine the impact of the billable hour on lawyer well-being, the challenges in seeking help, and the widespread issue of burnout.  

Natalie emphasizes the importance of self-care, leadership modeling wellness practices, and the need for systemic support within organizations.  

If you are looking to up your all-around work-life wellness game, this conversation is for you! Enjoy! 

Welcome to this special episode of CLOC Talk, where host Jenn McCarron went to space via an interview with Astronaut Colonel Eileen Collins.

Colonel Collins was the first woman to pilot and command a NASA space shuttle and author of the book, Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars. This episode is not only about dreams, it's about the discipline and focus needed to reach them, and about literally reaching for the stars.

Onward and upward!!!

On this episode, President of CLOC, Jenn McCarron sits down with the new 2024 CLOC executive leadership team, Farah Pepper, CLOC Vice President and Chief Legal Innovation Counsel at Marsh McLennan, and Frances Pomposo, CLOC Treasurer and Vice President, Legal and Government Affairs, Strategy and Operations at Splunk.

The leadership trio goes deep on the importance of professional communities like CLOC, their goals for this year, and why Taylor Swift will always be the princess of pop. You know the important stuff.

If you haven't bought your tickets for the CLOC Global Institute, May 6th-9th 2024 at the ARIA Resort in Las Vegas, get them. It's going to be lit!!!

Welcome to the first CLOC Talk episode with our new roster of guest hosts. This week's guest host is CLOC Board member Adam Becker,  Director of Legal Operations at Cockroach Labs. Adam is joined by Cash Butler Founder of Clarilegal, to discuss CLOC Core 2, Financial Management. 

The two legal ops leaders emphasize the importance of ensuring that the processes of a legal department align with the overall business goals.

They also chat about the importance of cross-departmental relationships, especially with the finance team. As Jenn McCarron always says, "Legal Ops and Finance Ops teams, are the chocolate and peanut butter of digital transformation."

On this episode, Jenn sits down with her friend and industry pioneer, Mary O'Carroll, Chief Community Officer at Ironclad and quite possibly, the Legal Ops GOAT. (For those still catching up, that’s short for the greatest of all time.) In this conversation, they get real on some of their favorite topics; like how to balance passion with practicality in professional roles, the growth of automated solutions in the legal operations sector, and the importance of continued education as legal ops leaders. 

Finally, they share their strategies for time management as they chase down work-life balance and debate if that is even a real thing.

Enjoy!!

Scratch that, you probably need a dashboard, but trust us you don't need all those widgets.

On this episode, host Jenn McCarron sits down with Jason Barnwell, who leads Digital Transformation and serves as Associate General Counsel at Microsoft.

Jenn and Jason kick off our new CLOC Core 12 series with a conversation that could be its own Business Intelligence course. They go in-depth, discussing the journey of BI, its application in legal tech, and how to navigate the BI journey whether you’re just starting out, or in a more advanced legal ops shop.

Oh and about those dashboards. The two BI experts get into the utility of dashboards, sharing practical tips including how to start simple, and how to answer specific questions. They also share some common pitfalls that happen when you rely on dashboards too much.

Enjoy the show!

WE ARE BACK. Happy New Year. On today's episode, host, and new CLOC President, Jenn McCarron is joined by friend and legal ops colleague Lewis Bretts. The two catch up in NYC this fall after a whirlwind week of conferences. Tune in to hear the two discuss the future of legal ops, their shared skepticism around generative AI, the importance of psychology and so much more! 

Well, we did it! We made it to the finish line for 2023. What a year!!

On today's episode, Jenn sits down with CLOC Talk Producer Drea Bernardi. They recap the year and Jenn reacts to her hallway recordings from CGI and the EMEA Summit. Find out what "Faster Deal Times" really means, in this end-of-year holiday special.

Wishing you all the happiest of holidays.

We will see you in the new year.

In this episode, Jenn is joined by Yesenia "Jessie" Santiago Egner, Legal Operations Strategic Advisor at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies(US). This is a new role for Jessie and she shares her initial tasks in her new role, including a maturity assessment of each competency, and the upcoming presentation of her findings.

