What do you need to know if you're considering taking on the people function? What's the difference between a chief people officer and a CHRO? And are GCs well-positioned to take on both of these roles simultaneously? Rachel Olchowka, Former Chief People Officer and General Counsel at Fetch and current Chief Administrative Officer at Prizm Insurance, had no hesitations when she volunteered to operate a complex, metrics-driven people function in addition to her responsibilities leading in-house legal at a fast-paced organization. Not only did she learn how to do both roles—she learned how to do them well. Listen as Rachel shares how she was able to find balance between two very different executive positions, know whether expanding into a people role is right for you, establish a game-changing comprehensive parental leave plan, craft culture within a company and executive team, and more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-5 [https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-50]1 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Taking on the chief people officer role while serving as general counsel at Fetch: 2:25 The difference between CPOs and CHROs: 5:25 Encountering pushback from the executive team on HR policies: 9:01 Crafting culture within an executive team: 12:35 Establishing a comprehensive parental leave plan: 14:53 Approaching the hiring process as a CPO: 19:38 Comparing in-office policies against remote work: 24:40 Dealing with emotionally charged issues in the CPO/CHRO role: 30:57 Recommendations to GCs who want to take on multiple executive roles: 36:34 Considering the right candidate for dual GC and CPO roles: 42:39 Book recommendations: 46:37 What you wish you'd known as a young lawyer: 50:19 Connect with us: Rachel Olchowka - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-olchowka/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
Have you ever considered quitting your job outright because you felt like you were being pulled farther and farther away from your calling? And then finding your way back through a career change that's very different? Join Jasmine Singh, former Chief Legal and People Officer at Binti, as she shares lessons she learned after taking time away from the legal profession about how to recalibrate your career to align with your principles and passions, and how a year instructing a spin class landed her the in-house role that led her all the way to the executive suite. Listen as Jasmine discusses knowing when it's the right time to quit, how to rely on your network and give back back to your community, realigning your career to match your values, getting your foot in the door as in-house counsel, and much more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-67 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Why Jasmine chose to become a lawyer: 2:36 Knowing when to take a break: 5:50 Teaching spin classes: 14:06 Getting your first in-house role at 24 Hour Fitness: 18:26 How to position yourself during an in-house job interview: 21:36 Transitioning into tech counsel: 25:29 Explaining Binti and it's mission: 30:59 Fulfilling a philanthropic mission with Dincert Movement: 36:22 Tips for people who feel stuck at work: 40:29 Rapid-fire questions: 42:54 Book recommendations: 44:19 What Jasmine wishes she'd known as a young lawyer: 47:35 Connect with us: Jasmine Singh - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-singh-b4a25274/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
What is the transition like from government service to a C-suite leadership role at a cutting edge tech company? How are regulators thinking about crypto and other financial innovations? And is public service something that's still inspiring or something that we ought to aspire to? Join Heath Tarbert, Chief Legal Officer and Head of Corporate Affairs at Circle, as he draws on his extensive and prodigious career in public service–serving as Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commision, associate White House counsel, Supreme Court clerk, special counsel to the Senate Banking Committee, and more–to break down the legal side and wide-ranging impacts of financial markets around the globe. Listen as Heath discusses the intersection between law, finance, and public policy, the future of cryptocurrency, the value of humility, and much more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-67 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Building a career around banking and financial markets: 8:53 Being picked to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission: 16:50 Advice to young people considering careers in politics and public service: 22:13 Breaking down CFTC regulation of cryptocurrencies: 30:17 Why the CFTC chose to engage with cryptocurrencies: 37:26 Why Heath joined Circle as Chief Legal Officer: 41:40 Should lawyers move beyond legal into business operator roles?: 47:15 Rapid-fire questions: 49:16 Book recommendations: 53:31 What Heath wishes he'd known as a young lawyer: 55:21 Connect with us: Heath Tarbert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/heath-tarbert-b2140a15/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
