CLOC Talk (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium)

Marie Widmer, Senior Legal Operations Manager, Technology at Hubspot, slides into host Jenn McCarron's LinkedIn DM's for a legal ops pep-talk that leaves Jenn asking who was supposed to be mentoring who.

Don't forget to buy your tickets to CGI Vegas 2023. On sale now!!

Tech, Transformation and The Meaning of Life. That is what CLOC Talk is all about. To celebrate CGI next week, we are updating our look. In this quick mini-episode, Jenn introduces our new look and sends a major shout-out to designer Stephanie Player.

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!

Industry leaders, Jenn McCarron and Mary O'Carroll are back sharing their unfiltered thoughts and hot takes. Listen in to their chat on:

• What they're reading
• HOT TAKE: Where you should really start
• Why lawyers hate CLM
• Career paths

A special thank you to our CLOC Talk Live from London sponsors, Pinsent Masons.

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!!

This is episode 2 in the 3 part mini-episode series CLOC is releasing in collaboration with EY Law, titled The Art of the Possible.

In this episode, CLOCTalk host, Jenn McCarron is joined by Barb Rogers, Vice President Global Contracts at Honeywell, and Kyle McNeil, EY Americas CLM Leader, where they discuss strategies for implementing an enterprise contract lifecycle management system including including how to have impact, where to start, and common roadblocks.

A special thank you to EY Law for developing and supporting this series.

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 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 Febraury 2021, CLOC launched a major transformational initiative inviting the entire legal ecosystem to join CLOC and be part of the movement to progress the business of law. Jenn McCarron, Director of Legal Operations & Technology at Netflix sits down with Mary O'Carroll, CLOC Board President and Director of Legal Ops at Google and Betsi Roach, Executive Director at CLOC to dig into what this means, how it came about, and why it matters.

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.

Jenn McCarron sits down with Legal Ops 101 speaker, Adam Becker and attendee, Camilla Berglund to discuss easy and early wins for the new legal ops professional. Their conversation covers:

• The objective of CLOC's Legal Ops 101 foundational training
• Leaning in and learning from the legal ops community
• Leveraging small moments to demonstrate your expertise

A special thank you to our CLOC Talk Live from London sponsors, Pinsent Masons.

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!

Jenn catches up with MIT-educated product developer and friend Dave Bredesen about the future of AI. Dave has some new thoughts about large language models and how they may change how we work in the future. Spoiler Alert: It's awesome.

This episode is the final in a 3-part series we are releasing in collaboration with EY Law titled “The Art of the Possible”. In this conversation CLOC Talk Host, Jenn McCarron is joined by Eric Elfman, CEO at Onit, and Duc Tran, Senior Manager, EY Law – Legal Function Consulting, where the discuss they evolution of matter management and how legal teams can successfully implement and leverage it across departments.

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.

This special episode of CLOC Talk comes straight from the main stage of our APAC Summit 2024 in Sydney. It features a closing panel discussion on how generative AI is influencing legal ecosystems. Moderated by Terri Mottershead, Executive Director at Centre for Legal Innovation, the participants engage in a lively debate over whether AI will fundamentally change pricing models for legal services. They are: 

• Anna Golovsky, Executive Manager, Legal & Company Secretariat Operations at IAG 
• Petra Stirling, Head of Operations & Transformation at Westpac Group Legal 
• Genevieve Collins, Chief Executive Partner at Lander & Rogers, and 
• Michelle Mahoney, Chief Innovation Officer at King & Wood Mallesons  

The panelists adopt playful 'rap names' and present arguments both for and against AI significantly altering pricing structures.  

They discuss challenges, the ongoing shift toward collaborative practices between law firms and in-house counsel, tech vendors, as well as evolving relationship dynamics.  

Tune in as the panelists reflect and engage with the live audience on the role of digital literacy and AI in transforming legal ecosystems. 

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! 

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.

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!

This special episode of CLOC Talk includes a sample of the hit 2021 Virtual EMEA Summit Session, How to Fail Fast and Pivot: Lessons from the Legal Ops Front Lines. In this honest and impactful session, CLOC Talk host Jenn McCarron, Michael Grupp, Dan Yi, and Maurus Schreyvogel all shared a key moment of failure and how they learned and grew from it.

