Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Gabriel Buigas, the new executive vice president and head of contracts, compliance, and commercial services at Integreon, an alternative legal and global managed services provider. We discussed how organizations are leveraging technology to manage their contracts, the contracting challenges organizations should expect in 2022, and advice for legal professionals seeking alternative career paths beyond law firms and legal departments.

I spoke with Zelda Owens, the founder, and CEO of Owens Williams & Associates, a career development coaching company focused on supporting legal professionals. We discussed the current job market, the value of a career check-up, and creative ways to empower your legal career.

I spoke with Astrid Kohlmeier, a lawyer, consultant on legal design, and co-author with Meera Klemola of The Legal Design Book: Doing Law In The 21st Century. We discussed what organizations that apply legal design have in common, how legal teams can quickly incorporate design into their activities, the challenges of creating a design-centric culture, and how legal design is driving the legal profession forward.

I spoke with Dean Gonsowski, the chief revenue officer and chief marketing officer at ActiveNav, a data privacy and governance software provider. We discussed the challenges that ActiveNav is helping organizations overcome, its Data Mapping as a Service initiative, Zero Dark Data, and the relationship between information governance and privacy.

I spoke with Ian Campbell the president and CEO of iCONECT, a developer of e-discovery software. We discussed how the e-discovery sector has changed over the past two decades, what should leaders consider when adapting to market shifts, where litigants are finding the most success with artificial intelligence, and iCONECT’s recent purchase of the source code to Ayfie’s Inspector technology.

I spoke with Alex Hamilton, the CEO of Radiant Law, a new law UK firm focused on contracts, and the author of SIGN HERE: The Enterprise Guide to Closing Contracts Quickly. How the increased familiarity with the value of ALSPs has impacted Radiant’s work, his inspiration for writing SIGN HERE, whether the form and purpose of contacts have evolved, and how legal departments can filter through the noise of contract management processes and technology to identify what is best for their organizations.

I spoke with Teju Deshpande and Mark Ross, who are principals with Deloitte Legal Business Services. We discussed the mission of Deloitte Legal Business Services, how the pandemic has impacted interest in CLM, how companies can realize immediate benefits from leveraging AI, and where CLM is headed.

I spoke with Mikhail Arsentiev, a lawyer and the founder of Skylex, a mobile application designed to help consumers find an immigration lawyer. We discussed the genesis of Skylex, how the pandemic has impacted the need for immigration lawyers, and developments in the way lawyers interact with their clients.

I spoke with Ishan Girdhar, the founder and CEO of Privaa, a software company that focuses on third-party risk management. We discussed how the pandemic has changed the way companies perceive and manage risk, pitfalls that risk management teams should avoid, ways that law firms are responding to the rise in data breaches and cybersecurity concerns, and where third-party risk management is headed.

I spoke with Oliver Round, managing counsel, product owner for contract lifecycle management, and co-head of legal data management and advisory at BNY Mellon. We discussed how the legal team leverages new tools and platforms, the criteria it uses to assess new technology, best practices for integrating new tools into a company’s portfolio, and where technology is having the biggest impact on the law department.