My journey into Legal Operations began in 2008 during my first semester of law school. I am a second career attorney having extensive experience in pharma trade operations, systems, and logistics. At GSK, we were pioneers in managing outside counsel spend, implementing e-billing analytics, alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), rate management, and reverse auctions. It became clear that I had to get that big firm experience, so I accepted the next challenge in my life after 16 years at one company.Seeking to deepen my understanding of law firm dynamics, I joined Reed Smith to help launch their legal project management (LPM) function. My unique blend of in-house operations experience, a background in pharma financial systems, process improvement expertise, and real-world project management proved highly effective. Being a lawyer and an LPM was a plus in navigating big law, and it gave me insight into law firm pricing, finances, and the complexities of the large firm environment.Next, I had the opportunity to join JPMorgan Chase, where I helped supercharge a global legal business solutions team focused on managing outside counsel and legal vendor spend. This role was both challenging and exciting, as I negotiated large, high-stakes AFAs, established firm relationship programs, refined internal processes, and deployed technologies for better insights and predictive analytics. It was a proving ground for legal operations on a grand scale.My journey then led me to PIB Law as their COO, thanks to the owners—former JPMorgan Chase financial services litigators. There, I gained deeper insights into law firm business and legal operations, particularly in the areas of technology and innovation. The entrepreneurial spirit at PIB, combined with the challenges brought on by the pandemic, pushed me to expand my skill set in pricing, negotiations, and client management.Today, I am proud to be with a firm that embodies everything I’ve been working towards—a solution to managing outside counsel spend. At OGC, where every partner has deep legal department expertise, I feel at home. My goal is to bring Legal Operations support to GCs and companies that don’t yet have the resources or a roadmap. Here, alongside a fellow military veteran Managing Partner and a close colleague recently retired from the Air Force, I am excited to do meaningful work and have fun doing it.
Listed skills include Business Process Improvement, Business Intelligence, Legal Writing, Legal Research, and 13 others.
