The Crafty Show - Crafty Counsel's in-house legal podcast

In this special bonus episode of The Crafty Show, we’ve pulled together some of the words of wisdom our various in-house lawyer interviewees shared during our conversations. We asked them whether there was any advice they had been given that they still use to this day, and we received a range of fascinating (and, of course, helpful!) insights.So, whether you're just starting out or are a seasoned in-house counsel, this episode is packed with relatable stories and actionable advice to help you navigate the ups and downs of your legal career.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

James Smither, co-founder of the Neurodiversity Network, sits down with in-house lawyer Connagh McCormick, and private practice lawyer Jessie Smith to discuss the importance of understanding and embracing neurodiversity in the legal field.During their conversation, they share personal experiences and perspectives, highlighting the need for organisations to support neurodiverse individuals.They also emphasise the various ways lawyers can take small steps to break the stigma often associated with neurodiversity, offering examples of different strategies legal professionals can use to disclose it in the workplace.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

Lee Castleton purchased a Post Office in Bridlington, Yorkshire, in 2003. When the Post Office management discovered a loss of £25,000 in the computer system, they blamed Lee, who argued that the Horizon IT system was at fault. The Post Office sued him, won the case, and pursued legal costs amounting to £321,000, which led to Lee's bankruptcy. To this day, he is still awaiting compensation.Lee graciously shared his story at Crafty Fest 2024 in a fireside chat with Ben White, founder of Crafty Counsel. He provided a unique perspective on the best and worst aspects of the legal profession.

In this episode of The Crafty Show, Lucie Cruz, Content Producer at Crafty Counsel, is joined by Harriet Dedman, Counsel at Tiny, journalist, photographer, and filmmaker.Beginning her career at Hogan Lovells in 2008, Harriet spent a decade exploring various legal roles. In 2014, she transitioned into freelance journalism and filmmaking while continuing her corporate law work.In 2015, she left corporate law to cover the European refugee crisis in Greece as a freelancer. Her talent eventually secured her a full-time role as a Staff Producer/Director at VICE News.After a career in media spanning Europe, Hong Kong, and the U.S., collaborating with outlets such as BBC News, HBO, The Guardian, and CNN, and earning two Emmy nominations, Harriet returned to the legal field in October 2018.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

In this episode of The Crafty Show, Ben White, founder of Crafty Counsel, sits down with Karl Wilson, a seasoned lawyer turned legal consultant with over two decades of experience and, since 2015, also a professional actor.During the course of their conversation, Karl speaks candidly about the significant upsides as well as the hurdles he's encountered while juggling both legal consultancy and acting. He offers valuable insights and guidance for fellow in-house lawyers looking to pursue interests beyond the legal realm.This episode was kindly sponsored by Re:link - the flexible legal resourcing platform from Linklaters.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

In this episode, Lucie Cruz, Content Producer at Crafty Counsel, is joined by Richard Barnett, General Counsel at The National Gallery.Responsible for advising The Gallery on all regulatory and commercial matters, Richard has played a crucial role in facilitating the acquisition of Thomas Lawrence’s “Red Boy” through a private treaty sale, as well as procuring works by Veronese, Pissarro, Poussin, and others.In this episode, Richard opens up about the considerations and negotiations involved in acquiring artworks. He also shares his work for The National Gallery's Bicentenary - celebrating 200 years of bringing people and paintings together.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

In this episode of The Crafty Show, Toby Hornett, Head of Community at Crafty Counsel, sits down with Mel Nebhrajani CB, Director General for Litigation with Justice and Security at GLD.Mel, who previously served as Legal Director at the Department for Health and Social Care, led the department's legal response to the pandemic while also navigating EU Exit challenges. She is now Director General for Litigation with Justice and Security at GLD In this episode, Mel shares insights from her experiences so far, as well as the lessons she has learned from her role in both the response and inquiry.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

In this episode of The Crafty Show, Ben White, founder of Crafty Counsel, speaks with Natalie Salunke, an experienced GC from the Tech and other sectors who recently started her practice as a Fractional General Counsel, and Shrina Shah, formerly the Group General Counsel & Company Secretary at Puregym. In addition to their roles as in-house counsel, Natalie and Shrina have both taken on the additional responsibility of serving as Trustees. Shrina ventured into her first Trustee role in 2018 and presently holds the position of Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Kiln Theatre. Natalie occupies a dual trustee role, contributing her expertise to both Kent Union and the Young Urban Arts Foundation.In this episode, they explore their daily responsibilities, discuss why GCs are well-suited for these roles, and offer insights on balancing extracurricular commitments with professional responsibilities.This episode was kindly sponsored by Taylor Root, a global legal, risk and compliance search and recruitment consultancy.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

