From Oslo to New York to Japan, Bjanre Tellmann">Bjarne Tellmann has lived a life worthy of a Viking saga. Early in his legal journey, the General Counsel of Haleon">Haleon embraced a philosophy of serendipity, seeing every opportunity as a new adventure.

And that’s because nobody ever wrote about the man or woman who played it safe.

The author of Building an Outstanding Legal Team: Battle-Tested Strategies from a General Counsel">Building an Outstanding Legal Team: Battle-Tested Strategies from a General Counsel shares incredible stories from his expansive career and insights into the exponential changes in legal.

Join us as we discuss:

- How Bjarne’s love of storytelling led him to legal (8:13)

- The inspiration behind writing Building an Outstanding Legal Team (25:01)

- Why the human connection will supersede technology (39:47)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Bjanre Tellmann">Bjarne Tellmann

- Building an Outstanding Legal Team: Battle-Tested Strategies from a General Counsel">Building an Outstanding Legal Team: Battle-Tested Strategies from a General Counsel

Hear more stories by following Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts">Apple Podcasts, Spotify">Spotify, or any podcast platform.

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Lisa Mather">Lisa Mather had no intentions of becoming a lawyer when she started college. But her first academic love of science drew her to environmental law and, ultimately, a successful career in legal.

Lisa traversed the world with her two children while working at several international firms before taking her current position as Global General Counsel at Mars Wrigley">Mars Wrigley in 2022.

She shares her insights on being a career-driven mother, her passion for ESG efforts, and setting her team up for success in a polycrisis world.

Join us as we discuss:

- Why family shouldn’t be a roadblock to international opportunities (8:35)

- Immediate priorities in her new GC role and ESG commitments (19:21)

- Instilling the need for diversity in future generations (29:35)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Lisa Mather">Lisa Mather

- Mars Wrigley">Mars Wrigley

Hear more stories by following Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts"> Apple Podcasts, Spotify">Spotify, or any podcast platform.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player.

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As a younger legal counsel, the transition from law firm to in-house can certainly be a bumpy one. As the realization of daily expectations sets in, the workload volume can seem overwhelming.

When Sneha Desai">Sneha Desai, Chief Legal Counsel of Global Litigation & Employment at Stryker">Stryker, senses that anxiety in her juniors, she imparts the advice passed down to her: do what makes sense.

Sneha talks with us about her early struggles in-house, her commitment to pro bono work, and the importance of empathy in relationships.     

Join us as we discuss:

- Empowering junior talent to take control of DEI initiatives (10:12)

- Why team awareness is an essential leadership trait (19:47) 

- Advice for in-house leaders on alternative fee arrangements (28:36)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Volunteer Lawyers for Justice">Volunteer Lawyers for Justice

Hear more stories by following Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts"> Apple Podcasts, Spotify">Spotify, or any podcast platform.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player.

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The pandemic forced the entire world to pivot on a moment’s notice, but perhaps no other industry felt the brunt of its impact like procurement.

Procurement and legal have always had a rocky partnership. But the pandemic reset expectations by driving innovation, both in technology and relationships.

Dr. Elouise Epstein">Dr. Elouise Epstein, Partner at Kearney">Kearney and author of Trade wars, pandemics, and chaos">Trade wars, pandemics, and chaos, shares how procurement was forced to fast-forward its digital transformation in a world turned upside down.

Join us as we discuss:

- How the pandemic accelerated procurement’s evolution (2:42)

- Bridging the legal-procurement gap through relationships (20:20)

- The impact of ESG initiatives on the future of procurement (32:55)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Dr. Elouise Epstein">Dr. Elouise Epstein

- Kearney">Kearney

- Trade wars, pandemics, and chaos: How digital procurement enables business success in a disordered world">Trade wars, pandemics, and chaos: How digital procurement enables business success in a disordered world

Hear more stories by following Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts"> Apple Podcasts, Spotify">Spotify, or any podcast platform.

