In this interview with Corporate Counsel Business Journal, Stacie LeGrow, VP and Deputy GC for Americas Sales with Cisco, and Tracy Wright, principal corporate counsel with Cisco, discuss the evolution of their working relationship, and insights they have drawn regarding talent development, mentoring and sponsorship. “Stacie might not remember this,” Wright begins, “but during our first meeting she said to me, ‘Are you interested in technology?’ And while I had more of a healthcare-leaning focus at the time, I was also smart enough to know that if a lawyer at a leading technology company was a ..read more

In this interview with Corporate Counsel Business Journal, Anthony Pacilio of CAI Neurodiverse Solutions discusses the benefits of neurodiversity, a term that encompasses the range of differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits, including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, among other conditions. According to Pacilio, who is neurodivergent himself, “CAI brings neurodiversity into the workplace, but in a way that solves complex business challenges so there’s a return on investment for the organization while individuals gain meaningful employment.” For exampl ..read more

In this piece from Corporate Counsel Business Journal, Bruce White, a partner with Barnes & Thornburg who focuses on litigation, arbitration and mediation of environmental disputes and administrative permitting and enforcement proceedings, provides a “roadmap” highlighting why ESG matters, the benefits of incorporating ESG into business operations, and practical steps for getting started, including collecting and protecting relevant ESG data. “In a world where ESG concerns are increasingly important to stakeholders, companies that prioritize ESG considerations are better positioned for lon ..read more

Michael Rynowecer, head honcho of BTI Consulting, interviews top legal decision makers on a regular basis. One of his signature reports is the BTI Client Service All-Stars, which is just what it says it is: a list of mostly Big Law partners singled out, unprompted, by clients for their excellent client service. In the latest edition of his newsletter, The Mad Clientist, Rynowecer uses the All Stars to make a few points. “So many attorneys see the deluge of changing regulations and new client needs as a head wind — slowing them down — the BTI Client Service All-Stars see these events as a tail ..read more

In this piece from Corporate Counsel Business Journal, Dan Haley, general counsel and corporate secretary with Guild, which helps organizations bolster their talent pipelines by making education and career mobility accessible, discusses his career trajectory from legal and compliance to all people functions, including HR, learning and development. “As I said before, every executive’s core responsibility is to build a great team,” Haley says. “In order to do that, you really need to be consciously focused on your team at all times—on their individual and collective ambitions, as well as the cul ..read more

Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCGS) are commonly used these days, but comprehensive and clear guidelines are hardly universal. In this piece from Corporate Counsel Business Journal, Brenda Hansen, a senior consultant with Epiq who has drafted many OCGs, offers useful advice for developing effective guidelines. This includes many specific recommendations such as Be Clear & Simple; Be Mindful of Differences (Practice Areas, Global); and Enforce and Provide Feedback. There are also broader recommendations such as using OGCs and an instruction manual, not an engagement agreement, which are very ..read more

In this interview with Corporate Counsel Business Journal, Mark Nastasi, founder and VP of contract management company CobbleStone Software, discusses the evolution of cost-effective and user-friendly contract and procurement management software applications and continuous innovation in Contract Lifecycle Management. That includes VISDOM AI, which systematically analyzes contracts by transforming the documents into building blocks for improved contract oversight, proactive opportunity identification and risk mitigation. Among the VISDOM AI features are: CobbleStone Auto-Redline, which automate ..read more

In this interview with Corporate Counsel Business Journal, Shawn R. White unveils her “secret recipe” for working with the family office of Will Smith, Jaden Pinkett Smith and their family circle. “While I considered working as a General Counsel for the Smith’s, I was considering my own family, as my father’s health was declining,” White says. “Working with this family brought deep comfort to me during the period that turned out to be the last two years of my father’s life. Supporting vastly different creative personalities and being encircled by this family at work is tons of fun. I mean, my ..read more

In this interview with Corporate Counsel Business Journal, Karen Meyer, CEO of Contract Logix, a longstanding contract management software company, discusses the “hidden risks in contracts,” which can be miniscule or massive. “Those risks include everything from overlooked penalties, to missed delivery obligations, to lost revenue, to unexpected renewals,” she says. “Our specialty is helping organizations illuminate and articulate, a lot of times for the first time, what their current processes for managing contracts and vendors are and making measurable and meaningful improvements.” Meyer goe ..read more

In this interview with Corporate Counsel Business Journal, Alexandra Guajardo, Pricing & Analytics Officer at Shell, and Jared Applegate, Chief Legal Operations Officer with Barnes & Thornburg, discuss the challenges and opportunities inherent in legal technology solutions. “We’re looking at tools that either streamline our processes or provide us data that allow us to make decisions faster,” Guarjardo says. “The problem is that there are about 5,000 new technologies out there. For us, it’s not about just having another tool. We are looking at technology that will make us more efficien ..read more