In this episode of CLOC Talk, Jenn sits down with Nancy Rademaker, Co-Founder of Drawify & Speakers Club, and our brilliant opening keynote at our EMEA 2024 Summit in London.  

They discuss how AI can solve business challenges by improving efficiency and reducing manual tasks, as well as the importance of identifying the right problems before deploying AI solutions.   

Nancy touches on the role of AI in enhancing employee engagement and well-being by pointing it at preventing productivity loss and solving knowledge management issues. 

Tune in as Jenn and Nancy share insights on generational differences in adapting AI tools, the potential of augmented intelligence, and how emerging technologies like brain-computer interfaces could revolutionize various fields! 

Special thanks to our sponsor Docusign for this episode! 

In this episode of CLOC Talk, recorded live at CGI 2024, Jenn sits down with Sheila Dusseau and Sean Houston, Europe region leaders, to discuss their experiences and insights as part of the founding advisory council in Europe.  

They delve into how legal operations in Europe differs from the U.S., focusing on resource constraints and the drive for efficient processes. Sheila and Sean highlight the necessity of strategic thinking, humility, and integrity in hiring for legal ops roles and emphasize the importance of communication, storytelling, and questioning the status quo as essential skills.  

You don’t want to miss this discussion as they emphasize their commitment to advancing the legal operations field in the Europe region! Enjoy!  

As the CLOC EMEA Summit wraps, Jenn McCarron sits down with CLOC EMEA Leader and Board Member, Aine Lyons to reflect on the journey and what lays ahead for the legal ops community.

Topics discussed include:

• The growth of the profession
• The reality of driving change
• Mental wellbeing

A special thank you to our CLOC Talk Live from London sponsors, Pinsent Masons.

Jenn McCarron leads the opening session at the 2022 CLOC EMEA Summit discussing the art of storytelling in professional contexts with Maurus Schreyvogel and Emer Kelly. Listen to the group discuss driving change through a narrative arch.

• Act I - The Characters: Getting to know your protagonists and influencers.
• Act II - The Conflict: Understanding the and the hesitations.
• Act II - The Resolution: Offering a solution that leads to better outcomes for your characters.

A special thank you to our CLOC Talk Live from London sponsors, Pinsent Masons.

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!!

Jason Barnwell, General Manager for Digital Transformation of Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs at Microsoft, and Jae Um, Founder & Executive Director at Six Parsecs, join CLOC Talk host Jenn McCarron to discuss a wide range of juicy legal ops topics. They cover everything from the difference between rules and principles to effective leadership styles and all the multitudes in between. This trio of industry thought leaders will have you going "Ah Ha!", "Oh Wow!" and "So True!" over and over again.

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.

In this episode of CLOC Talk, Jenn sits down with the fabulous Carl Morrison, Chief of Staff at ModCounsel, and legal operations extraordinaire to discuss his experience implementing information governance (InfoGov) within corporate legal departments. 

Carl shares insightful anecdotes about the importance of preparation, communication, and collaboration within cross-functional teams to handle unforeseen obstacles effectively. 

As always with Carl, the conversation includes humorous and relatable moments and practical advice for legal operations professionals navigating complex InfoGov landscapes.

A very special thank you to our sponsor for this episode Sirion.

Thomson Reuters Senior Council, Raees Nakhuda, and Product Executive, Nick Vandivere join host Jenn McCarron and co-host Tommie Ferreira to discuss the evolving and changing landscape of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. In their conversation, they debunk some misconceptions about AI and share real-world opportunities for machine learning.

Thank you to Thomson Reuters for sponsoring this episode. 

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 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!

On this episode of CLOC Talk, recorded live from CGI 2024 in Las Vegas, Jenn chats with Bernadette Bulacan from Icertis, our awesome Diamond-Level sponsor. They tackle the tricky world of contract lifecycle management! 

Jenn and Bernadette explore why it's important for everyone to understand contract processes, not just the legal team. Bernadette breaks down how different teams play a role and why it's smart to segment contracts, especially those high-volume, low-risk ones like non-disclosure agreements. They also get into best practices for contract automation and making data-driven decisions. 

Get ready for a great conversation about how legal, finance, and tax teams can work better together! 

