Contractually Speaking

Malbek

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Contractually Speaking is the podcast where contracts unlock real conversations — innovation, technology, transformation, and sometimes wine.

4 DAYS AGO

Ep. 6: Emmanuel Smith - Winning the CLM Super Bowl: How to Implement New Systems the Right Way

Watch on YouTube HERE. In this episode of Contractually Speaking, host Matt Patel sits down with Emmanuel Smith (Qualitas) for a unique conversation that connects two unlikely worlds: NFL and CLM. Emmanuel shares how his career journey took him from professional football to legal technology — and why the mindset of training, coaching, and maintenance applies directly to successful CLM implementation and adoption. Together, Matt and Emmanuel break down what organizations should actually evaluate when launching a CLM initiative: implementation services, project scoping, vendor/partner roles, change management, readiness assessments, and the questions buyers need to ask to avoid wasted spend. If your organization is implementing CLM for the first time — or expanding it beyond legal into sales or procurement — this episode is a practical guide to setting your project up for long-term success. 🔑 Key Topics Covered NFL → Legal Tech: Emmanuel’s unconventional career path Why “self-service” tools still require coaching + enablement CLM project scoping: what services actually cover Why CLM cost varies so much (and what defines value) Readiness assessments: the best way to prevent failure Why lift-and-shift implementations recreate the same problems CLM maintenance mindset: templates, clause data, cycle time, bottlenecks Adoption strategy across regions and business functions👉 Subscribe and listen to Contractually Speaking on the platform of your choice at podcast.malbek.io 🎙️ Interested in being a guest or sponsoring the show? We’d love to hear from you—email us at podcast@malbek.io 💡 Learn more about Malbek

23 min
27 JAN

Ep. 5: Anne Graue & Colin McCarthy - Building the Future of Legal Ops, Together

In this episode of Contractually Speaking, host Matt Patel explores how people, process, and community are shaping the future of legal operations. Joined by Anne Graue and Colin McCarthy, the conversation focuses on their new global initiative, Our Legal Community (OLC), and the real-world challenges of building scalable, modern legal teams. Drawing on experience across law firms, the judiciary, and global enterprises like Volkswagen and Audi, Anne and Colin discuss the differences between mature legal operations markets in the U.S. and emerging legal ops adoption in Europe. They unpack how fractional legal operations roles, practical training, and community-led knowledge sharing can help legal teams evolve—without waiting for perfect conditions. They emphasize learning together and using collaboration as a catalyst for meaningful change in legal tech and legal operations. 🔑 Key Takeaways: Legal operations success depends on people and process, not just technology Global legal ops maturity varies, creating opportunities for shared learning Fractional legal operations support can accelerate adoption in emerging markets Community and education are critical to scaling legal ops effectively Legal ops offers alternative, accessible career paths beyond traditional law roles Collaboration across regions strengthens the legal tech ecosystem 👉 Subscribe and listen to Contractually Speaking on the platform of your choice at podcast.malbek.io 🎙️ Interested in being a guest or sponsoring the show? We’d love to hear from you—email us at podcast@malbek.io 💡 Learn more about Malbek

9 min
20 JAN

Ep. 4: Tom Stephenson - Calling Your Shots in Careers & Contracts

In this After Dark episode of Contractually Speaking, host Matt Patel chats in person with Tom Stephenson, CEO of Legal Ops AI, for a candid, unscripted conversation about careers, contracts, and the future of legal operations — all while playing a game of pool. Together, they explore what it really means to build a sustainable legal career in an era shaped by AI, automation, and rapidly evolving technology. From navigating career pivots and executive burnout to redefining leadership beyond titles, this episode takes a human-first look at professional growth in legal ops. The conversation also dives into how contracting itself is changing — from AI-powered CLM platforms to the rise of bot-to-bot negotiation and what legal teams must do to prepare for 2026 and beyond. Whether you’re in legal operations, in-house legal, or legal tech, this episode offers practical insight, honest reflection, and a fresh perspective on what skills will matter most next. 🔑 Key Topics Covered The reality of the legal career arc — growth, burnout, and pivotsWhy leadership is about responsibility, not titlesUpskilling for the future: financial acumen, technology, and AI literacyHow CLM and contracting are evolving beyond workflows and templatesThe rise of AI agents, bot-to-bot negotiation, and human-in-the-loop modelsWhat legal professionals need to prepare for 2026 and beyond👉 Subscribe and listen to Contractually Speaking on the platform of your choice at podcast.malbek.io 🎙️ Interested in being a guest or sponsoring the show? We’d love to hear from you—email us at podcast@malbek.io 💡 Learn more about Malbek