What lessons from tennis can you apply to your day-to-day life? How do you build a career as a dealmaker working with high-profile talent? How has the entertainment industry, and what it needs from its lawyers, changed over the years? Join Peter Steckelman, Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at the Tennis Channel, as he shares stories from his uniquely wide-ranging career in entertainment law, including working in-house work at Disney, Fox Entertainment, Warner Brothers, Mattel, and Konami. Listen as Peter serves up stories about his lifelong love for tennis, negotiating with celebrity athletes, and the joys of working in film, television, video games, streaming, and more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-66 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Starting his career in-house at Disney: 9:59 How to work with creative people: 20:45 What role does creativity play in the legal field?: 24:31 Working as a studio executive at video game developer Konami: 28:44 Putting together talent agreements with celebrity athletes: 30:51 Leading legal at the Tennis Channel: 39:45 What playing tennis has taught Peter about being a lawyer: 44:49 Rapid-fire questions: 47:30 Book recommendations: 49:10 What Peter wishes he'd known as a young lawyer: 49:50 Connect with us: Peter Steckelman - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-steckelman-entertainment-sports-professional/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
Do general counsels need to care about geopolitics? Is now the right time to start a legal tech company? And should you consider growing your team in a place other than Silicon Valley, like Rwanda? Join Sean West, Co-Founder at Hence Technologies and writer at Geolegal.substack.com, as he explains how he became a geopolitical forecaster for corporations and hedge funds at Eurasia Group, then chose to co-found a tech company that brings geopolitical insights to general counsels and executives at a time of rising international volatility. Listen as Sean explains why CEOs are becoming chief geopolitical officers, why government affairs teams are increasingly falling under the purview of the general counsel, how he develops his predictions in a constantly changing world, and more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-65 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Tyler asks about the Eurasia Group: 3:51 Tyler asks how Sean learned to trust his gut: 8:18 Tyler asks why general counsels should care about geopolitics: 10:49 Tyler asks how general counsels can get better at handling political risks: 15:59 Tyler asks whether CEOs have to be politicians: 22:10 Tyler asks about building Hence Technologies in Rwanda: 31:46 Tyler asks about starting your own business: 35:03 Tyler asks about the future of Hence Technologies: 41:41 Tyler asks rapid-fire questions: 43:23 Book recommendations: 45:19 Tyler asks what Sean wishes he'd known as a young researcher: 47:25 Connect with us: Sean West - https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanpwest1/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
As top legal leaders across a variety of industries, our podcast guests are no strangers to building teams from scratch and scaling them to adapt to the needs of a rapidly expanding business. Listen as we share some of our favorite words of advice from past episodes about hiring and growing elite legal teams from some of the most seasoned general counsels and executives working today. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-64 Topics: You're starting a leadership role at a new company. What's your first move?: 0:06 You're about to go public. How do you build an expert international legal team from scratch?: 2:51 How do you prepare your legal team to be the next generation of GCs and legal leaders?: 8:06 How do you prepare your domestic legal team for an international expansion?: 10:41 How do you bring in the right talent to build out your legal team?: 15:41 How do you identify whether a candidate has the skills they need to succeed on your legal team?: 18:17 How do you keep your team motivated to stay on during moments of crisis, like the Covid-19 pandemic?: 23:24 Connect with us: Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.
How can the general counsel become a true partner to the executive team? How about in the context of a public company? How can the general counsel ensure that that same can-do attitude that they bring to the table pervades the rest of their legal team? Join Matt Campobasso, General Counsel at Enfusion, as he shares stories and lessons from his unique legal career: starting as a prosecutor outside of Chicago, litigating at a firm for more than a decade and becoming partner, then transitioning to in-house and leading legal at a publicly-traded fintech company. Listen as Matt discusses how his time in the courtroom shaped his approach to in-house legal, how to build a department of independent, driven lawyers, cultivating a business mindset in your team, and more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-6 [https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-61]3 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Tyler asks about his career as an Illinois prosecutor: 1:36 Tyler asks what inspired Matt to be a prosecutor: 4:32 Tyler asks about transitioning in-house roles in tech: 16:33 Tyler asks about managing work relationships after you become general counsel: 24:15 Tyler asks about instilling a business mindset in a legal team: 29:56 Tyler on hiring lawyers with an owner's mindset: 37:32 Tyler asks fun questions: 43:50 Book recommendations: 49:22 What Matt wish he knew as a young lawyer: 52:16 Connect with us: Matt Campobasso - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrc1921/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
