Introduction: 0:00

• Ron Bell, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer at Collective Health, joins the podcast.
• Spending 18 years in legal at Yahoo! and working his way up to General Counsel.
• Starting his in-house career at Apple after being a litigator in Chicago.

Charting a career course after law school: 2:04

• On wanting to be a Supreme Court reporter.
• Looking for media-adjacent work.

Leaving Illinois for the Bay Area: 3:44

• Ron on his lifelong passion for software.
• Wanting to be part of the tech renaissance.
• Getting hired at Apple.

Working in legal at Apple as a former programmer: 6:45

• On joining Apple during a difficult time for the company.
• The best time to join a company.
• Working with colleagues who believe in the product.
• Launching groundbreaking tech products.

Leaving Apple for Yahoo!: 10:17

• On working at the hottest company in the world.
• Over-preparing for a job interview.
• Getting hired by offering solutions.

Growing and changing at the same company for 18 years: 13:22

• Ron on opportunities to grow and explore.
• Having a ragu spaghetti sauce of careers.
• Overseeing diverse legal functions.

Setting up legal operations at Yahoo!: 17:25

• On the changing nature of legal functions.
• Convincing Yahoo! to adopt a legal operations team.
• Fixing inefficient legal processes.

Becoming the second Chief Legal Officer at Collective Health: 21:30

• On coming into a company with an existing legal operations team.
• Focusing on attorney-side skill sets.

Building a strong relationship with Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer: 23:04

• On becoming interim General Counsel under the previous CEO.
• Marissa Mayer as a tech CEO raised on the internet.
• Earning trust with incoming CEOs.
• Bringing positivity and offering support.
• Identifying stakeholders and acting as a confidante.

Navigating constant change: 29:45

• Ron on the need for change management.
• Keeping staff calm during transitions.
• Being available and easing peoples’ minds.
• Why people are intimidated by lawyers.

Coaching your staff to be more accessible: 35:00

• On the need for transparency.
• Managing open door policies.
• Creating spaces for interaction.
• The difference between intention and perception.

Paying attention to stock fluctuations: 39:13

• Ron on obligations to follow stock prices.
• Stocks that climb $70 a day.
• The importance of providing a company narrative.
• Other measures of value.

Reflections on the maturing tech industry: 42:59

• Ron on constant change.
• Flexibility and adjustment.
• The key to survival in tech.

Deciding to move into healthcare: 46:50

• Ron on working with an early client at Yahoo!
• Dealing with healthcare disasters in his family.
• Wanting to improve a deeply flawed system.

Being open and candid with your colleagues: 48:45

• Ron on why people are afraid of legal.
• Using your power wisely.
• Putting a human face on legal.

Rapid-fire questions: 54:57

• Ron’s favorite part of the day-to-day.
• Professional pet peeves.
• What he wishes he’d known as a young lawyer.