Cockpit Counsel Podcast

Join Tim Parilla for a conversation with Andrew Moffett, Head of Product - Legal Technology at Wayfair, as they delve into the world of legal tech. Discover how legal tech helps legal bring the right data to the table, the importance of interconnectedness across the company, and analyze the primary catalysts behind the surge in legal tech adoption. Don’t miss out on these tech insights!

Key takeaways

• How legal and other teams can solve problems together with tech

• Why being seen as an innovative business enabler is crucial for legal professionals

• Tips for nailing legal tech deployments (and what NOT to do)

• And more!

Timestamps

00:56 What is your preflight ritual?

02:26 Tell us a bit about your career path

04:39 Progression of integrating legal technology into your workflow

06:55 Beyond contracts, what are your key focuses?

08:54 What are you speaking about at your upcoming conference?

10:08 How big is your current team?

12:56 How have you seen legal technology evolve over the past few years?

23:10 How do you think about developing partnerships across the organization?

23:59 What advice do you give to a leader developing their tech stack?

24:47 What is one thing you wish GCs understood about your role?

27:33 How have you carried over skills from early in your career working in PMO?

29:09 What is your hot take about legal tech?

30:15 What is your number one tip for change management when deploying legal tech?

30:47 How do you present the progress and success of legal tech to leadership?

Listen to this short episode to get CLO Tim Parilla’s take on legal tech, project management tools for legal, and the pivotal role of data.

Tim Parilla sits down with Jake Tauscher, Partner at G2 Venture Partners. They discuss Jake’s career path, G2's investing philosophy, and the characteristics of impressive attorneys from an investor's perspective. They also dive into how the legal function can contribute to the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals of the company, and share valuable knowledge on how to align legal strategies with sustainable business practices.

Key takeaways

• How to set the right tone for the diligence process
• Operationalizing ESG in contracts
• #1 tip for legal leaders to advance ESG initiatives
• And more!

Timestamps

• 00:00 Introduction
• 00:47 What is your preflight ritual?
• 02:22 Tell us a bit about your career path
• 05:22 What was the shift like moving from private equity to venture capital?
• 08:01 Generating value and impact
• 09:15 Can you tell us about the investing philosophy at G2?
• 13:47 What are some traits of a great pitch?
• 15:46 From an ESG perspective, what should a GC be thinking about?
• 20:38 What are some characteristics of attorneys that have impressed you in the pitching process?
• 24:35 Creating an effective data room
• 28:03 What is your hot take on working with legal as a VC?
• 31:45 What is your number one tip for legal leaders to advance ESG initiatives?
• 34:41 What time management tips do you have for a busy leader?

In this episode of Cockpit Counsel, Tim Parilla sits down with Deanna Sheridan, Vice President of Legal at 3STEP Sports, and Alex Praschma, Senior Corporate Counsel and Director of Safety at 3STEP Sports. They share their in-house experiences and discuss what it takes to effectively manage and operate a top-notch legal team. From getting comfortable with risk to relying on your teammates, this episode delivers insights you don’t want to miss. Buckle up!

Key takeaways

• The importance of strong communication

• How to build trust with other functions

• Positioning legal as a problem-solver

• And more!

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

00:53 What is your preflight ritual?

01:53 Tell us a bit about your career paths

07:51 How has our prior experience in litigation impacted your in-house practice?

10:34 What has been the most challenging part about transitioning from law school to an in-house practice?

15:05 How are you thinking about growing the team at 3Step?

18:30 Are your stakeholders primarily the same? How do you divide responsibilities?

19:52 How did you begin to foster relationships across the organization when you first started?

21:25 How large is your legal team?

25:03 How are you thinking about growing the team?

26:40 What type of data and metrics do you track?

31:34 What were some of the challenges you faced while transitioning from a law firm to in-house?

35:12 What are some of the challenges with taking a position?

46:01 What is one hot take that you have about working in-house?

57:05 What metrics do you track to measure productivity and effectiveness on your team?

Tim shares his thoughts on the M&A market, what in-house legal teams need to know to prepare, and how technology can help.

In this episode of Cockpit Counsel, Tim Parilla sits down with Shawn Hoyt, Vice President, Commercial within the legal team at OutSystems. Shawn brings a wealth of experience from various roles and dives deep into the secrets of building and managing a successful deal desk. He also shares invaluable tips on staying motivated in every aspect of life, both personally and professionally. Tune in for an inspiring conversation filled with wisdom!

Key takeaways

• The importance of expressing curiosity in the business
• Transforming how the deal desk operates as the business grows
• Challenges and opportunities that come with leading non-legal teams
• And more!

Timestamps

00:48 What is your preflight ritual?

02:12 Tell us a bit about your career path

05:38 When you started at OutSystems, what was the customer and employee base?

08:06 How have you changed the way the deal desk operates as the business has scaled?

11:45 How do you approach different deal thresholds?

13:09 What was the most difficult adjustment to managing a team of non-lawyers for the first time?

16:47 What was your biggest challenge as a COO?

24:12 Let’s talk about your fitness journey.

26:45 What drew you to Spartan racing?

32:52 What is your number one tip for maintaining motivation, personally and professionally?

34:31 How does your mindset help you lead and develop your team professionally?

37:41 What is your hot take about working in-house?

Tim gives his take on the business skills that in-house legal professionals should develop, especially if they don't have a business background.

In this episode of Cockpit Counsel, Tim Parilla sits down with Ellen Zavian, GC at USA Lacrosse. Ellen takes us on a journey through her remarkable career. From being the first female NFL agent to her pivotal role in bringing break dancing to the Paris 2024 Olympics/2018 Youth Olympics to working in-house at USA Lacrosse. Get ready to be inspired!

Key takeaways

• The importance of fairness and fighting for the underdog
• Transitioning in-house with a business background
• How to build trust through listening and answering questions
• And more!

Timestamps

00:44 What is your pre-flight ritual?

04:13 Ellen’s career path

10:41 How did you begin your career in player agency?

15:30 How did your business school education and background help you transition into your career as a lawyer and entrepreneur?

20:51 Can you share a bit about your experience as a professor and a content creator?

23:40 What does a typical day look like for you? Do you have any time management tips?

25:10 How do you think technology is changing the role of legal professionals?

26:41 What is the number one thing that you look for when hiring somebody?

29:12 A final tip for those looking to transition in-house

Tim Parilla sits down with Meghan Keaney Anderson, the Head of Marketing at Jasper.ai. Their discussion takes us on a journey from the rapidly-changing world of AI, to collaboration between marketing, legal teams, and the rest of the organization, and reveals the hidden gems of how to craft your personal brand along the way. Buckle up, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss!

Key takeaways

The transformative power of AI in the workplace

The importance of working cross-functionally and sharing your skillset

Qualities of highly effective in-house counsel

And more!

Timestamps

0:43: Introductions and Meghan’s pre-flight ritual.

4:45: Meghan’s career path and Jasper.ai

12:52: What is one thing that your organization has to think about that would surprise people?

19:00: Traits of an effective legal team

21:18: The teaching aspect of the legal function

22:20: Having an opinion vs. having the right answer

27:32: Advice for developing a relationship with executives

34:33: Preparing for regulations around generative AI

42:21: Building responsible AI software

44:57: Guiding principles for crisis response

46:56: Advice for personal branding

53:30: How to integrate AI into your corporate workflow

Tim gives his take on how to manage titles on a growing legal team.