Counsel

So much of my motivation for this podcast comes from creating a resource that I wish I had available to me earlier in my own career.

With that in mind, this episode is all about the art of buying, and implementing, legal tech for your in house legal department.

In this episode, I share my experience of:

• effectively managing internal stakeholders;

• conducting meaningful vendor assessments;

• understanding the differences between contract management and matter management;

• tips on training business users to seamlessly adopt the new tech;

• why you need to over communicate during change management; and

• everything I wish I had known before embarking upon this process.

Our chosen solution: Ironclad: https://ironcladapp.com/

Legal Project Manager: Lawyers On Demand: https://www.lodlaw.com/

Connect with Mel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theinhouselawyer/

Counsel Podcast page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/counsel-podcast

Instagram: @theinhouselawyer

Clubhouse: @inhouselawyer

Email: [email protected]

[This episode was not sponsored in any way]

Ben is the Founder of Crafty Counsel, a digital media startup helping legal professionals learn, achieve, and share.

Ben started his career at Clifford Chance, before joining fashion e-commerce giant Global Fashion Group as its Corporate Counsel in London. GFG is the holding company for e-commerce brands around the world, including The Iconic in Australia.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Ben’s transition from international mergers & acquisitions lawyer to in house counsel;

• behind the scenes of a fashion e-commerce start-up;

• the highs and lows of working in a fast-paced global company;

• how to analysis the real risk of leaving your job and starting your own company;

• the Crafty Counsel original story; and

• key trends that are fascinating the in-house counsel community at the moment such as empowering the business to self-serve.

Connect with Ben:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-white-33b79032/

Website: https://craftycounsel.co.uk/

To sign up for Crafty Counsel Virtual Meet Ups: https://craftycounsel.co.uk/event/crafty-counsel-community-virtual-meet-ups

Connect with Mel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissastoreyscott/

Counsel Podcast page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/counsel-podcast

Instagram: @theinhouselawyer

Clubhouse: @inhouselawyer

Email: [email protected]

Having started her career in building and construction law, litigation and insolvency in large and medium firms, Jodi has been in-house since 2011, becoming General Counsel of a large private construction and engineering entity in 2014.

She is now the Vice President, Legal & Compliance for Volvo Group Australia, is a member of the Executive Leadership Team, and also has responsibility for the Safety, Health, Environment and Quality functions.

Volvo Group Australia manufactures Volvo and Mack trucks at a factory facility in Wacol, and the Group also includes UD Trucks, Volvo Penta marine and industrial engines, Volvo Buses and Volvo Construction Equipment, along with Volvo Financial Services.

At home and at work, Jodi is passionate about equality and opportunities for girls and women, and has two incredibly strong-willed daughters as a consequence.

In this episode, we discuss:

- the flawed logic in my opening question (lol);

- a new approach to training the business on legal issues;

- how to transition from one industry to another at a senior level;

- working effectively with legal recruiters; and

- Jodi's approach to 'the juggle' of full time work and young family life.

Connect with Jodi:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jodinpalmer/

Connect with Mel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissastoreyscott/

Counsel Podcast page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/counsel-podcast

Instagram: @theinhouselawyer

Clubhouse: @inhouselawyer

Email: [email protected]

Anna is a General Counsel with over 17 years' experience working for large and small-medium sized organisations in NZ, Australia and the USA.

Anna has experience across varied practice areas including corporate/ M&A, competition and consumer law, privacy, dispute resolution and employment law across multiple jurisdictions.

In this episode, we discuss:

- what it’s like to work for entrepreneurs who move fast and need quick and pragmatic legal advice;

- extending yourself outside purely legal work in the start-up environment when things just need to get done;

- what it takes to lead a company from start up to ASX200 and what Anna is most proud of in her time at Megaport;

- how Anna successfully manages a globally dispersed team;

- why lawyers make excellent NFP board directors; and

- Anna’s (not one but) two best pieces of career advice.

