Home Podcasts Pearls On, Gloves Off: The Legal Innovation Podcast
Pearls On, Gloves Off: The Legal Innovation Podcast

Pearls On, Gloves Off: The Legal Innovation Podcast

Mary O'Carroll 99 Episodes Aug 18, 2026

Join Mary O'Carroll as she sits down with General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, and industry pioneers to tackle the debates reshaping legal services and technology. Presented by Workday.

Episodes

#101 - Ford's Warning Shot: Adapt or Get Left Behind
#101 - Ford's Warning Shot: Adapt or Get Left Behind Aug 18, 2026 51:10 Mary sits down with Darth Vaughn, Associate General Counsel and Managing Director of Policy and Legal Ops at Ford Motor Company, for a candid conversation about what it actually looks like when one of the world's largest legal departments stops waiting and starts building. They dig into why the billable hour model is structurally broken, what Ford actually expects from its outside counsel, why AI
#100 - The Future of Legal Is Already Here - A Conversation with CLO Eric Greenberg
#100 - The Future of Legal Is Already Here - A Conversation with CLO Eric Greenberg Aug 4, 2026 58:55 Mary sits down with Eric Greenberg, EVP, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary at Cox Media Group, for a milestone 100th episode conversation about what it actually takes to lead a legal department through transformation. They dig into why AI governance is really an anthropology problem, why buying software is the beginning not the end, the future of big law and outside counsel relationship
#99 - Who Is Sandstone? Inside Legal Tech's Most Talked-About Company
#99 - Who Is Sandstone? Inside Legal Tech's Most Talked-About Company Jul 21, 2026 54:20 Mary sits down with Nick Fleisher, Co-Founder and CEO of Sandstone, to pull back the curtain on legal tech's fastest-rising company. They dig into why great software still matters in the age of AI, how Sandstone is solving the permissions and context problem that's plagued in-house legal for years, why law firms will never out-build tech companies, and how an AI-native team is redefining what it m
#98 - Anna Richards
#98 - Anna Richards Jul 7, 2026 51:26 Mary sits down with Anna Richards, Head of Community at Brightflag, to catch up on what's actually happening on the ground in legal ops right now. They dig into the shifting skill sets legal ops leaders need, how to think about building a tech stack from scratch, and why the job keeps getting harder even as expectations keep climbing. This episode is presented by Workday. Join Mary's Substack Comm
#97 - The Senior Talent Problem Nobody Wants to Talk About
#97 - The Senior Talent Problem Nobody Wants to Talk About Jun 23, 2026 52:43 In today's episode, Mary sits down with James O'Dowd, CEO and founder of Patrick Morgan, to explore what legal can learn from the PE and AI disruption already reshaping accounting and consulting. James breaks down why governance is the real unlock private equity brings, how compensation models are shifting away from legacy profit-sharing, and why cultural buy-in ultimately determines whether any o
#96 - Curating AI Tools for a Global Law Firm
#96 - Curating AI Tools for a Global Law Firm Jun 9, 2026 53:57 In today's episode, Mary sits down with Ilona Logvinova, Chief AI Officer at HSF Kramer, to talk about what it actually takes to turn a global law firm into an AI native organization. They cover why the Chief AI Officer title means something different from innovation, what it takes to build a forward deployed legal engineering function, and why the real edge isn't buying technology - it's the peop
#95 - Legal Will Lead The AI Revolution
#95 - Legal Will Lead The AI Revolution May 26, 2026 59:39 In today's episode, Mary sits down with Aine Lyons, Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel and Chief Strategy Officer at Workday, to talk about what it actually takes to build a modern legal department. They cover why Aine deliberately designed Workday's function without a traditional legal ops silo, what it means to reskill every lawyer in the department, and why guardrails and governance
#94 - Who Needs Associates? Pierson Ferdinand's Partner Only Model
#94 - Who Needs Associates? Pierson Ferdinand's Partner Only Model May 12, 2026 54:24 In today's episode, Mary sits down with Michael Pierson and Joel Ferdinand, Co-Chairmen of Pierson Ferdinand, and Christina Wojcik, their Chief Innovation Officer. Together, they break down what it actually takes to build the law firm of the future and why buying AI tools without rethinking your structure, culture, and compensation model is the wrong place to start. This episode is presented by Wo
#93 - Harvey CEO: Individual Productivity Is a Trap
#93 - Harvey CEO: Individual Productivity Is a Trap Apr 28, 2026 01:05:11 In today's episode, Mary sits down with Winston Weinberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Harvey.ai, to talk about what it actually takes to transform legal - and why buying AI tools without rethinking how your entire organization operates is the wrong place to start. This episode is presented by Workday. ~~~ Thank you to our sponsors for making this show possible. Wordsmith.ai Brightflag ~~~ Support the
#92 - "AI is our Kodak Moment"
#92 - "AI is our Kodak Moment" Apr 14, 2026 54:44 In today's episode, Mary sits down with Virginia Briggs, CEO and Managing Partner of MinterEllison, to talk about what real AI transformation actually looks like inside a law firm. This episode is presented by Workday. ~~~ Thank you to our sponsors for making this show possible. Wordsmith.ai Kodex Brightflag ~~~ Support the show! Join Mary's Substack Community Follow Mary on LinkedIn Rate and
#91 - Wordsmith CEO: 70% of Legal Tech Gone by 2027
#91 - Wordsmith CEO: 70% of Legal Tech Gone by 2027 Mar 31, 2026 55:37 When Ross McNairn realized his legal career meant reviewing 15,000 documents by hand, he didn't just question the system - he rewrote it. Literally. In this episode, Mary sits down with the Wordsmith ai founder to unpack what happens when a former lawyer turned engineer takes on legal's biggest inefficiencies and why AI is about to redraw the boundaries between in-house teams and law firms. From e
#90 - Clients "Do Their Own Research." That's A Problem for Law Firms
#90 - Clients "Do Their Own Research." That's A Problem for Law Firms Mar 17, 2026 55:38 This episode of Pearls On, Gloves Off is powered by Workday. Learn more at workday.com. In this episode, Mary sits down with Claire Hart, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Legal Officer, and Board Member at Groq, to talk about what legal leaders should expect in the AI era - from their law firms, their teams, and themselves. With senior leadership roles at Google, Blizzard, and Genies, Claire brings

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