Cockpit Counsel Podcast

There are certain traits that can make or break your success, especially when you’re working in-house at a startup. From effective decision-making to understanding the regulations in your space, the list of skills you need to excel can seem never-ending.

Host Tim Parilla, CLO at LinkSquares, and Faraz Rana, previous CLO, and part of the founding team at Bread, are here to help. Faraz saw the company through a time of rapid growth and is here to share his perspective on what it takes to be a successful in-house legal leader.

Key takeaways

• Skills you need when transitioning from a law firm to an in-house legal professional
• How the GC/CLO role evolves as the company grows and matures
• Why making and sticking to a decision pays off
• And more!

Timestamps

0:52: Introductions and Faraz’s pre-flight ritual.

5:27: Faraz’s career path from a large law firm, to working in-house.

9:11: The transition into the startup world and the importance of taking accountability, having an opinion, and proposing solutions.

12:36: How did you see your role as CLO change as the company grew?

17:28: Think of yourself as a brand.

21:39: How do you balance legal responsibilities with broader business goals?

29:51: What Faraz is working on now.

37:24: How to deal with pushback from the business as a compliance function?

40:35: Advice for building out a compliance program from scratch?

43:10: What is your leadership style and how has it changed over time?

Tim gives his take on how to sell internal stakeholders on CLM.

This episode features Eric Dutcher, CFO at MBO Partners. Tim and Eric delve into the various ways legal and finance teams can collaborate to find shared success. You’ll learn:

- Why both legal and finance are business advisors

- Ways to work together effectively

- How to build a strong GC/CLO and CFO relationship

- And more!

Join Tim Parilla, Chief Legal Officer at LinkSquares, and Erin Dunn, Adviser to In-House Legal Teams, to talk about career pivots and the skills you need to succeed working in-house.

From this episode, you’ll learn:

• Implications of AI and legal tech for legal
• How to build cross-functional trust
• The power of being a good listener
• And much more!

Listen to this snackable series called "Tim's Take," where Tim Parilla shares his brief thoughts on a much-discussed topic in the industry. This week, Tim shares tips for building trust, authenticity, and strengthening relationships in a remote environment.

If you've ever felt intimidated by the thought of expanding your legal team or building the legal function from scratch, you're not alone. It takes an intuitive touch and a lot of hard work.

From this episode, you’ll learn:

• Tips for building out a legal team from scratch
• How to show the business your team isn’t a bottleneck
• Management and team-building tactics that work
• And more!

Introducing an all-new, snackable series called "Tim's Take," where Tim Parilla shares his brief thoughts on a much-discussed topic in the industry. This week, Tim shares tips for adopting a strategic mindset.

For in-house lawyers, many of the real-world skills you need for success - like the proper techniques of redlining for example - aren’t taught in law school.

From this episode, you’ll learn:

• Contract blind spots to watch out for
• How to approach a confusing commercial contract
• The right and wrong way to say “no” during negotiations
• And more!

Introducing an all-new, snackable series called "Tim's Take," where Tim Parilla shares his brief thoughts on a much-discussed topic in the industry. This week, Tim shares tips for working with outside counsel.

CLO Tim Parilla is joined by Stacey Shaw, Wellness Advocate and Associate GC at Likewize. Together, they walk through tactics for supporting and strengthening your team’s mental health.

From this webinar, you’ll learn:

• How to manage stress on your team
• The eight pillars of wellness
• Practical ways to implement mental health strategies
• And more!