Connect with Anna:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-tichborne-a9647946/

Website: https://www.facebook.com/CherishWomensCancerFoundation/

Connect with Mel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissastoreyscott/

Counsel Podcast page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/counsel-podcast

Clubhouse: @inhouselawyer

Instagram: @theinhouselawyer

Email: [email protected]

Lisa K. Lang currently serves as the General Counsel for Kentucky State University, a role she has had for three years. Lisa first began her career as a lawyer working as an associate attorney specialising in insurance defence for a law firm in Louisville, Kentucky. She left that firm in 2008 to work for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. She first worked in the Office of the Attorney General as an Assistant Attorney General and then for the Kentucky Department of Education in a variety of in-house counsel roles until taking her current position at Kentucky State.

She is also a contributing writer for the Ironclad Blog and most recently co-authored a book called #Networked: How 20 Women Lawyers Overcame the Confines of COVID-19 Social Distancing to Create Connections, Cultivate Community, & Build Businesses in the Midst of a Global Pandemic.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Lisa’s career path from a student teacher to General Counsel in the higher education sector;

• how Lisa’s time in the military taught her resilience and how to act autonomously under pressure;

• working, studying and raising a young family – how Lisa managed the juggle;

• partnering with internal clients to develop their legal and commercial acumen;

• keeping an open mind for career satisfaction;

• the power of LinkedIn for creating a support network of like-minded peers; and

• how and why we all should become more involved in legal communities online.

Connect with Lisa:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisak-lang/

Connect with Mel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissastoreyscott/

Counsel Podcast page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/counsel-podcast

Instagram: @theinhouselawyer

Email: [email protected]

I am taking a break over the Australian summer but will be back in your ears in the new year with plenty of amazing guests. I feel like we’ve only just scratched the surface of in-house stories. I recommend listening to past episodes if you need more content over the coming weeks. I’ll see you all in 2021! Mel

Krystal is the Head of Legal and Compliance at Oncore. With her position on the executive leadership team and reporting into the CEO, Krystal not only provides legal advice to Oncore, but is also involved in a wide breadth of work including legal operations, risk and compliance management, and company strategy, both in the Australian and overseas markets. Krystal approaches her role as a leader and business partner first and foremost, immersing herself within all facets of the company.

Krystal’s path to in-house practice has not been a traditional one. Moving between private practice and commercial roles, Krystal’s varied roles have diversified her skillset and allow her to contribute beyond strictly legal advice. The dynamics of working with multiple stakeholders on varying contractual issues experienced while working for Optus, motivated Krystal to pursue a career as an in-house lawyer.

Krystal is a big believer in looking after both her physical and mental wellbeing, and you will often find her on the yoga mat, in the ocean, or skiing down a mountain somewhere with no phone reception.

In this episode, we discuss:

• what Krystal would tell her younger self on her first day at law school;

• why Krystal refused to settle and took her time to really find her place in the law (including a stint in Canada);

• Oncore’s legal operations journey and how they use project management software, Monday;

• why Krystal hires for passion and trains for skill;

• how the GC makes itself truly indispensable to the CEO;

• the link between a growth mindset and career success; and

• the power of mentors outside of the legal profession.

Connect with Krystal:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystalkovac/

Connect with Mel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissastoreyscott/

Counsel Podcast page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/counsel-podcast

Instagram: @theinhouselawyer

Email: [email protected]

Kate Sherburn is the sole Legal Beagle (aka legal counsel) at Who Gives A Crap, a social enterprise that donates 50% of its profits to help build toilets for those in need.

As Who Gives A Crap’s first in-house lawyer, she is establishing the legal function from the bottom up (pun intended!) and loves the opportunities that a start-up environment provides to think outside of the traditional legal box.

Kate is very passionate about the opportunity businesses have to play in making the world a better place and the way in which the in house lawyers can support this.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Kate’s first legal job at Cadbury and why she knew she was destined to return to in house practice;

• what life is like working for a company whose product quickly became the hottest commodity during a pandemic;

• what profit for purpose means and how in house lawyers can help make a real difference;

• how Kate approaches networking and focusses on creating her own career opportunities;

• Kate’s best piece of career advice!

