What can your inquiries unlock?

?? Welcome to Notes to My (Legal) Self, the frequently fun newsletter focused on helping you build the legal career of your dreams.

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Hello Friends and Colleagues,

As you’ll see in the “We love your comments” section below, last month’s newsletter earned a lot of positive feedback from our community. Several comments mentioned the importance of asking questions in an in-house legal role.

Questions quickly became my most helpful tool early in my legal career when I worked on a complex healthcare case. I soon realized I needed to develop a thorough understanding of the industry’s many intertwined relationships and its guidelines and regulations.

I reached out to experienced colleagues who’d worked with healthcare clients and asked them to explain some of the key concepts and regulations. I asked our field experts to walk me through the relationship nuances.?

Soon, I’d learned enough to spot issues that could arise in the case. Asking probing questions allowed me to uncover information that ultimately helped us win the case.

And as I engaged in conversations, I added to my network of colleagues and friends. Thoughtful questions showed I was interested in others’ work and experience. It helped me win their trust and credibility. This paid off in many ways over my career, through introductions to new clients and other opportunities.

Asking questions is about more than simply obtaining information. Curiosity helps you understand organizational and departmental needs and goals. Seeing the bigger picture shows how your work aids in the overall strategy. It becomes clear who needs your support the most, when, how, and why. As a result, you make better decisions and prioritize your work more effectively.?

Questions also help you establish yourself as a trusted advisor. You’re more likely to clarify misunderstandings and miscommunications. You gather more information and multiple perspectives on issues. Those with questioning minds readily challenge assumptions and explore new ideas to find creative solutions that aren’t apparent otherwise.?

Remember, there are no stupid questions—only missed opportunities to learn, connect, and grow.

Best,

Olga

Free answers to your blockchain law questions!?

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Explore the potential and practical limitations of blockchain technologies and the evolving legal and regulatory responses to early applications.?

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Ask great questions and provide support where most needed.

The Art of Asking Great Questions. Discover three characteristics of asking great questions that help you learn more about tasks, unlock hidden opportunities, deliver better results, and mitigate unforeseen risks.

Why You Need to Ask Better Questions (and How to Learn). Preparing optimal questions is the first step to gaining a new perspective on challenges and novel situations. Your questions determine the type, quality, and creativity of your ideas and solutions. The more diverse the inputs, the more innovative the output!

How GCs Can Support CFOs in the Wake of the Silicon Valley Bank Failure. Preparation is nine-tenths of the battle. Get boots-on-the-ground tactics to help your company successfully navigate choppy financial waters and avoid an SVB-like meltdown.

How In-House Leaders Can Support Lawyers in Remote Environments. Today’s legal department leaders must find ways to keep remote and in-office workers connected, engaged, and productive without always knowing where workers are, where they will be, or who they’re in touch with.?

Visually Speaking: Use emojis responsibly

Emojis and the Law: The New Digital Language Coming to a Courtroom Near You. Judges and lawyers need to know what emojis are and how misunderstandings can happen. “No matter how specialized your court,” Professor Goldman told an AJEI Summit audience, “emoji evidence is coming for you.” Points raised include:

• Emojis appear differently based on the device used. One phone’s smiling face can be another phone’s grimace.

• Emojis are ambiguous. Just look at how the folded-hands emoji (??) can mean high five, namaste, prayer, please, and thank you.

• What do we do with sentences that are all emojis and no text?

As if to prove Goldman’s point, recently a Federal Judge Ruled Emojis Count as Financial Advice. Be careful using ?? ?? and ??! Using these “profit-indicating” emojis in tweets can signal that users should expect financial ROI.

We can’t put the emoji genie back in the bottle now. In fact, legal professionals can use emojis to increase audience engagement and understanding. Simply be aware of how emojis can be misunderstood and help others use them responsibly.

We love your comments—keep ‘em coming!

Last month, we talked about boldly embracing your decisions, especially when transitioning to an in-house counsel role for the first time. You all had a lot of great advice to share!

Notes to My (Legal) Self Corner: Enhance your legal team’s productivity and efficiency.

How to Strategically Start Your Legal Ops Function. Want to go for the new strategic legal ops role? It’s easy to get overwhelmed with where to start. Laurie David-Henric shares how she successfully positioned herself as a strategic partner without delivering anything for three months.

Law Firms & Legal Ops: Partner or Frenemies? How do law firms fit into the legal ops equation? Tom Stephenson, Director of Legal Operations at Credit Karma, explores how legal ops professionals partner with law firms and legal tech tools to propel their departments forward with enhanced strategies for collaboration, process efficiency, and operational excellence.

Recipe to Make a Founder. Tired of your legal team being misunderstood by the rest of the business? Technology can help. Kathy Zhu, former AGC turned CEO, shares how the company she founded with a Google AI expert is helping to shine a light into the mysterious legal black box.

?? You can always find up-to-date information, insights, and events on the Notes to My (Legal) Self LinkedIn page. Follow the page so you don’t miss a single beat!

? Do you know an in-house leader who would be a great guest for the Notes to my (Legal) Self LinkedIn LIVE/podcast conversation? Let me know.?

Self-nominations are encouraged and are a bold act of self-confidence!

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What topics would you like to discuss in the future?

Please comment below or message me with your thoughts. Then join us when discussing your most pressuring concerns in future newsletters.

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Olga Mack is a Digital Transformation Executive at LexisNexis and an award-winning general counsel, operations specialist, and tech startup advisor who encourages lawyers to embrace disruptive technologies that make law more functional and accessible.

A three-time TEDx presenter with an exceptional blend of legal, technological, and business expertise, Olga is one of today’s top speakers and thought leaders. Find her latest insights at Above the Law, Forbes, Bloomberg Law, ACC Docket, MIT Computational Law Report, Newsweek, and Venture Beat.

Olga founded the Women Serve on Boards movement, sparking a national conversation on the need for more women on Fortune 500 company boards. She also co-founded SunLaw and WISE, organizations that help female lawyers thrive.?

As a Berkeley Law lecturer, a fellow of CodeX, the Stanford Law Center for Legal Informatics, and a fellow of the College of Law Practice Management, Olga is confident the law’s future is secure in the hands of innovators.?

Olga’s numerous awards include the Silicon Valley Women of Influence, ABA Women in Legal Tech, Make Your Mark, Corporate Counsel of the Year, and Women Leaders in Technology Law.?

In examining how disruptive technologies impact laws, society, business, and commerce, Olga authored Blockchain Value: Transforming Business Models, Society, and Communities and co-authored Fundamentals of Smart Contract Security. Her next book, Visual IQ for Lawyers (ABA 2023), shows how lawyers can use practical design and visual elements to make law more understandable to all.