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The Legal Department

The Legal Department

By: Stacy Bratcher
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Practical, efficient and fun, The Legal Department podcast delivers the bottom line of what busy in-house attorneys need to know to level up their career. Whether you’re the general counsel or just starting a career in a corporate law department, The Legal Department podcast is the place to get real world advice from leading legal executives, executive coaches, and other thought leaders on how to grow your career and deliver more value to your clients.


Through conversations with prominent general counsel, chief legal officers and select law firm thought leaders, you’ll get to the bottom line of what you need to know about front page legal issues like digital privacy, cybersecurity and AI. Guests will share their strategies for managing the legal team, budgets, and navigating tricky company politics. Episodes will also tackle in-house fundamentals like the attorney client privilege, litigation, M&A, governance and working with boards of directors and the c-suite.


The Podcast will also feature guests from the c-suite, executive coaches, and other thought leaders who will offer practice insights for attorneys seeking to fuel their own professional development and build those elusive “soft skills.” Each episode of The Legal Department will provide practical tips and takeaways that you can use to take your in-house career to the next level.


The Legal Department podcast provides practical, concise, and actionable insights for busy in-house attorneys. Whether you're a seasoned general counsel or a new corporate law professional, each episode of The Legal Department offers the essential tools, information, and resources to enhance your professional skills. Elevate your career and deliver value to those you serve.


Each episode features in-depth conversations with prominent general counsel and chief legal officers, and select law firm thought leaders who share war stories from their own careers. Learn how to tackle any situation with finesse and confidence, no matter how delicate or politically challenging. Accelerate your journey towards a fulfilling legal career through these podcast conversations.


Guests will share key insights and strategies for effectively managing legal teams, budget oversight, navigating company politics, and mastering in-house fundamentals like privilege, litigation, M&A, governance, and board interactions.Becoming an in-house leader requires more than legal knowledge and experience. It requires business acumen, executive intelligence, and being a team player within your company and with your partners. The Legal Department podcast will help you level up your career.


Host Stacy Bratcher, a general counsel and chief legal officer with nearly twenty years of in-house experience, has fun and engaging conversations about legal careers within in-house legal departments. The Legal Department podcast delivers informative, relatable, and practical advice from thought leaders. As she explores topics with exceptional attorneys, c-suite executives, and other key business partners, you will gain a deeper understanding of front-page legal issues, become more familiar with the impact of today's technology on your practice, and learn to cultivate stronger relationships to position yourself as an approachable and effective legal partner.


No matter where you are in your career, The Legal Department is here to help you tackle whatever comes your way. Join Stacy in these episodes filled with inspiring stories, valuable advice, and tips to elevate your legal practice. Become an invaluable asset to your organization or law firm and establish yourself as the dependable professional they can't afford to lose. Level up your legal career with The Legal Department podcast.

Copyright 2023 | All Rights Reserved | http://legaldepartmentpod.com/
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Episodes
  • Goal Getter: How to Avoid a Career Flatline Sheila Murphy Executive Coach
    Jul 7 2026

    Ever feel like you’re stuck in place? You have excellent technical skills, get the job done and do excellent work. So why aren’t you progressing? In this Goal Getter episode, executive coach and former GC Sheila Murphy is in The Legal Department to show you how to get noticed as “high potential.” Spoiler alert: no one hands you a promotion, you have to raise your hand. Sheila shares how stepping forward, seeking out feedback and adopting clear, business-focused communication style can help you level up.

    Thanks to StreamlineAi for supporting Goal Getters!

    Join the Goal Getter community and subscribe to the companion newsletter on Substack to receive actionable career frameworks, diagnostic templates, and professional development tools directly in your inbox. Destination: http://legaldepartmentpod.com/

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    37 mins
  • Office Hours: Questions From Aspiring GCs With Deborah Solmor, Founder, Ready Set GC [E96]
    Jun 23 2026

    In this Office Hours episode, Deborah Solmor, founder of GC development program "Ready Set GC" is in The Legal Department to answer questions from aspiring general counsel.

    Tough questions include:

    • How to show that you're a "strategic advisor"
    • How your organizational skills change when you become general counsel
    • How to keep your confidence up when you don't get a job you really want
    • How and why you need to dedicate time to "extracurriculars"


    Stacy and Deborah also chat about the Ready Set GC Ascend program, which helps deputy GCs and other aspiring legal leaders get ready for their next big role.



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    37 mins
  • Can You Pivot From Big Law To An Academic Career? Austen Parrish, Dean University Of California, Irvine School of Law [E95]
    Jun 9 2026

    Have you ever thought about a career in academics? You've learned a lot from practicing law in the "real world," but do these skills translate into the classroom? And without an academic pedigree, can a practicing lawyer even break into the ivory tower?


    Dean Parrish believes that lawyers (especially in-house counsel) can be great teachers. Parrish says that legal skills are academic skills--writing, public speaking and the ability to distill complex topics make lawyers the best teachers.


    In this episode, Parrish shares how he pivoted from a career in Big Law into academics, eventually landing leadership positions in top law schools including serving as dean of three different law schools. He says that teaching can be a natural progression for practicing lawyers.


    He believes this so strongly that he invited Stacy and other in-house lawyers to develop a certificate program for aspiring general counsel at UCI School of Law. Learn more about the program called, "From Lawyer to Leader, the Road to the General Counsel Seat," in this episode.



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    31 mins
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