20 min
13 JAN

Ep. 3: Ronak Ray – Founder Lessons in Legal Tech

In this episode of Contractually Speaking, host Matt Patel sits down with Ronak Ray — a former Malbek customer turned legal tech founder — for a wide-ranging conversation. Ronak shares his nontraditional path (programming → finance → law), how real in-house pain points inspired the creation of modCounsel, and why the future of legal support for growth companies is about scaling capability — not just filling gaps. Matt and Ronak also dig into the founder reality behind legal tech: building trust through partnerships, staying disciplined as markets shift, and making the hard decisions that protect long-term vision — even when big money (and big customer demands) tempt you to drift. If you’re a legal ops leader, in-house counsel, or legal tech builder, this episode is packed with practical insight and candid founder lessons on scaling legal smarter. 🔑 Key Topics Covered: Turning real legal team pain into a legal tech startup What modCounsel is: “team-as-a-service” for growth companies Why partnerships matter more than transactional vendor relationships Building legal teams in a “do more with less” environment Founder discipline: spending wisely, raising wisely, and staying efficient Saying no to “funded development” that breaks the roadmap What investors should care about: team, vision, traction quality 👉 Subscribe and listen to Contractually Speaking on the platform of your choice at podcast.malbek.io. 🎙️ Interested in being a guest or sponsoring the show? We’d love to hear from you—email us at podcast@malbek.io 💡 Learn more about Malbek

19 min
6 JAN

Ep. 2: Oyango Snell - From Booths to Breakthroughs: Conference Conversations That Matter

In our second episode of Contractually Speaking, Matt Patel sits down with Oyango Snell, Executive Director of CLOC, to unpack how legal operations professionals and vendors can maximize value from conferences and industry events. Drawing on CLOC’s decade-long evolution and the growth of its Global Institute, the conversation explores how conferences have shifted from transactional marketplaces to relationship-driven learning environments. Matt and Oyango share practical guidance on preparing for events, navigating vendor conversations with confidence, and approaching networking with intention and transparency. They also discuss how better communication, mutual learning, and thoughtful content strategy can elevate the conference experience for everyone—while advancing the legal operations industry as a whole. Key Takeaways: Conferences deliver the most value when approached with intention and preparation Honest, transparent communication benefits both legal ops practitioners and vendors Vendors and practitioners are partners in solving real business problems Attendees don’t need buying authority to have meaningful, productive conversations Relationship-building matters more than transactional sales pressure Clear content tracks help conferences better serve all experience levels Mutual learning is essential to strengthening the legal operations ecosystem👉 Subscribe and listen to Contractually Speaking on the platform of your choice at podcast.malbek.io 🎙️ Interested in being a guest or sponsoring the show? We’d love to hear from you—email us at podcast@malbek.io 💡 Learn more about Malbek

32 min
23/12/2025

Ep. 1: Lucy Bassli - People, Process, and the Promise of CLM

In the inaugural episode of Contractually Speaking, Matt sits down with Lucy Bassli of InnoLaw Group to unpack the real challenges behind adopting contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems and legal technology. While AI often gets the spotlight, the conversation reveals that the biggest hurdle isn’t technology at all—it’s people. From fear of change to misconceptions about AI replacing everyone, Matt and Lucy explore what it truly takes to make legal tech successful across an organization, not just a legal tool, and what approach can unlock far greater value. Key Takeaways: Resistance to change, not technology, is the biggest barrier to CLM adoptionAI is a support system, not a replacementCLM works best as an enterprise-wide investment with shared ownershipCross-department collaboration is essentialAggregated contract data can deliver powerful insights across the businessStarting small with AI right now is better than waiting for the “perfect” moment to go all-in👉 Subscribe and listen to Contractually Speaking on the platform of your choice at podcast.malbek.io 🎙️ Interested in being a guest or sponsoring the show? We’d love to hear from you—email us at podcast@malbek.io 💡 Learn more about Malbek

10 min

6 Episodes

Contractually Speaking is the podcast where contracts unlock real conversations — innovation, technology, transformation, and sometimes wine.

Creator

Malbek
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

6
Rating

Clean
Show Website

Contractually Speaking

Contractually Speaking

Episodes

Ep. 6: Emmanuel Smith - Winning the CLM Super Bowl: How to Implement New Systems the Right Way

Ep. 5: Anne Graue & Colin McCarthy - Building the Future of Legal Ops, Together

Ep. 4: Tom Stephenson - Calling Your Shots in Careers & Contracts

Ep. 3: Ronak Ray – Founder Lessons in Legal Tech

Ep. 2: Oyango Snell - From Booths to Breakthroughs: Conference Conversations That Matter

Ep. 1: Lucy Bassli - People, Process, and the Promise of CLM

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