Mary O’Carroll, Chief Community Officer at Ironclad, and host Jenn McCarron catch up with a real talk session after their latest Ironclad webinar. This no holds barred conversation will have you laughing and crying as these two legal ops innovators go deep. Level Up Your Legal Ops Webinar

SHOW NOTES:

• Document management solutions for in-house - Friend or folklore?
• ChatGPT - how will it impact the legal industry? will it replace lawyers? (Answer: never)
• David Goggins, military special ops and why supplemental reading, creative outlets, and fighting the war within build a legal ops warrior mentality.

Basha Rubin, CEO & Co-Founder at Priori Legal, and Jacqueline Schafer,  CEO & Co-Founder of Clearbrief, join host Jenn McCarron and ca-host Tommie Ferreira to continue the conversation about the rise of the machines in legal operations and tech. These legal AI innovators ponder if  AI just might be the salvation that all lawyers have been waiting for.

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!

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

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!!

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?

The legal ops profession has gained a reputation for being the scrappy, “make it happen” role within a legal team. This can have a major impact on small legal departments. In this episode of CLOC Talk, we explore challenges, opportunities, and advice for Legal Ops leads on demonstrating value. Join host Jenn McCarron in conversation with Stephanie Sciullo, Vice President & Chief Legal Officer at MSA Safety and Mateo Sanchez, Legal Operations Specialist at Clorox as they discuss inspirations, failures, and wins while driving change in their small legal teams.  

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

Today, Host and CLOC President Jenn McCarron is joined by one of her favorite humans in legal ops Frances Pomposo. Frances has been a legal ops visionary at companies like Adobe, and Lyft and is currently the Vice President of Legal and Government Affairs Strategy and Operations at Splunk. She also serves on the CLOC board of directors as our treasurer.

In this episode, Frances and Jenn discuss one of their favorite things: the CLOC CORE- Organization Optimization and Health. 

The two CLOC board members explore the foundational pillars of building effective teams like:

• Starting with a clear vision, 
• the importance of career planning, 
• skill development, and 
• ensuring our team's job satisfaction. 

They also discuss how to manage constructive feedback, the necessity of community, and strategic approaches to hiring and team building tailored to different stages of a company’s growth. 

You don't want to miss all of the learnings in this action-packed episode!

Special Thanks to our sponsor for this episode Sirion.

Enjoy!

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.

In this flashback to CGI 2022 compilation episode, Jenn, Tom, and Carl interview attendees in the hallway to share their learnings and experiences at the event. Themes from these conversations include vulnerability, the next-gen of leaders, and the value of in-person collaboration.

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.

Co-Hosts Nick Cranfield and Jenn McCarron take you around the CLOC EMEA Summit hallways talking to attendees and sponsors. This episode will transport you to the center of the event action. Listen in to hear attendees discuss their favorite take-a-ways, both learning and swag.

A special thank you to our CLOC Talk Live from London sponsors, Pinsent Masons.

In this episode CLOC Talk host, Jenn McCarron is joined by new co-host Tommie Ferreira, Director of Legal Operations at Peloton Interactive. Jenn and Tommie sit down with VillageMD’s General Counsel, Wendy Rubas and members of their legal operations team, Legal Ops Lead, Demetrios Kirvassilis and Contracts Manager, Mical Tesfazghi Yibrah to discuss how they’ve built a team with diverse skill sets that have directly contributed to their success as a new legal ops function.

In this episode of CLOC Talk, recorded at the 2024 APAC Summit in Sydney, Australia, Jenn sits down with Craig Emery, the head of the legal chapter and chief compliance officer at Telstra. Craig highlights his roles and responsibilities at Telstra, including his transition to the group company secretary role.  

Jenn and Craig discuss Telstra's implementation of an agile legal chapter structure, innovative use of AI for compliance, and the benefits of a central legal front door system. Craig shares insights on creating efficient legal services, leveraging technology, and fostering an innovative mindset within legal teams.  

Enjoy this impactful conversation as Craig emphasizes the importance of balancing compassion with the challenge of leadership. It’s also full of advice for legal ops professionals on how to start small and build upon digital transformation efforts! 

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!!!

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."

Meet Holly Ransom, the dynamic CEO of Emergent Global, a sought-after keynote speaker, and a master interviewer who’s all about shaking up the status quo. As the author of The Leading Edge and a true trailblazer in leadership, Holly’s work spans from boardrooms to global stages, where she brings a fresh perspective on what it means to lead with purpose and agility.