This episode covers Jessie's process of familiarizing herself with a new industry, and how she goes about designing a strategic plan. She also highlights the valuable insights she obtained from paralegals and contract managers, emphasizing their potential to drive innovation.

On this episode, we're back at CLOC's 2023 EMEA Summit in London, where Jenn is joined by Wendy Butler Curtis, Chief Innovation Officer at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.

The two leaders continue the 2023 topic of the year, Generative AI and what it all really means for us in legal.

Today we're dropping back into the podcast lounge at CLOC's 2023 EMEA Summit in London where Jenn is joined by Tom Rice, Head of Legal Ops and Customer Experience Strategy at Travel Perk.

There is no magic switch to transform contract technology inside a legal department, but you can get your legal templates and forms in-house in order.

In this episode, Jenn and Tom discuss how Chat GPT and other LLMs may not be a switch, but they come really close to being magic.

Special thanks to our sponsor Knowable.

Sign up HERE for CLOC Talk Updates!!

In today’s episode, Jenn is joined by Laura Dieudonne, fellow CLOC Board Member, and Legal Operations and Administration Director at Delta Airlines. We continue the CLOC Core conversation by diving into the nuances and importance of knowledge management systems (KM) within legal departments.

Laura shares her first-hand experience in establishing a centralized KM platform, starting with a successful pilot program run by the commercial transactions team. The platform helps store templates, responses to routine questions, and key documents, which improves efficiency and self-service access for the legal team.

They also discuss KM challenges such as resistance from seasoned professionals and maintaining up-to-date information. Laura shares her strategies for involving practice group leaders and incentivizing buy-in through incremental steps and executive endorsement.

Join us for this in-depth conversation as we discover the best KM strategies in the legal operations biz. Enjoy!

Thank you to our sponsor Sirion!!

A quick note from host Jenn McCarron.

On today's episode, we are back at CLOC's 2023 EMEA Summit in London, where host Jenn McCarron is joined by guest Amy McConnell, Head of Legal Operations and Business Contracting at Vodafone.

Jenn and Amy get into the perennial topic of contract lifecycle management. These two experts compare notes on our methods for making tech tools that work for humans, not the other way around.

This week on CLOC Talk, CEO and Co-Founder of WOW Legal Experience Karol Valencia joins host Jenn McCarron for a colorful conversation on the most elusive of all unicorns, the legal design unicorn.

If you have been in the comments on LinkedIn lately you have heard Jenn's thoughts on the topic of legal design.

This conversation with Karol may have changed her mind on a few things.

And one more thing, does everyone in Legal Ops have a side gig as a musician?

Alex Kelly is not just the host of the In-House Outliers Podcast, he is also COO and Co-Founder at Brightflag and one of our favorite guests at CLOC Talk. In this state of the legal ops podcast scene, Jenn and Alex connect and discuss all of their favorite topics at the CLOC Talk Podcast Lounge at this year's EMEA Summit.

Thank you to our friends at Icertis for sponsoring this episode.

In this week's episode, Jenn is joined by the Chief Evangelist at Icertis Bernadette Bulacan. The two legal tech innovators, get skeptical together about generative AI. They wonder, did attorneys ever really get on board with classic AI? Find out what they think and more on this episode of CLOC Talk. 

Thank you to Icertis for sponsoring this episode.

On this episode, we kick off our series of interviews from the podcast lounge at CLOC's 2023 EMEA Summit in London. Caroline Hill, editor-in-chief at The Legal IT Insider, joins CLOC Talk host Jenn McCarron to talk about the history of legal operations.

https://legaltechnology.com/

In this episode, we're going to the main stage of our 2023 CLOC EMEA Summit in London. Jenn is joined by Bernadette Bulacan Starin, Chief Evangelist at Icertis,  Aine Lyons, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at VMware, and CLOC Board member, and Andrew Perlman, Dean at Suffolk University Law School.

This is the episode to catch if you are having EMEA FOMO. It’s full of juicy debates on the world's newest rockstar technology Generative AI.