How can corporate leaders make compliance training entertaining enough that their employees will pay attention? How do you know if compliance training is effective? What has a founder in this space learned about building for and selling to HR and legal? Join Roxanne Petraeus, Co-Founder and CEO of Ethena, as she discusses how her company is changing compliance training by making it more personalised, effective, role-based, and specific to scenarios happening in her clients' companies. Starting her career as an officer in the U.S. Army, she made the leap from consultant to founder and built a platform that saves time, engages distracted employees, and satisfies regulators. Listen as Roxanne discusses why content is as important as technology, how to measure the success of compliance training, the value of balancing quantitative data with qualitative feedback, and how her company is leveraging AI to better serve their clients, and more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-62 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Finding the inspiration to serve in the military: 1:30 Leaving McKinsey & Company to found Ethena: 6:25 Scaling up content quality alongside technology: 9:04 What companies are getting wrong about in-house training and how to make a change: 11:44 Measuring the success of a new compliance training: 13:34 Going beyond boring or cringy compliance trainings: 16:45 Observing new trends in compliance training: 20:40 Leveraging AI as the founder of a tech company: 23:16 Comparing compliance issues and needs between small companies and enterprise clients: 29:02 Mapping the future for Ethena: 31:50 Favorite part of your day and pet peeves: 34:12 Book recommendations: 35:50 What you wish you'd known as a young founder: 36:58 Connect with us: Roxanne Petraeus - https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxanne-bras-petraeus-2292b8109/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
What skill set should the Chief of Staff to a Chief Legal Officer of a major international corporation need? How do you build trust with a Chief Operating Officer? How do you cultivate the right culture with a large legal and compliance team? Join Zoe McMahon, Chief of Staff, VP of Legal Strategy and Operations at HP, as she shares stories and lessons from her thirty-year career at the world's second largest computer manufacturer. Starting her career in environmental responsibility, Zoe has transferred her skills to a diverse roster of teams, including HP's global human rights office, privacy, and legal operations. Listen as Zoe discusses how she drives change from within, why she loves working on the forefront of developing legal and business fields, her fascination with long-term change, why she values strong relationships, and more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-61 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Tyler asks about starting a career in environmental issues: 2:02 How do you advocate for the environment from within a company?: 4:04 How do you resource responsibly?: 5:02 Why Zoe moved into privacy: 8:03 Can you build credibility without a JD?: 9:25 Should you change career trajectories? 12:55 What does the Chief of Staff to HP's Chief Legal Officer do?: 19:36 How do you build strong relationships at work?: 23:57 What part of HP's culture is Zoe proudest of?: 26:41 Fun questions: 30:30 Book recommendations: 34:02 What Zoe wish she know when she was getting started: 40:04 Connect with us: Zoe McMahon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-mcmahon-44074814/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
Where's the intersection in a career as a creative and as a lawyer? What stories would you tell if you were writing a play about your career in startup law? How do you go and convince some accomplished actors to sign up and perform it off-broadway? Join Sarah Feingold, the legal expert and playwright behind Dirty Legal Secrets: Based on True Startups—running Off-Broadway this October in New York City—as she shares her experience collecting and staging anonymous stories from startup lawyers that they can't tell themselves. She leveraged her own experience as the first general counsel at start-ups Etsy and Vroom. Listen as Sarah discusses how she leveraged her own experience as the first general counsel at start-ups Etsy and Vroom to tell other lawyers' brave legal stories, how to balance your creative pursuits with legal work, how to expand beyond in-house to advise, teach, and join boards, and much more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-60 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Becoming Etsy's first lawyer (and 17th hire): 2:48 Transitioning to General Counsel at Vroom: 6:57 Writing a play: 9:18 Getting started on your first draft: 13:59 Finding actors and producing your own play: 16:52 Learning to promote yourself after a career in legal: 19:54 Staging Dirty Legal Secrets: 21:37 Keeping your creative spirit alive while working full-time: 25:28 Leaning into a "portfolio" career: 28:20 Favorite part of your day and pet peeves: 30:13 Book recommendations: 31:24 What you wish you'd known as a young lawyer: 33:21 Cellunova Productions presents Dirty Legal Secrets October 17-27, NYC Buy tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dirty-legal-secrets-tickets-1001791825317 Connect with us: Sarah Feingold: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahfeingold/ Tyler Finn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.