She’s tackled big conversations with some of the world’s most influential figures and is shaking up industries as co-founder of Energy Disruptors. Holly is also driving sports inclusion as a Non-executive Director at Port Adelaide Football Club and board member at Pride Cup.  

Tune in to discover how Holly’s redefining leadership for today’s world. You can follow Holly on LinkedIn and Instagram, and don’t miss her Love Mondays newsletter for your weekly dose of leadership wisdom to kickstart the week!

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.

🐙 CLOC INSTAGRAM

🕺🏻 JENN INSTAGRAM

In the episode of CLOC Talk, guest host Jeremiah Kincannon chats with Justin Schweisberger, Chief Revenue Officer at Pramata and Kari Walden, Assistant General Counsel at Jack Henry about strategic planning in legal operations.  

They explore the importance of aligning legal operations with company strategy.  And, share hurdles and successes, like improving sales contract processes and implementing post-contract management systems.  

Justin and Kari emphasize the significance of communication, timing, and achieving quick wins to gain buy-in for legal operations initiatives.  

Tune in as they offer tips on persisting through failure and learning from experiences!

Special thanks to our sponsor Pramata for this episode! 

Listen to legal ops leaders, Jenn McCarron, Jo Vong, and Sheena Ferrari discuss how they've leveraged creative outlets to inspire their work. The group also discusses how building confidence in showing up authentically has been a journey to fulfillment and success.

Jo Vong, of Plaid, and Sheena Ferrari, of Zendesk, join Jenn in her studio to continue the conversation about how to feed your creative impulses while being a legal ops leader.

In this casual legal ops chit-chat Jo, Sheena, and Jenn lay out the creative tools they use at work, the best chicken recipes, and why everything needs to be in the right place.

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

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! 

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

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.

In this episode CLOC Talk host, Jenn McCarron is joined co-host Tommie Ferreira, Director of Legal Operations at Peloton Interactive. Jenn and Tommie sit down with Chad Aboud, a former General Counsel at an international tech company and Colin Levy, Director of Legal and Evangelist at Malbek and get real about the failures and pains along the CLM implementation path. Their discussion covers:

• Lessons learned from previous failed attempts
• Listening and understanding diverse perspectives and experiences
• Translating these experiences into a busines case
• Celebrating successes and setting milestones along the way

This episode is in collaboration with Malbek, a contract lifecycle management software provider.

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.

This week we go on tour, with host Jennifer McCarron, Head of Legal Operations and Tech at Netflix, and CLOC Talk co-host Tommie Ferreira, Head of Legal Operations at Cedar, live from the CLOC stage in New York.

Special thanks to our audience participants:

Sandy Karow, Lewis Bretts, Matt Patel, and Stacy Walsh.

And a very special thanks to our sponsors:

Malbec, Brightflag, and Thomson Reuters

We can't wait to see you all LIVE in person at CGI Vegas 2023.

Register today!

As we ramp up to CGI 2023 we join Jenn McCarron as she interviews Brian Tang, from the LITE Lab at the University of Hong Kong, in the moments after CGI 2022 wrapped.

Brian takes us behind the scene of the LITE LAB and how the project got started.

And we have to mention that Brian was the 2022 CLOC Legal Innovation in Operations (LIO) Project Awards winner. For more information about the 2022 CLOC LIO recipients and the project, visit: https://cloc.org/legal-innovation-operations-lio-project/

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!

Host Jenn McCarron discusses the evolving Legal Ops career path with Co-host Tommie Ferreira, Head of Legal Operations at Cedar.

The two discuss the unique journeys that helped them develop the skills that have brought them to their current roles.

Later in the episode, the Director of Legal Operations at Cloud Software, Adrienne Schaal joins them to share her story.

Don't forget to join us in Vegas for CLOC Talk Live at CGI 2023!!

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.

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.

On this episode, we're sliding into host Jenn McCarron's LinkedIn DM's and reading the juicy questions that you all are asking. Listen with us as we help our audience with their burning legal ops questions.

We are 3 weeks away from CGI VEGAS!!! Don't miss out. Get your tickets today!!!

