Litigation management is meat and potatoes for most in-house legal departments, but it's a rare case that goes up on appeal. The stakes are higher in those cases, and you need expert counsel to help navigate the process. Appellate specialist M.C. Sungaila is in The Legal Department to tell you what you need to know. She has appeared before many state and federal appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. M.C. also knows a lot about the bench after interviewing more than a hundred judges and justices for her award-winning podcast, The Portia Project. Listen through to the end to find out where you can get a "free" moot court exercise.

On this episode of The Legal Department, Chris Weber, Managing General Counsel of the iconic McDonald's corporation underscores again why building strong relationships is crucial to success in-house. Whether he is navigating tough governance issues, working with board members, or advising on executive comp under the Golden Arches, Chris shows why fostering a state of trust at your company is an essential skill. For professional development and team building, he also recommends reflecting "in the moment" on what worked and where there are opportunities for improvement.

What do you do when a crisis hits your organization? Anne Marie Malecha, CEO of crisis communications firm Dezenhall Resources, shares tips on how to survive. Starting from aligning internally on the key objectives and using those as a north star to align legal and comms to weather the storm. Anne Marie provides concrete advice on establishing crisis objectives, a communications protocol, setting up engagements and also paying attention to self-care in the heat of battle. You won't want to miss this engaging conversation!

Deborah Solmor worked as a litigator at Skadden Arps and later as deputy general counsel and chief compliance officer of a public company. Despite these 20+ years of legal experience, the General Counsel role was "like nothing I had done in my career." Finding few resources for women lawyers new in their GC role, Deborah took the unlikely step of building an educational program tailor-made for women GCs and created "Ready Set GC." Ready Set GC is dedicated to supporting women in their early careers as General Counsel. They provide support, professional development, and a community to help these women reach their full potential. They do this through programs and community-building opportunities in cities across the country. Tune in to learn more about how Deborah and Ready Set GC are helping the next generation of legal leaders. 

Employment law matters, especially #metoo complaints and investigations are meat and potatoes for an in-house attorney. In this episode, veteran employment lawyer Allison West shares the fundamentals of workplace investigations. She provides best practices for engaging investigators including how to avoid legal traps, ensuring independence and maintaining credibility throughout the process. Allison is an investigator, trainer, and coach who has conducted workplace investigations and harassment prevention training for major corporations, including CBS and their 60 Minutes franchise. She is a national speaker who has appeared on CBS This Morning with Gayle King and Nora O'Donnell. Tune in as she breaks down the legal department fundamentals of #metoo and other employment law concerns.

Antitrust is a highly technical area, but with increasing scrutiny from state and federal agencies, it’s an area that in-house counsel needs to know. In this in-depth episode, Antitrust expert Leigh Oliver of Clifford Chance breaks down four key areas for in-house counsel. Tune in and find out what should be on the "worry wall” in The Legal Department. 

Optimal performance in The Legal Department requires optimal health and wellness. In this bonus episode, health and wellness expert Jenn Zerling shares the five anchors for optimal health. Known as the "JZ High Five," these five steps will help you level up at work and in life. You should have a strong foundation of optimal health and avoid gambling with the disease. Nutrition, Hydration, Fitness, Sleep, and Management are the five areas you need to look at for optimal health. Be sure to listen to the bonus episode for a deeper dive into each anchor of the JZ High Five. Jenn's insights could provide valuable tools and strategies to elevate your health and well-being at work and in all aspects of your life.

Do you want to level up your profile as a legal thought leader? Gain exposure and showcase your knowledge and experience by getting a speaking gig at a conference. If this sounds like a stretch goal, Nas Panwar, Chief Production Officer of the International Performance Management Institute, offers concrete tips to get you there. Nas has produced thousands of events, conferences, and expert panels in a variety of industries, including legal, compliance, privacy, human resources, IT, and many others. In this episode, Nas offers suggestions on elevating your professional profile and landing a speaking opportunity at various conferences. She also shares tips on making your session shine by learning how to become a great panelist and moderator.

It can seem like a sleepy topic, until it isn't. Insurance is an asset that all organizations need, so it is incumbent on in-house attorneys to understand insurance fundamentals. In today's episode of The Legal Department, insurance specialist Jacque Burke from Cooley LLP breaks down the basics of insurance with Stacy Bratcher, as well as what in-house attorneys need to know to protect and optimize this essential asset.

Building relationships extends outside of The Legal Department. In this episode, legal recruiters Edina Beasley and Heather Fine of Major Lindsey & Africa take us behind the curtain to learn what companies are looking for in their next general counsel or chief legal officer. Heather and Edina share how to build a relationship with recruiters, how to position your LinkedIn profile to get noticed and how to answer tough questions during the recruiting process – including how to negotiate compensation.  

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