In this episode of The Crafty Show podcast, Ben White, founder of Crafty Counsel, speaks with Shika Soni, Assistant General Counsel at Principal Asset Management.Before joining Principal, Shika worked as Senior Legal Counsel at Royal London Asset Management. She also spent time in New York on secondment from Orchard Solicitors, where she passed the NY Bar exams and became admitted in New York State.Alongside her career, Shika serves as a mentor to a large number of lawyers and aspiring lawyers, as well as individuals exploring careers in law or financial services. In this conversation, Shika discusses the value of mentorship, reflecting on her own experiences and the impact it has had on her career.This episode was kindly sponsored by Taylor Root, a global legal, risk and compliance search and recruitment consultancy.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

In this episode of The Crafty Show podcast, Crafty Counsel's Founder, Ben White, sits down with Fintech Day 2023 speaker Chrissy Hill (General Counsel at Parity Technologies). Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Chrissy discusses her move to the UK in 2002. She shares her journey from Linklaters to Barclays and then recounts her nearly decade-long experience working with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, where she provided operational, legal, and regulatory guidance.Currently serving as General Counsel for a software developer (and leading contributor to Polkadot), Chrissy also discusses her experience working in the blockchain space and explores the longevity and relevance of blockchain technology and AI. She shares her expectations that the impact and influence of these technologies will continue to evolve and become seamlessly integrated into our lives, ultimately serving as tools that improve various aspects of our daily reality.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

In this episode of The Crafty Show podcast, Ben White, founder of Crafty Counsel, speaks with Stephanie-Kate Bratton, General Counsel at AgriFutures, Australia.Stephanie's journey as a lawyer began in Sydney, Australia, where she worked as a lawyer at Clayton Utz and stayed for several years, honing her legal skills. However, her story took a fascinating turn in 2016 when she decided to transition from private practice to in-house lawyering. She relocated across the globe to join Amazon in Seattle as corporate counsel. In the midst of her career and far from home, Stephanie battled kidney disease, and in a surprising turn of events, she found herself unexpectedly pregnant. Missing home, she moved back to Sydney with Amazon in 2020 before taking on her current role as General Counsel at AgriFutures.During the course of this conversation, Stephanie speaks about health issues, hidden disabilities, life in a different country, and her book, “My Mummy is a Lawyer," which brilliantly simplifies the diverse roles of lawyers, using concepts that little ones can understand. The book has not only created a sense of community and connection among working mothers but has also highlighted the importance of embracing the multifaceted roles that mothers play.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

In this episode of The Crafty Show podcast, Ben White, founder of Crafty Counsel sits down with Simon Duffield, Lead, Legal - COVAX, at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.  Simon shares his professional journey, which began with a career in London as a trainee at Linklaters, where he stayed for over 11 years. In 2019, he then made the move to Switzerland and in-house to join Verisure as Group Corporate & Transactions Counsel. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon joined Gavi to support the global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.  Simon reflects on the pandemic, its impact, and his unique role as a lawyer actively working to ensure that vaccines reached those in need during a time of unprecedented crisis. He also discusses the excellent work that Gavi does and its global impact, which has led to the immunisation of over a billion children through various programmes over the years.This episode was kindly sponsored by Re:link Linklaters, the premium contract lawyer platform from Linklaters.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

In the latest episode of The Crafty Show podcast, Crafty Counsel's Founder, Ben White sits down with one of our Fintech Day speakers, Kate Luton (Senior Counsel at Motive Partners).Kate shares her journey from private practice to in-house roles in the legal tech and fintech industries, shedding light on the unique challenges and opportunities she's encountered along the way.Kate's experience working with startups and established law firms has given her a fresh perspective on the legal industry. She highlights the importance of diversity of thought, collaboration across teams, and the entrepreneurial mindset required to thrive in these dynamic environments.This episode was kindly sponsored by Ignition Law, an entrepreneurial law firm supporting startups, scale-ups, and growing businesses.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

The Crafty Show is back! Launching season 4 with this special episode featuring the awesome keynote that Andy Cooke, General Counsel at TravelPerk, delivered at Crafty Fest in June 2023.Andy takes us on a journey - delving into the headwinds facing the legal industry today, addressing issues such as changing client demands, evolving knowledge consumption patterns, and the crucial role of trust in the profession. He also discusses the impact of AI technology on the legal landscape and how it's reshaping our approach to legal work.Andy provides valuable insights into how legal professionals can thrive amidst these challenges. He explores the concept of treating legal as a product and emphasises the importance of customer-centricity. He shares his experiences in trying innovative approaches and embracing change to find greater fulfilment and create value in the legal field.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