In today’s episode of CLOC Talk, Jenn sits down with the incredible Cassandra Worthy. Cassandra was our keynote at CGI 2024. Her message centered around change enthusiasm, a practice she developed to navigate change in corporate environments. Cassandra shares her experiences with resilience, emotional self-awareness, and the power of somatics in fostering a growth mindset. She also shares tools and techniques like performing emotional inventories, practicing nonjudgmental curiosity, promoting pro-rest resilience, and embracing low-risk failure. Aka… the activities of daily living of THE LEGAL OPS PROFESSIONAL

Learn how to become a Certified Change Enthusiast ™ and GET REGISTERED here.

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!!

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.

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! 

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

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.

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!!

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 this episode of CLOC Talk, guest host Jeremiah Kincannon, advisor on CLOC’s Voice and Brand Council chats with CJ Nicastro, Program Manager, Global Affairs & Legal Strategy Operations at Google and Scott Rosenberg, Managing Director & Corporate Counsel at Unbiased Consulting, LLC, both co-chairs of the CLOC Legal Project Management Committee.  

They discuss the relevance and application of Legal Project Management, otherwise known as LPM in the legal industry.  

CJ and Scott highlight misconceptions about LPM and the importance of integrating project management principles into legal workflows. They emphasize the need for lawyers to embrace project management skills and the value of matter lifecycle management for improving efficiency and process alignment.  

Tune in as this episode covers strategies for gaining leadership buy-in for LPM initiatives and offers guidance for legal professionals looking to enhance their project management capabilities. 

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.

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!!

In this episode, we are speaking with global leaders to hear their stories on how they got started in the Legal Operations field. A field that is multidisciplinary and draws professionals from various industries, roles, skills and educational backgrounds. Listen as Aine Lyons from VMWare and Kamala Vasagam from NBC Universal dive deep with Jenn McCarron from Netflix, sharing stories of light bulb moments of career success, how different their paths are from their childhood dreams, overcoming challenges, keeping balanced, and reflecting on the skills needed to drive success not only in ops but the entire legal industry. 

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.

This special teaser episode includes highlights from several episodes in the 2022 CGI Digital Experience. CLOC Talk host Jenn McCarron, member of the CLOC Board of Directors and Director of Legal Operations and Technology at Netflix, is joined by guest co-hosts Tom Stephenson, Director of Legal Operations at Credit Karma and Carl Morrison, Director of Legal Operations at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, to interview speakers and attendees at the 2022 CLOC Global Institute in Las Vegas. Conversations covered a wide range of topics from tech implementations to key leadership skills for effective change management. 

Want to hear more? Check out the CGI Digital Experience package to access the full lineup of engaging conversations! 

This sample episode includes clips from interviews with the following legal industry thought leaders: 

• Frances Pomposo, Senior Director Legal Operations & Chief of Staff to General Counsel at Workday 
• Troy Dunham, Senior Director of IT Applications Legal & GRC at ServiceNow 
• Andrew Brereton, Vice President Legal Operations at ServiceNow 
• Jacklynn Pham, User Experience Designer 
• Jason Barnwell, General Manager for Digital Transformation of Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs at Microsoft 
• Jae Um, Founder & Executive Director at Six Parsecs 

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

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!!!

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.

Legal ops pioneer and leader Frances Pomposo joined host Jenn McCarron in the podcast lounge after her powerful CGI 2022 opening session. This dynamic duo discusses the power of vulnerability, the meteoric evolution of the legal ops industry, and what it so often comes down to - change management.

This is episode 1 in the 3 part mini-episode series CLOC is releasing in collaboration with EY Law, titled The Art of the Possible.

In this episode, CLOC Talk host, Jenn McCarron discusses how the delivery of legal services has evolved throughout 2020 and 2021 with guests Kristi Gedid, Managing Director at EY Law - Legal Function Consulting and Alex Su, Head of Community Development at IronClad.

A special thank you to EY Law for developing and supporting this series.

Co-Host, Nick Cranfield discusses a genuine partnering approach that is needed to make a success of delivering innovative legal services with David Halliwell and Michael Zollner of Pinsent Masons Vario. Together they discuss:

• The market shift from transactional to transformational client and counsel relationships
• Establishing long-term plans and goals together
• Signs of successful relationships

A special thank you to our CLOC Talk Live from London sponsors, Pinsent Masons.

