Introduction: 0:00

• Introducing two guests: Tommie Tavares-Ferreira, Senior Director, Head of Legal Operations at Cedar; and Tom Stephenson, VP of Community and Legal Operations at Legal.io.
• Co-hosting the Dear Legal Ops podcast and leading panel discussion at CLOC 2024.

Transitioning from paralegal to legal ops: 2:30

• Beginning your career as a legal receptionist and letting your ambition propel you to paralegal roles and beyond.
• Using your love language and professional emotional intelligence to find your purpose. 
• Shining a light on various pathways that lead to legal operations.

Coming into legal ops from a contract management background: 5:22

• Developing your legal expertise through survival in a relentless position.
• Identifying your operational skill set and being guided by a GC to the legal ops department.

Shifting your mindset from legal specialization to business strategy: 8:38

• Balancing the need for developing new skills versus changing your mindset.
• Bringing your project management skill sets to the table as you run legal like a business.
• Prioritizing professional relationships and passing it on to future generations.

Debating whether legal ops is the right career path for everyone: 12:38

• Deciding whether to sacrifice subject matter expertise into a generalist business role.
• Advising people to do salary assessments as they consider what they want for their future.

Establishing trust with stakeholders across the broader business: 15:50

• Making sure you don’t overload your colleagues with meetings on day one.
• Leaning into your GC to find out who you need to talk to, hear from, and understand.
• Clarifying to business leaders that you’re interested in helping them achieve their goals.

Managing a legal ops department: 19:10

• Learning from coaches and colleagues that you admire.
• Taking a collaborative approach to working with both your staff and the broader organization.
• Helping your team members use their talents to meet their next career goals.

Maintaining a strong relationship with your general counsel: 23:59

• Becoming comfortable with honesty and vulnerability when talking with your GC.
• Planting the seeds of a good relationship during the interview process.
• Asking yourself whether you will be able to work alongside your manager.
• Making sure you work with a passionate leader and communicate your passions back to them.

Balancing your business expertise with your GC’s legal strategy: 31:01

• Opening up to your GC in order to become a trusted business partner.
• Finding the middle ground between strategy and minutiae.
• Integrating legal ops into the business by focusing on the needs of the executive team.
• Building bridges so CLOs and GCs can implement strategies.

The importance of placing the head of legal ops on the GC’s leadership team: 36:04

• Recognizing that you may still be succeeding in your role even though there are no opportunities to join leadership.
• Making a frictionless pathway to set a business-minded tone for your department.
• Emphasizing the value of sitting at the table in order to advocate your needs and showcase your wins.

Considering career moves beyond legal ops: 38:48

• Understanding your professional emotional intelligence and business acumen as keys to career success.
• Allowing your talents and passions to guide you to the next transition in your career.

Transitioning from legal ops to executive roles: 43:15

• Exploring legal pathways that don’t require a law degree.
• Leaning into your interests to discover a new profession within legal.
• Acknowledging the legal ops trailblazers who revolutionized the field and imaging where the role will go in the future.

Presenting at CLOC 2024: 49:11

• Tom Stephenson will be moderating a panel titled Building Bridges: Personal Branding for Career Progression.