The 10 Best Legal Podcasts for In-House Professionals

Imagine being able to grab coffee every morning with legal ops leaders who are transforming how in-house teams work or go for a run with GCs and attorneys who are speaking on the changing face of in-house lawyering.

With a queue of great podcast episodes, all you need to do is connect your earbuds and hit play.

If you are like 40% of the U.S. population, you’ve listened to at least one podcast in the past month. Podcasts provide a convenient way to plug into new ideas, trends, and news, and the best shows include engaging hosts who aren’t afraid to ask hard questions.

Legal podcasts are a great way for legal ops professionals to stay informed on current events, legal topics, technology best practices, and the people changing the business of law.

Here are the 10 best legal podcasts for in-house legal professionals to learn about what’s happening in legal ops and the wider industry from the people paying the closest attention and asking smart questions.

Legal Ops Podcasts

These podcasts are led by legal ops professionals and cover the strategy and efficiency behind a successful in-house team.

Pearls On Gloves Off

The host of Pearls On Gloves Off is Mary O’Carroll, one of the founding members of CLOC and former Director of Legal Operations at Google. She and her guests talk about what it takes to create a high-performing legal ops team — the strategy, the finesse, and learning from people who have been there before.

A great podcast for legal ops professionals, Pearls On Gloves Off features guests who represent the in-house legal teams from an impressive list of high-impact organizations, including Netflix, Airtable, Salesforce, and the New York Jets.

Recommended Episode: In episode 42, Mary talks with Brightflag customer Dawn Hinz about how she’s seeing legal ops evolve and the importance of change management.

Listener Quote: “Mary always provides insightful content for which I am eagerly awaiting to learn with each podcast. I learn so much and receive the reinforcement needed to become a better Legal Ops professional.”

CLOC Talk

CLOC already provides key tools and frameworks for legal ops professionals. It only makes sense that they would lead the actual conversations happening among legal ops professionals.

Jenn McCarron, Board President at CLOC and former Director of Legal Operations & Technology at Netflix, hosts CLOC Talk. She brings on legal ops professionals and industry experts for in-depth conversations about technology and transformation.

Recommended Episode: Check out episode 75, live from the mainstage at CLOC’s annual conference, where panelists discuss legal ops 3.0 and the impact it will have on businesses.

Listener Quote: “The CLOC Talk Podcast is excellent: funny, informative, inspirational, and so very relevant!!”

Dear Legal Ops

If you’ve ever had an unusual situation in your legal ops role and didn’t know who to ask, this podcast is for you. On each episode of Dear Legal Ops, hosts Tom Stephenson and Tommie Tavares-Ferreira bring on an industry leader to discuss a problem submitted to the show in an anonymous letter. Listeners are encouraged to submit a letter through the website, and the hosts and guests work through sticky situations that can impact legal ops professionals across industries.

Recommended Episode: Rich Robinson, Director of Legal Operations and Litigation Support at Toyota North America, joins the podcast on episode 39 to “explore the world of metrics and data in the fast lane.”

The Legal Ops Podcast

Legal ops professionals Alex Rosenrauch and Elliot Leibu spend each episode of The Legal Ops Podcast covering an element of transformation, operations, and technology.

Episodes alternate between in-depth interviews with operations professionals and quick recaps of articles, research, and trends impacting the legal ops industry. Legal ops professionals will get a nice mix of news and first-person examples.

Recommended Episode: In this extended episode, the hosts interview Jenn McCarron at the beginning of her CLOC presidency, and they all share predictions for what is in store for legal ops.

Listener Quote: “This is a much-needed podcast for the Legal Ops community and one worth checking out. The hosts are engaging, covering relevant topics for anyone interested in legal innovation. Well done!”

In-House Outliers

In-House Outliers podcast is the podcast I host here at Brightflag with the goal of highlighting each of our guests’ unique professional journeys to in-house legal and the unique insights that they all bring to the table.

In addition to great audio conversations with industry leaders redefining legal operations, there are also several video interviews available as well. With most episodes coming in at 30 minutes or less, we aim to make these easy to listen to on your commute or lunch break. If you’re interested in the field of legal operations (or strategic insights into other in-house roles), this is a good podcast to add to your queue.