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

This special episode includes a sample from the 2021 CLOC Global Institute State of the Industry session. CLOC Talk Podcast Host, Jenn McCarron, leads a discussion with CLOC board members Aine Lyons and Lisa Konie to discuss trends, thoughts, and insights from the state of the industry annual survey recently concluded with CLOC members.  You can catch the full session on the CLOC YouTube channel.

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.

In this bonus episode of CLOC Talk, Guest host and 2023 LIO winner Jen Mattson Associate Vice President of Legal Operations at Nationwide, takes the stage at CGI to speak with Tim Melchior, Sr. Legal Operations Analyst at Trane Technologies, and one of our 2024 LIO winners. 

For those of you who are new to our CLOC community, LIO or Legal Innovations in Operations is a recognition program for legal operations Innovators.

Each year we celebrate innovators in the global legal ecosystem to share the valuable contributions that they have made to the future of legal operations. 

If you are interested in learning more, check out the CLOC.org website!!! Enjoy this great conversation on the importance of keeping operations lean and mean, … the good kind of mean. Don’t actually be mean Legal Ops. Be kind. Experts say that’s key to change management.

In this episode, CLOC Talk host, Jenn McCarron, is joined by Carl Morrison, Director of Legal Operations and the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, Tom Stephenson, Director of Legal Operations at Credit Karma and Kyle Marks, Director, Customer Success at Athennian. They discuss why legal operations professionals can leverage a tech stack, and why entity management software should play an integral role in that tech stack.

This episode is in collaboration with Athennian, an entity and subsidiary management software provider.

Legal operations is a fast-moving, evolving, and varied discipline. To be effective, legal operations leaders must engage in various areas – from setting budgets, to selecting priorities, to leveraging technology, and others. Listen as members of CLOC’s Board of Directors (Jason Barnwell, Mike Haven, Jenn McCarron, and  Mary O’Carroll) discuss our revised framework for practicing legal operations - the CLOC Core 12. Given that every company and team has its own unique needs, listeners will not only learn about the new core areas like project management, practice operations and business intelligence, but will also take away how the Core 12 can help develop and advance your strategy and tactics to create more value for your organization.

This episode of CLOC Talk comes straight from the main stage of our APAC Summit 2024 in Sydney. Jenn had a fantastic panel discussion with Caryn Sandler, Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer at Gilbert and Tobin; Mick Sheehy, Global Clients & Markets Leader at PwC Legal Business Solutions; and moderator, Matt Duncan, Legal Operations Director at Australian Retirement Trust. 

They explore how legal operations is growing and changing – not just within companies, but at law firms and tech providers too. The panelists shared some interesting challenges around integrating legal ops in different environments such as: figuring out hybrid roles, balancing strategic and operational work, and harnessing the power of AI. 

Enjoy this exciting conversation as they get into some of the regional differences between legal ops in the U.S. and Australia and share their predictions for the future of legal operations in 2030! 

David Cowen is a connector. For 20 years, he's connected major players across the legal industry. He is also the founder of SOLID. In today's episode of CLOC Talk, Jenn, and David discuss imposter syndrome and how you can stay inspired and curious in today's legal ops ecosystem.

Check out SOLID here: https://www.solid.legal/

Jenn McCarron sits down with Mike Naughton, Vice President of Marketing at legal tech startup, xMentium, to weave tales and tips on marketing, storytelling and reveal a slew of legal ops hot tips for success. Key takeaways include:

• The role of language in contracting
• Meeting Lawyers where they are, and wrapping service layers around the rest
• Take risks, take a point of view, take a guess, keep your innovation cycle times short and your read outs loud

A special thank you to our CLOC Talk Live from London sponsors, Pinsent Masons.

Jenn McCarron sits down with global recruitment strategy leader, and self-described Neurodiversity Warrior, Colin Minto to discuss the importance of compassion and understanding for leaders moving us into the future. Some tips discussed include:

• Use curiosity paired with compassion as a tool to understand your colleagues' individual struggles
• Understand people from an emotional index with active listening and empathy.
• Don't act alone! Get back to community, building it, contributing to it, and leveraging it when you need it.

To learn more about Colin and his mission to support forward thinking organizations with their neurodiversity journey, please visit: www.doitdifferently.club

A special thank you to our CLOC Talk Live from London sponsors, Pinsent Masons.

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