In this episode, Anne Jacoby, CEO of Spring Street and author of Born to Create, dives into the importance of Creativity Legal. Together with host Stacy, they explore how creativity can help lawyers rethink traditional practices, overcome common creativity blockers, and handle crises with fresh perspectives. Anne also shares her journey in the legal field, from starting at Axiom to now guiding legal teams to embrace creativity and thrive. Tune in for insights on transforming your legal department’s culture and approach.

Are you stuck on the “broken rung” of the in-house career ladder, unsure how to make the jump from deputy GC to the GC role? In this behind-the-scenes episode, executive legal recruiter Brittney McDonough shares how to position yourself for GC opportunities. She shares resume tips–how to highlight executive presence and other soft skills, how to present yourself in interviews, including how to answer the tough questions like “tell me about yourself,” without talking too much, and what the C-suite is looking for in their next general counsel. Don’t miss this great nuts and bolts episode!

Struggling with managing or developing a legal team? Unsure how to set effective goals and keep your team motivated? Feeling drained? Fear not! Kate Dugan, General Counsel of Energizer, joins The Legal Department to energize your approach to legal team management. In this episode, Kate shares her strategies for creating impactful Individual Development Plans (IDPs), coaching soft skills, and fostering a collaborative team environment. Learn how to effectively delegate stretch projects, provide growth opportunities, and become a supportive leader your team can rely on. Her mantra, “Don’t say no, ask how,” is bound to become your go-to in-house tagline for leading a successful and motivated legal team. Don’t miss out on these game-changing insights for building a thriving in-house legal department!

Attorney wellness seems like a trend, but until recently, lawyers had few obvious resources to deal with stress and burnout from this challenging career. Law professor and wellness coach Janet Thompson Jackson is working to change that. A pivotal experience with a struggling law student opened her eyes to the urgent need for better wellness support. In this episode of The Legal Department, Janet explores the 5 domains of wellness, how to manage expectations, the importance of regular check-ins to balance your well-being, and why lawyer assistance programs go beyond substance abuse. She also introduces a powerful tool designed to provide essential legal wellness resources. Janet’s warmth and expertise make this conversation both insightful and encouraging—you won’t want to miss her inspiring journey toward improving legal wellness for lawyers like you.

Think you're too busy managing legal work to get involved in public policy? Think again. In this episode, Chad Golder, General Counsel of the American Hospital Association, shares why it's important for lawyers (especially in-house counsel) to develop relationships with trade associations and share their company's perspectives with policy makers. A former clerk to Justice Stevens, Golder shares perspectives on the court and what it was like to get feedback from Stevens' beach reads.

The General Counsel role is the brass ring in the in-house career. How do you know if you want it? In this episode, veteran GCs Julie Kinch and Deborah Solmor share their insights on the General Counsel role—what makes it unique compared to other in-house positions and how to know if it's right for you.

They describe how the GC role is different than other in-house roles:

• It's more business and management and less lawyering and legal work. They share examples of the additional duties "as assigned," including what it's like to lead a cultural transformation.
• Why building your team and delegating is essential; and
• The different "soft skills" and communication needed to succeed.

But these skills aren't out of reach. Julie and Deborah are designing share a new program to help aspiring GCs. As a new GC, Deborah founded Ready Set GC, a professional development program aimed at helping women GCs succeed in the role and connect with peers in a safe, collaborative environment. Identifying a gap in the market for emerging in-house leaders (deputies, associate GCs, etc.), Ready Set GC is also developing the Ready Set DGC to GC Program to elevate the next generation of leaders.

If you’re considering the next step in your in-house career, this episode of The Legal Department is for you.

Are you tired of the friction between IT and Legal? In this episode of The Legal Department podcast, Sarah Richardson of This Week Health, shares her insights on what the CIO wants in a GC partner. Discover how IT and Legal can become strategic allies, collaborating on everything from cybersecurity to vendor negotiations. Learn about the importance of proactive communication, clear advice, and a shared understanding of the business. Plus, hear Sarah's personal story of navigating a challenging situation involving a vendor-imposed solution. Don't miss this episode for valuable tips on building a stronger partnership between IT and Legal.

A "Thumbs Up" might seem like a harmless response to a text message, but it turns out it might not be so safe for work after all. In this episode, Professor Eric Goldman delves into the legal implications of emojis and how they can influence the outcome of a case. He offers valuable tips on handling discovery when emojis are critical evidence and explains why you should be cautious when expressing enthusiasm with an emoji string. Welcome back to class.

The CFO is one of the most important partners for the General Counsel. To maximize this relationship, legal teams must understand the CFO's priorities. In this C-suite conversation with Kevin Rubin, CFO of BetterUp, discover how in-house counsel can deliver tangible value to the finance function. Learn to position legal as a strategic partner, effectively communicate complex risk landscapes, and build a compelling case for increased legal resources. Rubin underscores the CFO's desire for legal counsel who provides sound advice and offers strategic insights and decisive recommendations. He also shares some tips for maximizing your success at budget time.

These days, we're expected to bring our "whole selves" to work, right? Well, not always. Leaders often find themselves in an "authenticity paradox" where they are expected to share just the "right" amount with their teams, peers and leadership. Executive Coach Dina Denham Smith says that this emotional labor is taxing on leaders, especially lawyers. This often unacknowledged labor takes its toll and often appears as frustration, short temperedness or lashing out--not leveling-up behaviors! In this episode of The Legal Department, Dina shares how leaders can offload some of this labor and stay true to core values (and get the work done). If you're feeling overwhelmed by keeping a smile on your face during a shitstorm, this episode will give you some tools to steady the ship.