How do you turn your passion for sports into a career? What does it take to advise pro athletes and celebrities on investments and deals? And how can you start to angel invest yourself? Sunjay Mathews, investor, advisor, and dealmaker in the sports and media sector, was able to make the leap from in-house counsel at FanDuel and DAZN, the biggest names in sports betting and streaming, into a legal and business consulting powerhouse. With his deep understanding of the complex (and often outdated) regulations surrounding sports betting, he began leading at the intersection of crypto and athletics, advising on sports partnerships with FTX and investing in blockchain-reliant companies like BetDex, and joining the board of tixbase. Listen as Sunjay shares lessons from his career at the cutting edge of burgeoning industries, dealmaking with pro athletes, getting started as an angel investor, and more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-5 [https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-58]9 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Transitioning from law associate to sports legal advisor at FanDuel: 3:40 Dealing with anachronistic regulations in the sports betting industry: 6:47 Moving into streaming at DAZN: 10:39 Getting a start as an independent advisor: 21:47 Dealmaking with pro athletes and celebrities: 26:08 Getting started as an angel investor: 34:12 Consulting on sports marketing with FTX and getting involved with crypto: 38:06 Investing and advising companies like BetDEX, tixbase, and Just Women's Sports: 42:20 Uplifting Just Women's Sports: 49:35 What you wish you'd known as a young lawyer: 57:11 Connect with us: Sunjay Mathews: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunjay-mathews-b227a723/ Tyler Finn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading CLM platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
How should General Counsel and legal teams be leveraging generative AI? How do you get started on your AI journey and what mistakes should you avoid? Where is the AI revolution heading? Join Cecilia Ziniti, Founder and CEO of GC AI, as she discusses how and why she made the leap from working as a corporate lawyer to creating a generative AI product specifically designed for in-house counsel. Find out how her years leading legal for AI-powered tech companies like Replit, Anki, and Cruise (and serving as lead counsel on Amazon's Alexa) prepared her to create a company offering a groundbreaking product that serves the various needs of lawyers with precision and care. Listen as Cecilia discusses the similarities between lawyers and large language models, how to begin experimenting with generative AI with the goal of making both your professional and personal life smoother, why you can't let others tell you you're "just" a lawyer, and why legal professionals should always use emojis. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-58 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Leading legal at Replit: 2:52 Why lawyers should use emojis: 5:40 Starting a business after gaining extensive experience working with AI: 13:00 Considering how GCs should leverage AI: 22:18 Hiring legal teams in the age of AI: 39:03 Teaching a class on AI at Stanford University: 47:35 Book Recommendations: 51:52 What you wish you'd known as a young lawyer: 55:11 Connect with us: Cecilia Ziniti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciliaziniti/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
Join Jules Polonetsky, CEO and Founder of the Future of Privacy Forum, as he shares lessons he learned from the front lines of ad tech starting in the early 1990s. Starting his career in politics as a New York assemblyman and working his way into consumer protection-focused public roles, he became one of the first chief privacy officers in the tech industry at companies like DoubleClick and AOL at a crucial moment in the history of online privacy. Now his think tank connects policymakers with corporations, and helps both sides answer tough questions about privacy and data. Join Jules Polonetsky, CEO and Founder of the Future of Privacy Forum, as he shares lessons he learned from the front lines of ad tech starting in the early 1990s. Starting his career in politics as a New York assemblyman and working his way into consumer protection-focused public roles, he became one of the first chief privacy officers in the tech industry at companies like DoubleClick and AOL at a crucial moment in the history of online privacy. Now his think tank connects policymakers with corporations and helps both sides answer tough questions about privacy and data. Listen as Jules discusses his uniquely-positioned understanding of privacy issues, the future of AI governance and the chief privacy officer role, advice to lawyers who want to move into the privacy space, and much more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-57 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Getting a start in New York politics: 1:57 Running for elected office: 11:46 Taking one of the first Chief Privacy Officer roles in the industry at DoubleClick: 16:43 Considering the necessary training to be successful in privacy: 24:28 Founding the Future of Privacy Forum: 32:02 Questioning the death of the Chief Privacy Officer role: 44:42 Favorite part of your day-to-day work and professional pet peeves: 51:54 Book recommendations: 56:41 What you wish you'd known as a young lawyer: 1:00:01 Connect with us: Jules Polonetsky: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julespolonetsky/ Tyler Finn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
