LODcast

 This episode is an update to the Generative AI episode we did five months ago. To get a proper grip on what’s happening, we were lucky enough to be joined by two heavyweights.My first guest is Josh Kubicki. Josh is the  is the co-founder and design lead at Bold  Duck Studio, the Director and Professor of Legal Business Design Hub and Entrepreneurship Program at Richmond Law School and the creator of the Brainyacts - a newsletter on for legal professionals on pragmatic and practical uses of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools.Josh and I consider the volume and depth of change to date, discuss the need to get your hands dirty and debate the second order risks and downstream implications of gen AI for in-house counsel.As the second guest on this show, I was delighted to welcome back Jonny Badrock, Chief Legal Engineer at SYKE. Jonny and I discuss the the key developments in the legal tech space and share what LOD and SYKE are doing in this space.Learn moreAbout JoshThe BrainyActs newsletterAbout LODAbout SYKE

In this episode we’re diving into the world of microstress, guided by the co-author of a newly released book on this topic, Karen Dillon. In this really fascinating chat, we explore her research and findings into microstress and discuss how in-house counsel and lawyers more broadly can navigate these stresses.Karen explains why and how the top 10% of the top performers were able to manage so much more effectively than the rest. We also consider how leaders can help create work cultures to better manage these stresses and that there are no small guestures in leadership.Further information:The Microstress Effect: How Little Things Pile Up and Create Big Problems--and What to Do about It (Book Link)The Hidden Toll of Microstress (HBR)Karen Dillon is a contributing editor to Harvard Business Review and the co-author of three books NYT best-sellers.  She was also the editor and publisher for The American Lawyer in the 1990s. FInd out more about Karen here. Learn more about LOD here. 

In this episode, we explore how in-house legal leaders can show the value of their legal department. To dive a bit deeper into the topic, we speak to Sterling Miller, a luminary in the in-house world and recent author of a book on this very topic. In our wide-ranging conversation, Sterling warns against the over-reliance on metrics, the superpower of storytelling, the importance of having a plan to improve and remembering them mission of the legal team. Learn more:About LODAbout SterlingSterling's latest book: Showing the Value of the Legal Department: More Than Just a Cost CenterLOD's article on Demonstrating the value of in-house legal

In this episode, we dive into the topic of leading through times of uncertainty and change, an evergreen but particularly salient issue right now for many in-house teams and their leaders.  To explore this topic, I was thrilled to be joined by in-house legend Sterling Miller. Learn more:About LODAbout SterlingSterling's latest book: Showing the Value of the Legal Department: More Than Just a Cost Center

This episode  dives into the topic of leading and managing change for in-house counsel. To explore this topic, I was delighted to be joined by Simon Wilkes. Simon is the General Counsel at Astro, Malaysia’s leading content and entertainment company. Simon has been there and done that – across a few continents no less.In this episode, we discuss:• The need for patience and persistence• How to tackle the treacle in the machine• The importance of getting early wins in to build momentum•  Why setting your vision is so fundamental to success.• And much much more. 

This episode focuses on AI and more specifically, generative AI. Many people will have recently seen the trending discussions and thought pieces on #ChatGPT.To find out what it all means for legal professionals, I spoke with Jonny Badrock, Senior Director for Data Services at SYKE.We explore the immediate applications of generative AI for legal teams, consider its current limitations and then cast our eyes forward to discuss what it might mean in the medium and long term.Further readingOpenAI ChatGPTOn the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? 🦜How Generative AI Is Changing Creative Work (Harvard Business Review) Generative Legal AI + ‘The Last Human Mile’ (Artificial Lawyer) Generative AI: A Creative New World (Sequoia Capital)ChatGPT, Explained: What to Know About OpenAI's Chatbot (WSJ Explainer Video)Introducing ChatGPT! (Cassie Kozyrkov, Chief Decision Scientist, Google)

This episode is focused on the topic of well-being for legal professionals. As of publication, it's 10 October 2022 - World Mental Health Day. To explore this topic, I spoke with a leading wellness advocate, author, former lawyer and current editor of Lawyers Weekly, Jerome Doraisamy.  In this episode, we dive into why wellness is such an important topic and discuss strategies and tips for how in-house lawyers can better manage their wellness.Further reading:Stress and mental health | Previous LODcast episodeJerome's biography & LinkedIn profile Minds Count Foundation 

How can in-house lawyers communicate effectively with the business? To explore this topic, I spoke with Marnie Troeth, an experienced General Counsel and in-house legal leader. Marnie has particular expertise in managing complex stakeholder relationships. In this episode, we dive into the difference in communication styles between lawyers and business colleagues and also contains highly practical tips for both in-house leaders and junior lawyers.Resources:Article on how in-house lawyers can communicate more effectively More info on DISC profiling 