In this special episode of CLOC Talk, Jenn steps out of the office and into the music studio with Michael Morrison, Senior Client Manager at Priori. In this casual conversation between two friends, they catch up on their shared love for music, legal tech, and everything in between.

And according to Michael, the word is vibe.

In today's episode, Jenn sits down with frequent CLOC Talk cohost, Tommie Ferreira, Head of Legal Ops at Cedar, and guest Ihor Monostraisky, Head of Legal at BetterMe, a lawyer and legal ops professional based in Ukraine.

We get into the weeds about strategy and knowledge management as Ihor takes us through how he and his team are scaling themselves and accelerating business over at BetterMe.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking for the inside scoop on how one company handles knowledge management.

Thank you to our sponsor, Diligent, the world's leading GRC platform.

In this special episode of CLOC Talk, Jenn is joined by her mentor Steve Harmon, Chief Operating Officer and general counsel at Elevate. Steve was a founding board member of CLOC and Jenn’s old boss at Cisco.

In this very personal mentorship conversation, Jenn and Steve go deep into what makes a great mentor, and they reminisce how Steve got Jenn to put the guitar down and join the dark side of this legal tech and operations.

Today we’re discussing Practice Operations in the latest episode of our CLOC CORE series. Jenn sits down with Kelli Brooks, a Senior Solutions Architect at Coinbase, and Kyle Kelly, founder and CEO of Zubu AI, and formerly an in-house litigation tech program manager at companies like Coinbase and Salesforce.

We go inside how to operationalize a legal practice area like litigation. We explore the critical balance between core and context work, the challenges of managing tech implementations, and the pivotal role of legal operations in optimizing workflows.

We'll also get into the strategic deployment of legal tech solutions and the importance of clearly defined roles and responsibilities within projects using RACI tools.

Join us for this fascinating conversation as we uncover strategies for managing legal practice operations, especially in the fast-paced tech industry. You won't want to miss it!

Special thanks to Sirion for sponsoring this episode!

This week Jenn is joined by Aine Lyons, fellow CLOC board member, and Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at VMware to chat about the CLOC 2023 EMEA Summit, September 18 and 19 at the Royal Lancaster in London.

You will love this jam-packed conversation between Aine and Jenn, as they discuss the launch of the CLOC European Advisory Committee, the themes of this year's summit, and luxury pajama shopping in NYC.

Tickets are still available.

See you there!!

On this episode of CLOC Talk, Jenn is joined by Julie Richer, Director of Legal Operations at Bath and Body Works, and Kim Wolfe, Head of Legal Business Management at Wells Fargo Bank.

This trio of longtime legal ops professionals breaks down how they implement change management at their organizations.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who wants the inside scoop on how to scale their team, get buy-in and speed up the change management clock.

In this episode, Jenn sits down with IN-Q, an Emmy-nominated poet, multi-platinum songwriter, and the best-selling author of Inquire Within, after his incredible keynote at CGI 2023.

They discuss Jenn's vulnerability hangover, personal transformation, and how all change management starts with personal change.

Very special thanks to Ironclad for sponsoring this podcast!

This week, attorney turned social media strategist and personal branding expert, Sameena Safdar, joins Jenn to chat about all the reasons why you, yes you, need to develop a personal brand.

In this practical and instructive discussion, Sameena shares her three-step process for building your personal brand.

This week, Jenn chats with Justin Felder, Senior Manager of Legal Operations at Indeed, about how to be a rockstar intrapreneur at your company.

They discuss resilience, restraint, and what it takes to innovate within the walls of your existing job.

On this episode, Jenn sits down with fellow CLOC Board member and Head of Legal Operations at Delta Airlines, Laura Dieudonne, HRM AAS, to announce CLOC's inaugural Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging Council.

This council will be led by Laura and consists of 14 volunteer members who share a common ethos, boldly pursuing equity internally at CLOC and externally in our legal ops ecosystem.

Special thanks to all of our guests on this episode, Mark Allen, R. Shawn Gross (he/him), and Kunoor Chopra.

The CLOC EMEA summit is right around the corner! Don't forget to get your passes to this incredible event! Tickets are on sale now at CLOC.org.

Do you have a tech stack? Do you want one?

