The Future Is Bright Podcast

I interviewed Alan Bryan | Senior Associate General Counsel of Walmart on Monday October 15th, 2018. 

We Discussed the Following Topics:

• His initial years in private practice
• The Walmart Legal Operations and Outside Counsel Management department
• Outside counsel law firms need to focus on investing in people and technology
• Legal tech tools Walmart uses
• The Future of Retail and the Future of Law
• His passion for people and leadership 

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Alan Bryan LinkedIn Profile 
• A More Efficient Legal Department (article) by Alan Bryan and In-House Ops
• LegalMation
• PERSUIT
• Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
• ACC Legal Operations Maturity Model
• Buying Legal Council
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
• Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

I interviewed Rick Hung | General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Bowlmor AMF on Friday September 7th, 2018.

Rick and I discussed:

• His current role with Bowlmor AMF
• The office of General Counsel as a strategy for growth.
• Private Equity
• Distilling Bowlmor AMF’s outside counsel law firms down from 50
• Background in coding
• His bookshelf
• The impact of his mother and mentor in his life.

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Rick Chung LinkedIn Profile 
• Cerberus Capital Management by Wikipedia
• Bowlmor AMF by Wikipedia
• Proskauer Rose LLP
• Consigliere by Wikipedia
• The New York Times
• People Magazine

• Laterals and attracting talent
• Space usage for all their attorneys firm-wide
• His role at Nixon Peabody
• Weathering the Great Financial Crisis of 2008
• Leadership qualities in Abraham Lincoln, Warren Buffett, his parents, etc.
• His personal values

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Andrew Glincher’s Web Bio
• Andrew’s Twitter Handle
• Abraham Lincoln | 16th US President 
• Brad Stevens | Head Coach of Boston Celtics
• Alex Cora | Manager of the Boston Red Socks
• Warren Buffett | Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
• The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder

I interviewed Gina Passarella | Editor-in-Chief of The American Lawyer on Wed May 16th, 2018.

We discussed these topics:

• Her career as a reporter in the business of law
• The many changes to the media business
• How data has been a part of reporting on the legal industry
• Her values in her role at The American Lawyer
• Rules of engagement with reporters
• What the AmLaw100 numbers revealed
• Her summer reading list, family plans, etc.

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Gina Passarella’s LinkedIn Bio
• Gina Passarella’s Twitter Handle
• The American Lawyer
• Legal Speak Podcast by Law.com
• Law Firm Disrupted briefing by Roy Strom of Law.com
• Skilled in the Art | IP briefing by Scott Graham of Law.com
• The 2018 AmLaw100
• The Big Four Public Accounting Firms | Wikipedia
• Chadbourne Settles Sex Bias Case by Law.com
• Dr Seuss by Wikipedia
• National Geographic

I interviewed Jodie Baker | CEO of Xakia Technologies on Friday April 20th, 2018.

Topics discussed were:

• The award-winning Australian law firm Hive Legal
• The use of Xakia Technologies for corporate legal departments
• Being a scrappy startup tech CEO
• The Australian legal market
• Trends within emerging legal technologies
• How firms can approach legal tech innovation
• Her secret habit of being a novelist
• The support of her family

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Please share your feedback for the show, who I should interview, and the topics that interest you right now. 

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Jodie Baker’s LinkedIn Bio
• Xakia Technologies
• Hive Legal
• Australian Legal Technology Association
• James Odell and Elevate Services
• SAAS | Software as a service
• Thedocyard.co | Deal Management Software
• Stuart Clout | Founder of Thedocyard.co
• Steve Ghiassi | Founder of Legaler
• Richard Susskind | Legal Prophet
• LevelUp Ops | Data-Driven
• The Hunger Games | Divergent | Delirium

I interviewed Frank Aquila | Partner of Sullivan and Cromwell on Thursday February 1st, 2018.

Topics we discussed were:

• The global M&A market
• How several geopolitical pressures impact large deals
• InBev-Anheuser Busch and Diageo’s acquisitions
• Advice for the experienced or aspiring M&A attorney
• New US tax legislation
• NAFTA trade negotiations
• The US’ reaction to Chinese companies entering the US
• Big tech companies, antitrust issues and their influence on inflation
• Activist investors
• Love for wine and all things New York
• His travels and recommended readings

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Frank Aquila Web Bio
• Wikipedia Profile of Frank Aquila
• Frank’s Twitter Account
• Amazon Acquires Whole Foods for $13.7 Billion – Bloomberg
• Anheuser-Busch Agrees to be Sold to InBev – NY Times
• The AntiTrust Case Against Facebook, Google and Amazon – WSJ
• Don Angie – Greenwich Village Italian Restaurant
• Ron Chernow – Amazon Author Page
• Benjamin Stapleton – Sullivan and Cromwell
• H. Rodgin Cohen – Sullivan and Cromwell

I interviewed Erik Gustafson, CEO of LeClairRyan on Friday January 12th, 2018.

We discussed the following topics:

• Evolving client trends of procuring legal services
• How the buyers are younger general counsel
• The non-law firm competitors
• Trends of aging attorneys and succession planning
• The lateral market
• Advice for aspiring law firm leaders and managing partners
• What’s on his bookshelf
• Populism around the globe

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Erick Gustafson Web Bio
• Now, Discover Your Strengths by Buckingham and Clifton
• C. S. Forester | Horn Blower Series | Amazon author page
• Frank Herbert | Dune Series | Amazon author page

I interviewed Manar Morales, CEO of Diversity and Flexibility Alliance on Thursday December 7th, 2017.

Topics we discussed were:

• A holistic approach to diversity initiatives
• How Manar goes to an employer, assesses culture and presents findings to leadership
• Flexibility in the work environment
• Getting more women in leadership
• How employees can bring diversity initiatives to their employer
• Her family life and her passion for a 360 life
• What she just read
• Why her Egyptian parents inspire her

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Give Feedback

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Manar Morales' Web Bio
• Unconscious Bias by Wikipedia
• Is a Meritocracy Hurting Diversity Efforts?
• 10 Takeaways for a Successful Flexible Work Initiative
• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

• Global perspective vs. In-House perspective
• Transition from a sellers to a buyers market
• Better discussions about services and value delivered
• Getting 9 independent firms to work together
• The shirking supply of lawyers
• Importance of law firms utilizing technology
• His family and marriage
• Woodworking
• Recommended books
• Advice to his younger attorney self 

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Give Feedback

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Mark Smolik’s LinkedIn Profile
• Maximizing Success & Embracing Change Article (Mentions 7 KPIs for rating law firms)
• Speak Like a CEO: Secrets for Commanding Attention and Getting Results by Suzanne Bates
• All the Leader You Can Be: The Science of Achieving Extraordinary Executive Presence by Suzanne Bates
• John Grisham’s Amazon Author Page

I interviewed Lea Ann King, General Counsel of Toyota Material Handling USA on Friday November 17th, 2017.

• How she landed a position in a corporate legal department
• Her role at Toyota
• Being a division of a Japanese company
• What inspired her to be a General Counsel
• What she looks for in hiring attorneys
• Mentoring others
• Women in leadership
• Her family life and recommended books

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Give Feedback

Please share your feedback for the show, who I should interview, and the topics that interest you right now. 

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Links referred to in this episode:

• LeaAnn King’s Company Profile
• LeaAnn King’s Linked Profile
• Inside Counsel’s Project 5/165
• The Rice-Paper Ceiling: Breaking through Japanese Corporate Culture by Rochelle Kopp
• Widow’s Succession by Wikipedia