This episode is all about legal project management and the more macro discipline of portfolio management.  To get under the skin of the buzzword, we speak with Therese Linton and James Kenney. We disentangle and distil the concepts of legal project management, legal portfolio managements and legal process improvement. Therese Linton is the Founder of The BASALT Group® and head coach for The POSITIVE Lawyer®. She is a global leader in the fields of Legal Project Management, Legal Process Improvement and Legal Operations. She also has unique expertise in Legal Portfolio Management and Legal Transformation. She literally wrote the book Legal Project Management, LexisNexis 2014. As a leading global expert, she has worked with thousands of lawyers over the last decade to develop their capabilities and skills. Find out more and register your interest in The POSITIVE Lawyer® or sign up for one of the new world class CPD Units in Legal Project Management, Legal Process Improvement or Legal People Management. James Kenney is the Director of Legal Operations and Technology at LOD. He’s certified in Project Management has worked with hundreds of clients to review and optimise their operating models.  

This episode is focused on diversity and inclusion in the legal workplace. In line with this year's theme of #breakthebias for International Women's Day, we speak with Niti Nadarajah about gender equity in the legal profession. Niti is a senior in-house lawyer in Melbourne who advocates for gender and racial equity and the need for more inclusive work practices within the legal profession and more broadly. She has recently been recognised as a LinkedIn Top Voice Gender Equity in Australia.

This episode is about resilience. To explore this topic, I speak with Dr. Larry Richard (J.D. Ph.D)  - a world leading expert on the psychology of lawyer behaviour.  This episode defines resilience, considers why lawyers are typically not resilient,  offers tips on how to improve their resiliency and shares some insight for in-house leaders. We also perform some myth-busting about the trope of the perfectionist lawyer.You can find out more about Dr Larry Richard by visiting his website: https://www.lawyerbrain.com/, or read his bio belowBiography:Dr Larry Richard is the founder and CEO of LawyerBrain LLC (www.lawyerbrain.com), a consulting firm that serves premier law firms and corporate legal departments in the areas of leadership, change management, teams and collaboration, talent selection and development, feedback, motivation and lawyer resilience and well-being. Dr Richard is recognized as the leading expert on the psychology of lawyer behavior. In addition, Dr. Richard is one of the leading experts in helping law firms and legal departments to improve organizational functioning, resolve organizational conflict, and restore morale. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, he was a litigator for ten years before earning his PhD in psychology from Temple University. Since then, he has gathered and analyzed personality data on thousands of lawyers, and consulted with hundreds of legal providers on a wide range of complex behavioral issues.Prior to founding LawyerBrain, Dr. Richard chaired the Leadership & Organization Improvement practice at Hildebrandt International, the legal specialty consultancy for 7 years. Previous to that, he was a partner at Altman Weil, another prominent legal consultancy. Known for his ability to distill cutting edge scientific principles into actionable recommendations for improving lawyer  performance, Dr Richard is a frequent presenter at professional conferences, and a sought-after keynote speaker, as well as a highly sought after consultant to leaders of law firms and corporate legal departments.  

This episode focuses on self-service for in-house legal teams. What do we mean by it, what’s the history, its advantages, common missteps and where to start.             To help us understand, we’re joined by Alex Fellows and Mark Reynolds.Alex is legal delivery manager at LOD currently working for a leading global tech company. Alex’s perspective and insight comes from on-the-ground lived experience, managing self-service tools on a daily basis.Mark Reynolds is an associate director at SYKE, our legal technology business. Mark is leading expert in this field, with experience at Thomson Reuters, Allens and King and Wood Mallesons and Clifford Chance.This podcast is brought to you be LOD. We help legal leaders build teams their business love – strategic, response and ready for anything. You can find out more about LOD by going to lodlaw.com.A final note before we start, just to let you know that there is a bonus questions at the end after music – so stay tuned later on for some extra insight. 