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Cynthia Lareine">Cynthia Lareine, Director of Community Development at PERSUIT">PERSUIT, fanned a fire in her resolve from a young age. The daughter of proud Nigerian parents, Cynthia endured discrimination from students and teachers alike while attending boarding school. Later, she handled her share of well-meaning depreciation and racial assumptions as a junior associate.

Today, she’s applying the lessons she’s learned to help improve legal relationships and push the industry toward a brighter future.

Cynthia shares how her formative experiences pushed her to where she is today and her passion for bridging the gaps in legal-client services.   

Join us as we discuss:

- How childhood discrimination influenced her career path (3:44)

- The pressures endured by junior associates at large firms (10:02) 

- Her work with the African legal community and PERSUIT (23:00)

- Cynthia’s future as the podcast’s host (37:03)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Cynthia Lareine">Cynthia Lareine

- PERSUIT">PERSUIT

Hear more stories by following Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts"> Apple Podcasts, Spotify">Spotify, or any podcast platform.

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For Sabrina Nguyen , General Counsel and CCO at Danone UK & Ireland , the odds were stacked against her on day one. Born in post-war Vietnam, she and her mother spent three years in refugee camps before finding a new life in America.

But after growing up among the farmlands of Missouri, she felt the pull back to her international roots.

Sabrina shares the experiences of her career journey across three continents and the impact her cultural immersion has had on her work and with her teams.

Join us as we discuss:

• How Sabrina’s background influenced her career journey (5:14)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Sabrina Nguyen

Hear more stories by following Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast platform.

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When Doug Barnard , Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary at CF Industries , joined the company in 2004, he was already fighting an uphill battle.

On the verge of bankruptcy, the owners of CF were determined to sell the company. But Doug saw an opportunity - why not take the company public? In 2005, Doug’s vision became a reality as CF Industries presented its IPO, turning CF’s fortunes around in the process.

In this episode, Doug shares his experience participating in his first successful IPO and what legacy he’d like to leave behind.

Join us as we discuss:

• Drafting the CF Industries IPO prospectus (6:48)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Doug Barnard 

Hear more stories by following Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast platform.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player.

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Big legal departments have plenty of brainpower, but any team without direction is doomed to underachieve.

That’s why the powers that be at UBS asked Thomas Barothy to bring his financial management expertise to his current role with them as Chief Operating Officer of Legal.

By painting a clear vision and implementing a proper strategy for his legal department, Thomas helped his supportive team reach their true potential.

Join us as we discuss:

• Pivoting a financial background into legal (5:01)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Thomas Barothy

Hear more stories by following Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast platform.

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In days past, in-house legal was traditionally seen as a “last resort” for up-and-coming lawyers.

While that mindset is fading, corporate in-house legal teams are constantly exposed to unique challenges, especially when it's a small team stretched to its limits.

Jackie Rice, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at MillerKnoll, tells us about her transition from a large team at General Motors to her smaller IP-focused team and setting them up for success.

Join us as we discuss:

• Learning core competencies in a new industry (6:19)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Jackie Rice 

Hear more stories by following Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast platform.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player.

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Early on in his legal career at Novartis, Maurus Schreyvogel encountered a frustrating obstacle. The legal team had no tools, no technology, no access to knowledge, and consequently, they found themselves reinventing the wheel over and over.

It was so frustrating, in fact, that he was prepared to leave the company. Instead, he was presented with a mission that convinced him to stay: Establish transparency and bring about positive operational change within legal.

He has remained at Novartis ever since. In his current capacity of Chief Legal Innovation Officer, he is working to set the vision for how law can help society operate more equitably in the future.

We discuss:

- Auditing the legal function to bring about operational change

- Focusing on value rather than cost

- Legal’s role in the digital transformation journey

- Transforming into collaborators instead of counselors

- Increasing access to law for all

Hear more stories by subscribing to Innovative Legal Leadership on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast platform.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Innovative Legal Leadership in your favorite podcast player.

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