Can playing cards teach you to be a better lawyer? How do you make it in Silicon Valley without the traditional big law firm experience? And how do you make the jump to public company general counsel? Join Andrew Woods, General Counsel at PubMatic, as he discusses the unique path he forged from professional poker player to legal star. From founding a think tank at Harvard focused on poker and law to breaking into tech and privacy as Director of Legal and Associate Counsel at Twitter, Andrew relies on his belief in the value of autonomy, mastery, and significance to guide him towards work that makes him happiest. Listen as Andrew discusses his love for game theory, landing a fulfilling job leading legal at a tech company, hiring lawyers based on their ambitions instead of their experience, and more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-56 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Starting your career as a professional poker player: 1:33 Comparing poker skills with skills required to succeed as general counsel: 6:10 Taking an unorthodox path after law school: 13:02 Transitioning to in-house roles in tech: 17:12 Moving away from skill questions in the hiring process: 22:52 Developing mastery over fields like privacy and ad tech: 29:05 Breaking into privacy: 33:18 Considering the future of AI governance from a privacy perspective: 36:37 Making the jump to Twitter and PubMatic: 39:21 Book recommendations: 54:23 What you wish you'd known as a young lawyer: 57:23 Connect with us: Andrew Woods - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmichaelwoods/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
How do you make the leap from lawyer to founder? How do you craft the perfect pitch? What does it take to fundraise effectively? And how far will your legal know-how take you when you're accountable for every function in the business? Join Aaron Gregory, Co-founder and CEO of Upwardli, as he shares his journey from general counsel to start-up leader. Starting his career in the highly regulated telecom and fintech industries, Aaron relied on lessons he learned while earning his JD-MBA to start a company that solves the challenges of credit invisibility for more than 50 million people in the United States. Listen as Aaron discusses how he took on the challenges that all first-time founders face–like pitching to VCs, fundraising, and growing into the CEO role—and shifted his mindset from that of a risk-conscious legal leader to a business-focused operator. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-55 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Forging a career in highly regulated legal areas: 1:25 Advice to law students considering a JD-MBA: 7:20 Teaching yourself to become comfortable with uncertainty: 9:57 Leaving Remitly right before it went public to found a start-up: 15:10 Unpacking Upwardli: 18:42 Bringing your business to a start-up accelerator: 22:26 Fundraising for your start-up: 27:05 Making an effective pitch: 33:15 Growing into the CEO role: 36:16 Building Upwardli in Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 44:43 Bonus questions: 48:48 Book recommendations: 51:29 What you wish you'd known as a young lawyer: 53:02 Connect with us: Aaron Gregory - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amgregory/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
How can C-suite leaders take on challenging political issues that affect their company? How do you pursue a path of professional growth at a company over the course of a decade? What's required for taking on wide-ranging responsibilities at the executive level? Join Kristin Sverchek, President of Lyft, as she discusses how she joined a small start-up as their first general counsel and grew with it as it transformed into a global ride-sharing powerhouse with a multi-billion dollar IPO. Listen as she discusses the unexpected management challenges she faced and conquered internally as her role expanded beyond legal, as well as the external challenges of taking strong stances to protect her drivers in the face of adverse political climates. She also offers advice for lawyers looking to expand beyond the legal function and shares stories about innovating in industries where regulations haven't been updated in over a century. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-54 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Finding your way to Lyft: 3:51 Taking on your first GC role at Lyft: 6:23 Building a legal team at a rapidly growing start-up: 8:23 Helping lead the IPO process: 10:48 Comparing work at public and private companies: 14:39 Dealing with the challenges of executive roles: 17:20 Transitioning into the President of Business Affairs role: 21:45 Working with an executive coach during major career transitions: 26:08 Advice to lawyers who want to take on GC "plus" roles: 27:56 Defining and living your values at Lyft: 30:30 Taking on the role of President: 35:58 Departing Lyft: 38:42 Book recommendation: 45:52 What you wish you'd known as a young lawyer: 46:58 Connect with us: Kristin Sverchek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinsverchek/ Tyler Finn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
What do you need to know if you're ready to launch a government affairs strategy? How do you find the right lobbyist? And how has lobbying for tech companies changed over the last decade? Join Matt Tanielian, Co-founder of Franklin Square Group, a bipartisan government relations, as he shares key insights from his decades of experience advocating for tech companies and bridging the gap between Silicon Valley and Washington. D.C. From advising senators on foundation internet legislation like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Microsoft antitrust investigation, to lobbying for Apple as it launched its first iPhone in 2008, Matt has been instrumental to tech firms as they navigate the intricacies of Capitol Hill. Listen as Matt discusses how to work with politicians and government relations consultants, the value of joining coalitions and trade associations, the future of AI policy, and much more. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-5 [https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-52]3 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Attending law school in Washington, D.C.: 3:51 Working for a committee vs. working for a congressperson: 5:05 Questioning whether policy work requires a law degree: 7:12 Launching your own government relations firm: 10:17 Analyzing the evolving conversation around around tech in Washington: 13:15 Hiring your company's first government relations consultant: 15:35 Joining and organizing coalitions and industry organizations: 20:58 Choosing who will represent your company in D.C.: 26:20 Avoiding common mistakes: 28:30 Envisioning the future of AI policy: 30:32 Advising companies during an election year: 34:42 Tracking the changing nature of lobbying: 36:09 Book recommendations: 38:14 Lobbying vs. government relations: 40:23 What you wish you'd known as a young lawyer: 42:47 Connect with us: Matt Tanielian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matttanielian/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com [https://www.spotdraft.com/] to learn more.