This episode of LODcast explores the world of multi-disciplinary teams in the context of in-house legal departments. Sarah’s articleshttps://www.cli.collaw.com/latest-news/2021/04/07/is-there-a-place-for-multidisciplinary-teams-in-the-legal-professionhttps://www.cli.collaw.com/latest-news/2020/07/08/can-legal-matters-be-solved-better-within-multidisciplinary-teamshttps://www.cli.collaw.com/latest-news/2021/05/03/what-characteristics-do-you-need-in-a-successful-multidisciplinary-team-involving-lawyersBloomberg survey https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bloomberg-law-analysis/analysis-its-just-us-lawyers-here-on-a-multidisciplinary-teamMcKinsey frameworkhttps://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/fielding-high-performing-innovation-teams

We’re starting 2021 with a bang – bringing you an episode on your most requested topic – contract improvement.This episode will help in-house counsel to improve how they manage their contracting. It combines the theoretical and the pragmatics on how to optimise your contracting. And to help us understand the topic better, I spoke with two experts:Denis Potemkin. One of the most interesting thinkers in the contract redesign space, Denis trained and practised as a solicitor and senior in-house counsel for many years across Europe and the UK, before becoming a consultant and launching his own start-up.David Curtain. David was formerly Head of Legal at Engie and now works out of the LOD Melbourne office as a Director of our Legal Operations & Tech business.Further resources:LOD Legal Operations & Tech HubDenis' startup: MajotoPolicy 2.0 by LemonadeAugust Privacy Policy 

This episode focuses on bringing business thinking into the world of in-house counsel. Further Resources:LOD's website: www.lodlaw.comCatherine's website: www.catherinemcgregor.co.ukCatherine's  book: https://books.globelawandbusiness.com/business-thinking-in-practice 

Today’s episode focuses on stress and mental health in the legal profession. It’s an episode that explains to you the relationship between stress and mental health, the trends we’re seeing in the corporate world, the problem of presenteeism, evidence-based strategies to improve your own mental health and where we hit the target but miss the point. To help us navigate and understand this vital topic, I was delighted to be joined by Professor Stuart Carney. Professor Carney is the Deputy Executive Dean and Medical Dean in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland. He is also a Liaison Psychiatrist by training.Further help:Australia - https://headtohealth.gov.au/Hong Kong - https://www.mind.org.hk/mental-health-in-hong-kong/Singapore - https://www.samhealth.org.sg/ United Kingdom - https://www.mentalhealthresource.org.uk/

Trust is a concept we all intuitively understand. We all understand what it means to trust someone and what it means to be trusted.But something easily understood, doesn’t make it something easy to do.In this episode of LODcast we speak with Charles Green, a world leading expert in trust and, in particular, the idea of being a trusted advisor.Resources:https://trustedadvisor.com/Trust equation quiz: https://trustsuite.trustedadvisor.com/LOD's global survey report: https://bit.ly/30ImU5C  

In this episode, we speak with Terri Mottershead - a global leader in legal talent management. Terri helps us answer the central question: how I future-proof my legal team? You can download Terri's report, Building the next in-house legal team, in collaboration with LOD, here: https://bit.ly/2MG5BKD  

In this episode, we’re delighted to speak with Heidi Gardner about smart collaboration – a term she coined to talk about how we need highly-specialised experts to come together tackle more complicated issues than any of them could do on their own. We take a deeper dive into her world-leading research on how this impacts for legal professionals, and more recently, her research and analysis on what this means for in-house legal teams. It’s a fascinating and insightful conversation and I particularly like how Heidi has taken a potentially misperceived soft-skill of collaboration and brought indisputable evidence as to how it brings tangible, bottom-line impacts. Further Resources:https://www.gardnerandco.co/https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Collaboration-Professionals-Succeed-Breaking/dp/163369110https://www.globelawandbusiness.com/special-reports/smart-collaboration-for-in-house-legal-teamshttps://hbr.org/2017/09/the-overcommitted-organization

This episode focuses on how lawyers and other knowledge workers can work remotely - and effectively. We speak with three experts: Dr Heidi Gardner, Assistant Professor Ella Hafermalz and LOD co-founder Simon Harper.For more information on Dr. Heidi Gardner and her work:https://www.gardnerandco.co/https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Collaboration-Professionals-Succeed-Breaking/dp/1633691101https://www.globelawandbusiness.com/special-reports/smart-collaboration-for-in-house-legal-teamshttps://hbr.org/2020/03/coronavirus-could-force-teams-to-work-remotelyhttps://hbr.org/2017/09/the-overcommitted-organizationFor more information on Ella Hafermalz and her work:https://www.kinresearch.nl/would-you-rather-be-watched-or-forgotten/ Dery, K., & E. Hafermalz. (2016). Seeing is belonging: Remote working, identity and staying connected. In J. Lee (Ed.), The impact of ICT on work (pp. 109-126). Singapore: Springer, Singapore.Hafermalz, E., & K. Riemer. (2016). The work of belonging through technology in remote work: A case study in tele-nursing. Paper presented at the European Conference on Information Systems, Istanbul, Turkey.And the book Ella mentioned in the podcast was: Gregg, M. (2013). Work's intimacy. John Wiley & Sons.For more information on remote working with LOD and more generally out flexible legal delivery models, please visit www.lodlaw.com