Join your CLOC SF Bay Area regional peers for the latest installment in our virtual roundtable series. This month we will be discussing legal technology for compliance. Whether it is trade compliance, policy governance, export controls, or other, bring your questions and expertise and let’s learn from each other. We will be limiting the number of attendees to ensure group participation, so register early.

This session will be moderated by Deborah Haile, Associate Director, Legal Operations at Gilead Sciences, Inc. 

This CLOC Huddle has been setup to connect and further explore Ironclad, as discussed in this active community thread.* If you are a current user, or considering Ironclad for your legal department, join this conversation to gain community insights. This huddle is exclusive to legal ops professionals.

*This community thread is in the Legal Operations Professionals Forum and is restricted to this member type.

CLOC Huddles are live, virtual roundtables initiated from active discussion threads in Community Connect.

In this episode of CLOC Talk, recorded live from CGI 2024 in Las Vegas, Jenn sits down with  Pepe Toriello, from CLOC’s LATAM regional group whose based in Mexico City, and Gui Tocci, leader of CLOC’s Brazil Legal Ops regional chapter.

They discuss the nuances and challenges of implementing Legal Operations in their regions. Pepe highlights that in Mexico, Legal Ops is often perceived narrowly as technology-focused, specifically on contracts, with general counsels yet to fully adopt it.

Gui shares that in Brazil, Legal Ops is often mistaken for paralegal work without strategic involvement, and roles blend with other duties due to a lack of dedicated headcount.

Both emphasize the importance of technology in gaining initial interest and the critical need for a ‘translator’ role to bridge gaps between legal, IT, and business teams.

The conversation underscores the foundational stage of Legal Ops in Latin America and the efforts to evolve it toward a more strategic and integrated function.

So, get ready to travel to LATAM, via Las Vegas, and hear a lively discussion packed with actionable insights. Enjoy!

In today’s episode of CLOC Talk, recorded in person at CGI 2024 in Las Vegas, Jenn sits down for an in-depth conversation with Travis Zimbelman, a legal ops and tech in-house professional with a diverse career background from international business consultancy to roles in Google and Meta. His most recent role had him leading Meta’s legal and compliance central services team.

They discussed the evolution of Travis’ last role and team which included project management, technology, legal operations, and elements of community and connection.

The conversation is a story of growth, going from a team of five to dozens of employees.  A story of integration of the technology component, and a reminder of the importance of project management, learning and development within legal operations.

Travis elaborates on the impact of generative AI and how we should all consider the proof of concept first before adopting in our workflows.

Working at a FAANG company and legal department is a learning experience in itself. Want to find out what it’s like inside the likes of Netflix, Google, or Meta? Look no further!

Enjoy this fascinating conversation and uncover strategies for embracing change, curiosity, and partnerships while maintaining human-centered change management!

In this episode of CLOC Talk, recorded at the 2024 APAC Summit in Sydney, Australia, Jenn sits down with Craig Emery, the head of the legal chapter and chief compliance officer at Telstra. Craig highlights his roles and responsibilities at Telstra, including his transition to the group company secretary role.

Jenn and Craig discuss Telstra’s implementation of an agile legal chapter structure, innovative use of AI for compliance, and the benefits of a central legal front door system. Craig shares insights on creating efficient legal services, leveraging technology, and fostering an innovative mindset within legal teams.

Enjoy this impactful conversation as Craig emphasizes the importance of balancing compassion with the challenge of leadership. It’s also full of advice for legal ops professionals on how to start small and build upon digital transformation efforts!

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming knowledge-based professions, and legal operations are no exception. As legal departments grapple with increasing workloads and tight budgets, AI offers a way to enhance efficiency and effectiveness without the need for additional human resources. 

This blog post explores the implications of AI for legal teams, careers in legal operations, and the essential skills needed to thrive in this evolving landscape. 

What Does AI Mean for Legal Teams? 

Legal teams are increasingly required to do more with less. In-house counsel manages everything from corporate transactions, to litigation, to regulatory compliance, and they regularly interface with teams around the business including sales, procurement, finance, IT, and more. That breadth of scope means that legal teams need not only to manage a high volume of work, but also to switch rapidly between several different areas of expertise on a day-to-day basis. That requires organization, agility, and ready access to crucial business information — in short, impeccable legal operations. 

Despite ever-burgeoning workloads, however, hiring budgets for legal operations remain constrained. In fact, eighty-seven percent of surveyed legal departments in 2020 expected their total number of in-house, full-time employees to stay the same or decrease. This scenario necessitates innovative solutions to scale up operations efficiently. AI is poised to fill this gap by automating routine tasks, enhancing document review processes, and providing data-driven insights that enable teams to operate leanly while managing higher volumes of work. By leveraging AI, legal departments can optimize their resources, allowing human professionals to focus on more complex, value-added activities. 

What Does AI Mean for Careers and Job Skills? 

The integration of AI in legal operations is reshaping the skill sets required for success in the field. Professionals who can work effectively across functional silos and drive collaboration on multidisciplinary projects will be highly prized. These individuals will drive significant value for large organizations by bridging gaps between different departments and enhancing overall operational efficiency. 

To that end, tech-savvy individuals who embrace, leverage, and champion new technologies will thrive. The ability to adapt to and utilize AI tools to augment productivity — and enable co-workers to do so as well — will become a critical competency in the legal operations landscape. 

Getting Ahead in the New World of AI-Powered Jobs 

In a recent survey, 62% of respondents said that the effective use of generative AI will separate successful law firms from unsuccessful firms within the next five years. However, success is not as simple as just picking any AI platform and calling it a day. 

To excel in AI-powered legal operations, professionals must focus on (1) choosing the right technology, and then (2) providing what technology cannot: human intelligence and experience. Choosing the right technology entails understanding what AI can and can’t do, and which platforms offer the capabilities that the team truly needs. The human element includes making connections between different disciplines, understanding nuance and context, and fostering human relationships. 

Legal ops professionals must also recognize and value factual accuracy, ensuring that they’re using AI they can trust and avoiding decisions based solely on AI-generated information, which can sometimes be flawed or misleading when it comes from the wrong source. Furthermore, making value-based judgments about goals, costs, benefits, and strategies will remain a uniquely human responsibility. 

By combining AI capabilities with human expertise, legal ops professionals can navigate the complexities of their roles more effectively. 

Conclusion 

AI is revolutionizing legal operations by enabling teams to manage increasing workloads without expanding their headcount. As AI becomes more integrated into legal workflows, the demand for multidisciplinary, tech-enabled professionals will rise. Those who can provide human intelligence, understand nuance, and make strategic, value-based decisions will lead the way in this new era. Embracing AI while honing these essential skills will be key to thriving in the future of legal operations.