2026 Predictions with Brightflag's Kevin Cohn

On this special episode of In-House Outliers, Brightflag's Kevin Cohn returns to share his annual legal operations and legal technology predictions for 2026.

On this episode, ⁠Tim Parilla⁠ (Strategic Advisor and former CLO at ⁠LinkSquares⁠) joined ⁠Alex Kelly⁠ for a fascinating conversation about:Why legal leaders need data to effectively manage their legal budget and strengthen outside counsel partnershipsThe impact good financial acumen can have on legal strategy⁠Tim⁠'s incredible career journey and his biggest takeaways from serving as a GC and CLO

On this episode, Alexander de Nerée (External Firm Relationship Counsel at Ericsson) joined Alex Kelly to discuss:-Alexander's philosophy when it comes to managing outside counsel relationships-Ways to set expectations with law firms regarding AI use, and develop more open dialogues-Alexander's fascinating career journey and his best advice for aspiring in-house legal professionals

On this episode, Ryan Black (Chief of Staff, Legal at DoorDash) joined the podcast recently to share his expert insights into:-Common pitfalls legal ops can encounter during legal technology evaluations—and how to avoid them-The skills he cultivated on his journey from Paralegal to Legal Operations Manager to Legal Chief of Staff-His experience building out a legal operations function, and how he leverages AI in his day-to-day to work more efficiently

On this episode, Stephanie Palmieri (Head of Legal Operations at CyberArk) joined Alex Kelly to discuss:-The keys to effective change management—including how to measure the success and necessity of legal technology implementations-How the size and maturity of an organization's legal function dictate what its priorities will be from an operations standpoint-The takeaways from her own incredible career journey, which began in television production and ultimately led her to the field of legal ops

On this episode, Terrene Collins (Director of Legal Operations & Chief of Staff to the CLO at Panasonic North America) joined the podcast to discuss:The importance of building relationships and engaging with stakeholders throughout the organization to build an effective legal ops functionHow she evaluates legal technology to ensure the tools she secures for the legal department are a good fit Terrene's thoughts on AI as a value-multiplier, and where she sees it making the biggest impact for in-house teams

On this episode, Nicole Weidenhamer reflects on her eight-year journey at Rocket Companies, where she has risen from intern to VP of Legal Operations.During her conversation with Brightflag's Kevin Cohn, they discuss:How to build and scale a legal operations functionThe value of networking with other legal ops professionals and finding a communityThe evolving legal ops landscape, and the keys to effective change management

On this episode, Jennifer Smith (Legal Operations Manager at Etsy) joined the show to discuss the key skillsets legal ops professionals need to be successful, and Jennifer's own fascinating journey into the world of legal operations.Jennifer also discussed some projects she's most proud of having spearheaded, and the impacts she sees AI having on the legal field.

Join Kevin Cohn and Stacie Neeter as they delve into the evolving landscape of enterprise legal management, and the challenges faced by modern legal departments.During their conversation, they discuss:The shift from siloed initiatives to a holistic approach to legal technology integrations, and the role AI is playing in that progressionHow legal departments can establish themselves as valuable business functions while also addressing the strategic complexities of legal service deliveryThe role that data insights and effective communication play in managing legal spend and fostering collaboration

On this episode, Daniel Young (Chief of Staff, Senior Director of Legal Operations at SharkNinja) joined Alex Kelly to discuss how data serves as the foundation for impactful legal operations initiatives.Daniel also discussed his fascinating career journey from being a veterinary technician to working in legal ops, and shared insights into his approach to legal technology evaluations.