Welcome to Season 15, Episode 6 of Notes to My Legal Self, the in-house counsel podcast for lawyers navigating AI, legal technology, leadership, and the future of legal work.

Adam Becker, Director of Legal Operations at Cockroach Labs, returns to the podcast to share his perspective on one of the biggest changes facing legal departments today: the shift from using AI as a tool to working with AI as an advisor.

For in-house lawyers, legal ops professionals, general counsel, and legal leaders, this conversation explores what it takes to move beyond checking the "AI box" and become more fluent in AI-native ways of working.

In this episode, you'll learn:

- Why legal operations is becoming essential to modern legal departments

- The difference between adopting AI and becoming AI-native

- How AI can help legal teams work differently, not just faster

- Why legal ops leaders need to understand how lawyers actually work

- How knowledge management enables better AI outcomes

- How to build trust when introducing AI to legal teams

- Why legal leaders should experiment rather than wait for a mandate

- How to identify practical workflows where AI can make an immediate difference

- Why sharing AI learnings across legal teams matters

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

03:00 Legal operations becomes essential

05:00 AI and the second stage of legal ops maturity

08:00 From systems to AI advisors

10:00 The evolution of the Core

1213:00 Knowledge management and AI

15:00 AI adoption vs. AI-native legal teams

19:00 What makes a strong legal ops leader

23:00 Building trust with lawyers

27:00 Taking initiative with AI

31:00 Where legal teams should start

35:00 Mistakes legal departments are making with AI

38:00 One action legal ops leaders should take

Adam's hot take: The biggest opportunity isn't simply saving 10% of your time, it's changing how you work.

What would you eliminate or simplify if you had an AI advisor working alongside you?

Tell us in the comments.

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Welcome to Season 15, Episode 4 of Notes to My (Legal) Self, where Olga V. Mack sits down with Carly Mcallister to explore what it means to move from practicing law to practicing leadership.

Together, they discuss why the best in-house lawyers do more than manage risk, they build trust, empower business partners, and create possibilities.

Carly shares how her transition from litigation to financial services taught her that technical legal excellence is only the beginning of becoming an effective in-house leader.

Drawing from her experience in litigation, judicial work, and financial services, Carly explains why understanding the business, investing in yourself, and developing sound judgment are essential to legal leadership. She also explores why, in an AI-driven world, human judgment, communication, and connection will remain among a lawyer’s greatest competitive advantages.

You'll discover:

• Why moving in-house requires shifting from legal expert to business partner

• How legal teams can create possibilities instead of simply managing risk

• Why great in-house lawyers look for responsible ways to get to “yes”

• How understanding the business builds trust and strategic influence

• Why listening, humility, mentorship, and continuous learning strengthen judgment

• How personal development can make you a better lawyer and leader

• Why collaboration across teams creates better business outcomes

• How legal departments can empower people through thoughtful governance

• Why AI can amplify legal work but cannot replace human judgment

• How lawyers can evolve from risk managers into leaders who create possibilities

Whether you're considering an in-house career, growing as legal counsel, or leading within an organization, this conversation offers practical insights on business partnership, judgment, personal development, and creating value beyond traditional legal advice.

If you've ever wondered how to become a more trusted, strategic, and human-centered legal leader, this episode is for you.

Takeaways:

• Technical legal excellence is the foundation, not the finish line.

• Great in-house lawyers create confidence and possibility.

• Understanding the business is essential to becoming a trusted partner.

• Judgment grows through experience, humility, listening, and continuous learning.

• AI will transform legal work, but leadership and human judgment remain essential.

S U B S C R I B E!

Want to be a guest on NTMLS or know someone who should be? Reach out! Self-nominations are acts of courage. Engage with us below, like, comment, and subscribe to follow the future of in-house law!

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