In the latest episode of The Crafty Show podcast, Crafty Counsel’s Founder, Ben White sits down with Leisa Turner,  General Counsel - Eurasia at Komatsu Mining Corp.Leisa takes us through her career journey which saw her starting her career at Blake Dawson in Australia before making the jump in-house to a mining company, Joy Global Inc. From there, Leisa then took another leap as she moved to the UK to become Joy Global’s first General Counsel for Eurasia and build the legal function for the region. In 2016, Joy Global was acquired by Komatsu Mining Corp in a global acquisition. Leisa talks to us about the wide variety of things she's achieved in the 12+ years she's been with Joy Global (now Komatsu). From establishing a new legal function and working on both sides of acquisitions, to tackling a male-dominated industry to become the first woman AND lawyer on the regional management board.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register for the Crafty Counsel Community for free.

In the latest episode of The Crafty Show podcast, Crafty Counsel’s Founder, Ben White sits down with Rhian Ravenscroft, Head of Legal EMEA at MarketAxess.Rhian talks us through her career journey so far which included a later start to her legal career and then making the move in-house at only one year PQE. In 2018, Rhian also moved to Amsterdam with MarketAxess to establish their European office post-Brexit.This conversation also explores Rhian's passions for mentoring and cycling. Within her role at MarketAxess, Rhian is involved in their mentoring scheme. Whilst outside of this, she has competed in cycling and is now on the Board of the Cyclists Alliance. Rhian talks to us about how Cyclists Alliance are providing holistic support to female cyclists, and shares her experience of building strategy, awareness, lobbying the sports governing body, and building the mentor programme.Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register on the Crafty Counsel website for free.

In the latest episode of The Crafty Show podcast, Crafty Counsel's Founder, Ben White sits down with Sofia Gohir, a senior in-house lawyer.Sofia talks us through her varied career journey. From starting as a paralegal in London during the financial crash, to making the jump and working in legal operations for Coca-Cola in Dubai.  Sofia also shares her experience of moving back to the UK after many years in Dubai and the differences between the two. Subscribe to The Crafty Show wherever you get your podcast. Find comprehensive show notes for this episode (and more content) on the Crafty Counsel website. Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register on the Crafty Counsel website for free.

In the latest episode of The Crafty Show podcast, Crafty Counsel's Founder, Ben White sits down with Richard Given, Group General Counsel at OpenPayd.Richard talks us through his varied in-house legal career which started with Cisco Systems and HSBC. After five years with HSBC, Richard then made the jump to Fintech startup world with 10x Banking before his current role as Group General Counsel with OpenPayd. Alongside his busy legal career, Richard also used to play rugby for Sarcaens and co-founded Longlands - a luxury glamping experience in Devon.This conversation is a fascinating look at Richard's career. Similarly, Richard provides insights on building legal functions from the ground up and the importance of remembering your role as a lawyer in upholding the law.  Subscribe to The Crafty Show wherever you get your podcast. Find comprehensive show notes for this episode (and more content) on the Crafty Counsel website. Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register on the Crafty Counsel website for free.

In the latest episode of The Crafty Show podcast, Crafty Counsel's Founder, Ben White sits down with Laura Jeffords Greenberg, Interim General Counsel at Worksome based in Denmark. Laura talks us through  her incredible career journey in this episode. From starting out at the National Football League in New York and a brief stint in private practice in LA, to moving in-house once more, but across the world this time to Red Bull Media House in Austria. With such a variety of in-house legal roles between Europe and the US, Laura provides a look at her experiences, including cultural differences in new countries and adjusting to a new sector. This conversation also touches briefly upon technology, especially the potential of AI,  for in-house legal teams. Subscribe to The Crafty Show wherever you get your podcast. Find comprehensive show notes for this episode (and more content) on the Crafty Counsel website. Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register on the Crafty Counsel website for free.

In the latest episode of The Crafty Show podcast, we delve into the world of Jordan Breslow, a seasoned former General Counsel whose expert advice and timely intervention saved his CEO from potential jail time. Jordan talks to us about his experience working in California’s flowering ecosystem of innovation and tech in the past decades. This conversation takes a focused look at Jordan’s time with Opsware and the role he played in preventing his CEO and one of the most important venture capitalists, Ben Horowitz, from facing prison. Jordan reflects on this experience - including the responsibility of the General Counsel in saying “no” when necessary, the question reporting lines for General Counsel, and building a culture grounded in transparency where people can speak up.Subscribe to The Crafty Show wherever you get your podcast. Find comprehensive show notes for this episode (and more content) on the Crafty Counsel website. Join the Crafty Counsel Community to discover a space where in-house legal professionals can find joy, insight, and connection. Register on the Crafty Counsel website for free.