In this episode, host Jenn McCarron and co-host Tommie Ferreira get technical with the Sr. Director of Legal Operations at Microsoft, Tom Orrision. 

Learn about Tom's insane Microsoft tech stack, and why you probably don't need all the things they have. 

If you haven't already, get your passes to CLOC EMEA 2023 in London this September 18th - 19th. Early bird pricing is still in effect until August 15th, 2023.

In this episode Jenn sits down with the OG's of the legal ops industry podcast space, Alex Rosenrauch and Elliot Leibu to discuss the state of the state of legal operations.

They share about an inspired train ride in 2019 after the CLOC Australia Institute (yes that's a thing!) where the idea for their podcast was born. Jenn gets the full rundown on what they are seeing in the space and where they think the future of legal is ops going!

If you haven't already, get your passes to CLOC EMEA 2023 in London this September 18th - 19th. Early bird pricing is still in effect until August 15th, 2023.

Mary O’Carroll, Chief Community Officer at Ironclad, and CLOC Talk host Jenn McCarron catch up with a real talk session in Vegas at CGI 2023. With these two, what happens in Vegas, does not stay in Vegas.

In this episode, we talk to Mary about her standing-room-only sessions at this year's CLOC Global Institute, and why she's pumped about how generative AI will disrupt legal for the better.

You don't want to miss this catch-up between two legal ops icons.

Thank you to our sponsor for this episode LegalBillReview.com.

Listeners across the pond, have you bought your tickets to EMEA yet? Early bird pricing is in effect!! Register Here!!

This week we join host Jenn McCarron as she debriefs with keynote speaker, podcast host, and activist Baratunde Thurston on the topic of transformation.

Those of us who work in legal operations deal with professional and corporate transformations daily. In this super honest conversation, Jenn and Bartunde reflect on their personal transformations that began with the shutdown in 2020 and how they are moving forward after all that change.

Check out Bartunde's podcast How to Citizen wherever you get your podcasts.

Special thanks to our sponsor KPMG. Find them at www.kpmglaw.com

Today Jenn welcomes Katrina Gowans, Director of Legal Operations & Senior Legal Counsel at IFM Investors, and Anna Golovsky, Executive Manager of Legal and Company Secretariat Operations at IAG … both of whom lead the CLOC Australia chapter. The three CLOC leaders sit down to discuss their point of view on the current state of legal operations Down Under. 

And if you are wondering why they have an audience, this conversation kicked off our live programming from the CLOC Talk stage at our 2024 Global Institute in Las Vegas. We chatted about all of the greatest hits of legal operations, like knowledge management, matter management, CLM, and the adoption of new technologies, and yes, we even touched on the prevailing topic, generative AI. 

I can’t wait to see these two powerhouses again next month when I travel to the CLOC APAC Summit, happening on August 20-21st in Sydney. See you there!!

Special thanks to Icertis for sponsoring this episode.

In this week's episode host Jenn McCarron, Director of Legal Operations and Technology at Netflix, sits down with Brian Meegan, Director of Sales and Marketing at ProSearch. to chat about wellness at work.

Brian reveals how ProSearch measures and analyzes the staff's experience with their products and designs solutions to improve their happiness and engagement. This progressive approach, utilizing technology, data, and social science, showcases a glimpse into the future of work. People managers this is a must listen.

Many thanks to ProSearch for sponsoring Wellness at CGI 2023.

Welcome to season two of CLOC Talk! Today's episode comes at you LIVE from the CLOC Global Institute (CGI) main stage.

Join host Jenn McCarron, Director of Legal Operations & Technology at Netflix as she goes deep into the dark night of the soul with panel guests Virginia Griffith of LegalBillReview,  Jennifer Mattson of Nationwide, and Carl Morrison of modCounsel.

This episode is sponsored by LegalBillReview.

Legal Ops HEROS. How about that CLOC Global Institute? Have you recovered yet? Our host Jenn McCarron drops in for a quick update on the next season of CLOC Talk.

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Join us for a peaceful start to your day with Morning Meditations, hosted by Warrior One and Powered by the CLOC Talk Podcast.