Recommended Episodes: Check out the podcast series of quick interviews live from CLOC Global Institute (CGI) 2024, covering key topics affecting industry professionals. Here is the conversation with Tom Rice of TravelPerk and Timothy Melchoir of Trane Technologies.

Legal Technology Podcasts

In-house teams need to be aware of developments in legal tech as well as technology affecting their organizations at large. These podcasts look at the technology headlines and break down what they mean for legal professionals.

Technically Legal

From authors to futurists to legal entrepreneurs, this podcast highlights what’s coming to legal tech and how it will affect the industry.

The host of Technically Legal is Chad Main, an attorney and founder of Percipient, a tech-enabled legal services provider. He brings on legal industry innovators to discuss how technology is changing the practice of law.

While best suited for general counsel and legal ops roles, the Technically Legal podcast is a good addition for anyone interested in legal technology.

Recommended Episode: In this episode with Michael Clark, the Head of Transformation at Mastercard, they talk about how data is the new currency and what that means for law and regulation.

Listener Quote: “Chad Main provides a unique window into the legal tech world by asking engaging questions to interesting people who are breaking new ground in the profession.”

LawNext

LawNext is one of the longest-running legal podcasts. With more than 250 episodes, LawNext has been covering legal innovation since 2018. Bob Ambrogi, the host of the podcast and publisher of LawSites, talks with innovators and legal entrepreneurs about how technology is driving the legal industry.

Legal ops professionals and anyone interested in the technology changing the legal industry will benefit from adding this to their podcast queue.

Recommended Episode: Episode 245 features Jillian Bommarito from 273 Ventures. She and Bob discuss the making of the first LLM built specifically for the legal domain from one perspective of the people who helped build it.

Listener Quote: “The legal profession is rapidly changing, and the host makes the changes easy to understand and easier to implement. He also makes topics that lawyers usually consider dry interesting.”

Podcasts for In-House Attorney Professional Development

From legal news to managing the stress of the legal profession, these podcasts provide a knowledgeable take on what is affecting in-house legal teams.

The Crafty Show

The Crafty Show is hosted by Ben White, founder of The Crafty Counsel, a digital media company designed to build connections and provide insights for in-house attorneys. Each podcast episode explores the career journey of a different legal professional, often from private practice to in-house.

The conversations showcase the wide array of options for attorneys who want a change of pace. From in-house attorneys in fascinating industries to lawyers who also have a career on camera, the podcast shows that there is no one-size-fits-all attorney. This is a great podcast for in-house attorneys and anyone interested in exploring different roles in the legal profession.

Recommended Episode: In this episode, Richard Barnett discusses what it’s like to be the in-house counsel for The National Gallery and the role he plays in their acquisition of iconic artwork.

ABA Journal’s Modern Law Library

ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles hosts the Modern Law Library podcast and interviews authors about their recent legal-focused books. Through interviews with authors, the episodes cover topics as broad as legal theory and as actionable as how to get better at networking as a lawyer. There is a book — and an episode — for any in-house role.

Recommended Episode: In episode 218, Rawles interviews the authors of States of Health, a book that examines the ethics and consequences of policy variation across 50 different health systems.

Listener Quote: “Superb podcast. Host Lee Rawles is whip-smart and a great interviewer. Glad to have this in the rotation.”

Counsel: A Podcast for In-House Lawyers

Counsel is made for in-house counsel by in-house counsel, getting to some of the thorniest issues attorneys face, such as working with outside counsel and enthusiastic sales teams. Host Mel Storey, in-house counsel at a global technology company, interviews in-house legal professionals to share stories and demystify the role of in-house counsel. This is a great podcast for in-house attorneys and those who are considering becoming an in-house attorney.

Recommended Episode: In episode 40, Mel talks with Elisabeth Flett about finding purpose in her legal career after taking a break. Flett was named the 2023 ACC General Counsel of the Year.

Listener Quote: “One of my favorite podcasts. Mel’s style of questioning is so warm and engaging and she has amazing guests with interesting backgrounds and insights to share about their careers. I discovered the podcast when I changed jobs from a law firm to in-house and it has helped me immensely in understanding the ins and outs of in-house roles.”

Keep the Conversation Going

Want to keep learning from and connecting with industry leaders? Check out Brightflag’s Resource Hub, where you can watch on-demand webinars with legal ops professionals discussing everything from outside counsel spend to metrics and benchmarking.