How do you raise nine figures in financing in twelve hours as the first Twitter-fueled bank run is happening around you and you feel the pressure of hundreds and thousands of employees depending on your ability to finish the deal so their paychecks clear? Join Vanessa Wu, GC at Rippling, as she relives the moment her company overcame the disastrous collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and pulled through some lightning-fast deals to protect the income of the clients whose paychecks depend on them. Her department's hard work turned a catastrophe into a boon to their company's reputation, both with product users and investors. Listen as Vanessa offers a masterclass in getting financing and deals over the finish line in record time, with tips on moving through the diligence process, keeping fees low, and why it's essential for lawyers to close as quickly as possible. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-52 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Becoming a top dealmaker at LiveRamp: 1:33 Moving quickly to close deals: 7:06 Offering operational solutions to small and medium businesses at Rippling: 10:08 Surviving the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank: 23:14 Collaborating with finance as a legal team: 36:21 Tips for a fast and low-fee financing deal-making process: 40:54 Favorite parts of day-to-day work: 41:54 Book recommendations: 44:22 What you wish you'd known as a young lawyer: 45:28 Connect with us: Vanessa Wu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-wu-7363359/ Tyler Finn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.
How do you help CEOs transition out of the business? How do you project calm in a time of crisis? Can you draw on the experience of beating cancer twice as you navigate the challenges of executive leadership? Dan Haley, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Guild, has led a career spanning the world of local Massachusetts politics, leading legal at companies like Sprinklr, and Athenahealth, enduring cancer treatments while holding high-stress leadership positions, and becoming known as legal's most "zen" GC. Listen as Dan shares how he developed his calming professional philosophy, why he wears t-shirts to work, and how he instills and nurtures a sense of confidence in his staff during trying times. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-50 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Balancing cancer treatment with a high-stress job: 9:21 Building a reputation as a zen lawyer: 12:23 Maintaining a positive attitude and setting a tone as a GC role: 18:05 Managing CEO transitions in a time of crisis: 23:16 Enduring a hostile takeover from Elliott Management at Athenahealth: 27:31 Facilitating the CEO transition at Athenahealth: 32:52 Facilitating the CEO transition at Guild: 37:22 Book recommendations: 46:14 What you wish you'd known as a young lawyer: 50:13 Connect with us: Dan Haley - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danhaley1972/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading Contract Lifecycle Management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.
How is AI going to change the practice of law? How is one of the most forward looking law firms adapting? And will the billable hour go away? Joe Green, Chief Innovation Officer at Gunderson Dettmer and Cofounder & Director of the Open Cap Table Coalition, steered a law career starting at major Wall Street firm Simpson Thacher towards the worlds of tech and product management, with stop-offs in academia and legal publishing along the way. Ultimately, he found that his legal mindset guided him in his technical work, and his understanding of business and innovation strengthened his legal abilities. Listen as Joe discusses strategies to shift your careers towards your passion through pro bono work, stepping into board advisory roles, parsing the influx of investment into legal tech, and whether the billable hour will really go away in our lifetime. Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-49 Topics: Introduction: 0:00 Moving into a tech advisor role at Gunderson Dettmer after a career start at Simpson Thacher: 2:11 Moving away from the standard legal path at Thompson Reuters: 5:38 Taking on side hustles that pull you towards tech and product: 8:43 Founding the Open Cap Table Coalition: 11:59 Rejoining Gunderson Dettmer and moving into the CIO role: 18:04 Challenging the billable hour model: 20:56 Leading and launching innovative projects: 30:06 Shifting from a legal to a technical mindset: 33:44 Discussing the influx of investment into legal tech: 37:20 Predicting the future of legal services: 41:06 Book Recommendations: 43:41 What you wish you'd known as a young lawyer: 45:40 Connect with us: Joe Green - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joegreen1/ Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft SpotDraft is a leading CLM platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.