Episode 27: Legal Operations...Is it the new legal business game changer?

As we reflect on the many changes in the legal ecosystem in the last 5 years, few specialist groups have evolved as quickly or had the same, significant impact as legal operations professionals. For example, the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) evolved from a handful of people to thousands in what seemed like just a handful of years! So, we wanted to explore where legal ops came from and where it’s going to in Legal Operations...Is it the new legal business game changer?

In this podcast, Terri Mottershead, Executive Director, Centre for Legal Innovation (Australia, New Zealand and Asia-Pacific) was joined by an international panel of the world's leading thought leaders and doers in this space:

• Connie Brenton, Chief of Staff/Sr. Director, Legal Operations, NetApp, Inc. (USA)
• Amanda Fajerman, Head of Legal Technology, LOD (Australia)
• Mick Sheehy, Partner, NewLaw, PwC (Australia)

Topics discussed included:

• What legal operations is (and isn’t)
• What legal ops professionals do
• Why legal ops has become a critical function in legal departments
• The key performance indicators for a first rate legal ops function
• The role of legal ops in the new legal ecosystem
• The connection between legal ops and the rise of Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSPs)
• The emerging divide in focus, function and capabilities of lawyers in-house and in private practice
• The opportunities and challenges of COVID-19 for the legal ops function

Thank you so much Connie, Mick and Amanda for a candid, insightful and information packed discussion – we love your work!

P.S. This podcast was also recorded as a webinar so, if you would like to watch it, you’ll find it here.