Connect with Kate:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katesherburn/

Website: https://au.whogivesacrap.org/

Connect with Mel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissastoreyscott/

Counsel Podcast page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/counsel-podcast

Instagram: @theinhouselawyer

Email: [email protected]

Kirk Simmons is the Head of Legal at Canva. Canva is one of the most exciting Australian companies at the moment and after some awesome experience at eBay and Cricket Australia, Kirk saw an opportunity at Canva and took it.

As their first in house lawyer, he has grown the team to nine in under 4 years, as Canva’s growth continues to skyrocket as well. No two days are the same for Kirk at Canva and his advice rings true for all in-house lawyers in fast paced companies that are in scale up mode.

Look, I’m not going to lie, this episode had its fair share of technical difficulties. The irony of this occurring to two lawyers in the tech space is not lost on me.

The audio gets a little funky around the 17-minute mark and we lost a chunk of my question to Kirk, so I recorded it again but it is not seamless. But stick with us, Kirk saves his best pearls of wisdom for the end of the episode.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Kirk’s leap of faith out of private practice after many years as a litigator;

• transitioning between diverse industries in-house;

• what life is like working for Canva, one of Australia’s most exciting tech companies;

• growing the legal team from one to nine in under four years to support a hypergrowth company;

• How the Canva legal team manages contract workflows and the unique way that they engage with their colleagues; and

• Kirk’s best piece of career advice.

Connect with Kirk:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirksimmons1/

Connect with Mel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissastoreyscott/

Counsel Podcast page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/counsel-podcast

Instagram: @theinhouselawyer

Email: [email protected]

Sarah is a French qualified lawyer, who has been developing an in-house legal career in the UK for the past 5 years in the tech and pharmaceutical industries.

She hated law school and the lack of practical teaching hence why she now runs a law blog on social media where she demystifies legal concepts and the in-house legal profession by leveraging different formats including visuals, videos and using humour and a lot of sarcasm.

Sarah is passionate about making the legal industry a better place where lawyers can fully express themselves, their creativity and personality.

In this episode, we discuss:

• why Sarah wanted to work in house immediately after finishing law school;

• how she persevered for 18 months after graduation until she found her first permanent legal gig;

• why no experience is ever wasted and what non-legal work can teach you;

• Sarah’s experience as a sole counsel early in her career;

• how to add value as the first in house lawyer in a fast-growing company;

• managing people and building a high-performing legal team;

• working in-house in the pharmaceutical industry;

• Sarah’s passion for creating legal content on social media;

• advice for anyone who wants to elevate their personal brand online; and

• much more.

Connect with Sarah:

LinkedIn: Sarah OUIS

Instagram, Facebook & TikTok: @verylawyerproblems

Twitter: @expatomnes

Connect with Mel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissastoreyscott/

Counsel Podcast page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/counsel-podcast

Instagram & TikTok: @theinhouselawyer

Email: [email protected]

Chad is in his 13th year of a career as an in-house lawyer in the public sector at both the Federal and State levels and across agencies both large and small.

His career started out with the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) where he spent 5 years primarily advising on major defence procurement contracts and delivering training on contractual risk issues and contract management.

Chad then spent a short amount of time in the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport before spending almost 7 years with the Australian Sports Commission (incorporating the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS)) where he advised on a broad range of matters from sport specific issues (such as anti-doping, child protection and integrity) through to general contractual and commercial matters.

In June 2019, Chad commenced with the NSW Office of Sport providing advice across the whole range of its functions - from setting sport and active recreation policy for the state, supporting the NSW sport sector through investments and partnerships, running our network of Sport and Recreation Centres across the state to regulating motor vehicle racing grounds and, through the Combat Sports Authority, combat sports within NSW.

To compliment his professional career, Chad has undertaken a Master of Commercial Law from Melbourne University, comprised almost exclusively from the Sports Law program.

He is also a sports administrator and has held positions President and Secretary of the ACT Rugby Referees Association Inc and as Treasurer and Secretary of ACT Gridiron Inc.

A career spanning from combat ships to combat sports - enjoy this episode with Chad Burnell!

Connect with Chad:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cburnell/

Connect with Mel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissastoreyscott/

Counsel Podcast page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/counsel-podcast

Instagram: @theinhouselawyer

Email: [email protected]