Cockpit Counsel Podcast

Curt McDaniel is Chief Legal Officer and Board Secretary at Ferring Pharmaceuticals. In this episode of Cockpit Counsel, we'll delve into insights gained from his journey — from sixteen years at Eli Lilly to his time as a fiction writer and beyond.

Curt and Tim discuss the importance of distinguishing high-risk and complex matters from lower-risk and complexity issues, why leveraging technology for the latter is a valuable investment, and more thoughts on legal operations and innovation.

Key takeaways

Driving innovation as a legal leader

The importance of data and legal tech

Thoughts on authenticity as an in-house professional

And more!

Tune in to learn about legal ops, legal tech, and much more. Watch today!

Timestamps

01:22: Curt’s Career Journey

05:41: Legal Operations and Team Profile

07:11: Implementing Change in Legal Operations

08:45: Focus on Data and Business Results

10:35: Managing Outside Counsel and Legal Costs

12:22: Standardizing Legal Agreements

15:33: Legal Tech Journey

20:20: Factors Leading to Adoption of Legal Tech

22:55: Predictions and Advice for Legal Tech

24:24: Building Cross-Functional Relationships

In this short episode, Tim gives his take on how to build trust with the CEO. He highlights the importance of consistency, demonstrating an understanding of the business, contextualizing the advice that you're giving, and being inquisitive.

Ashley Adams, Director, Legal Operations at Contentful, believes focusing on people first is the key to success. Join us on the next episode of Cockpit Counsel for insights on building and guiding top-performing legal ops teams, nurturing talent, and creating connections throughout the organization.

Ashley shares her career journey from HR to Legal Operations, advice for establishing a legal ops function at your organization, change management and stakeholder management tips, plus much more.

Key Takeaways

• Identifying quick wins for everybody
• Dealing with skepticism in legal ops
• Creating a positive and effective team dynamic
• And more!

Tune in for the legal ops and people tips you can’t afford to miss!

In this short episode Tim shares his number one tip for managing the end of the quarter as a legal pro. He covers the importance of hard work, visibility, and maintaining an air of calm to communicate directly in high-stress environments.

Ross Greenman has a captivating career story to tell on the this episode of Cockpit Counsel, packed with lessons learned along the way. Tune in for advice on career shifts, the importance of collaborating across teams, and work-life balance in-house.

Timestamps

• 05:27: Early Career and Transition to Hospitality

• 17:21: Taking a Risk and Making a Leap

• 21:02: Networking and Meeting Industry Executives

• 24:26: Importance of Legal Work Product Forms

• 31:47: Balancing Business and Legal Perspectives

• 37:46: Building a Legal Team at KSL

• 40:45: Leveraging Outside Legal Resources

• 41:34: Prioritizing Work as a Lean Legal Team

• 44:43: Rapid Fire Questions: Working In-House and Career Transitions

In this short episode, you'll hear Tim's thoughts on how legal leaders can build influence within their company by ensuring their team operates efficiently and communicates effectively. Discover the key strategies to enhance collaboration and drive impactful changes outside the legal team.

In this episode of Cockpit Counsel, David Sclar delves into effectively managing the expectations of non-legal professionals in corporate settings. He also explores strategic approaches to address challenges that extend beyond the basics.

In this short episode, Tim shares his perspective on being a legal team of one and advice on achieving success while flying solo.

Donato Latrofa is General Counsel at Incident IQ, where they are transforming how school districts provide and manage services. Before Incident IQ, Donato held roles as Staff Judge Advocate at the Air National Guard and Defense Attorney at the United States Air Force.

On this episode of Cockpit Counsel, Donato and Tim will cover the value of learning through experience, balancing legal risk vs. benefits to the business, and more ways Military principles can be applied to in-house work.

Key takeaways

• Lessons learned transitioning from public service to the private world
• Being an effective legal team of one
• How Incident IQ relies on tech as they scale
• And more!

Tune in to this short episode where Tim shares his perspective on how to build a strong network, why some of the best mentors are non-legal professionals, and more.