Legal Executive Leadership, LLC

Susan helps her clients re-define and better align strategic goals to overcome operational challenges.

 

Her services include: 

•  improving law department business practices,

•  legal ops consulting,

•  law firm and legal service provider selection and performance management,

•  sourcing work ("make or buy" analysis, workflow, and internal/external staffing options, including ALSPs)

•  leveraging in-house data (including predictive analytics) and technology options,

•  creating agile, collaborative teams that promote the contributions of both lawyers and professional staff,

•  establishing KPIs/metrics and performance measurements (as well as reporting structures), 

•  evaluation and continuous improvement practices,

•  playbooks and knowledge practices, 

•  pro bono, diversity, social responsibility, and public service options for corporate legal teams

•  shifting focus from reactive counseling toward alignment with advancing the business' goals, 

•  benchmarking leading success practices across industries, and 

•  in-house professional development (skills and career development, career satisfaction).

Additionally, Susan advises those who serve corporate counsel and legal departments by helping them craft distinguishable service strategies by examining their fee/pricing structures, workflow, lean efficiency, and more…

Susan has addressed more than 900 legal audiences as one of the industry’s most sought-after speakers, and has been quoted by most every major legal and business publication and media outlet covering legal issues. She’s served on the boards of several major legal public interest organizations, and has been awarded numerous honors, including, nomination and election into the fellowship of the College of Law Practice Management. She regularly teaches classes for several law schools' courses focusing on in-house practice and legal futures issues.

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During her years of service and leadership at the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), Susan developed many of the signature initiatives that paved the way for the growth, visibility and power of in-house practice. Often referred to during her tenure as "the voice of in-house counsel,” she is most widely recognized for:

 

• founding and fostering the ACC Value Challenge (to reconnect value to the cost of legal services),

• advancing “leading practices” and benchmarking conversations for CLOs and law department operations executives (now known as "LegalOps"), and

• driving ACC’s global advocacy agenda to improve and protect corporate in-house practice rights and re-define antiquated regulatory practice limitations [including multi-jurisdictional practice (MJP) reforms, in-house attorney-client privilege protection, the development of in-house legal ethics and professionalism resources, in-house corporate responsibility initiatives, and ACC’s amicus program]. 

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Susan also developed and led ACC’s pro bono and diversity initiatives for corporate law departments, partnering with the Pro Bono Institute to create and implement Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO), and with Street Law to create and implement the ACC/Street Law Corporate Legal Diversity Pipeline program.  She instituted and led ACC’s efforts to partner with the diverse bars to create new legal leadership opportunities for women, lawyers of color, and other groups promoting diversity in the legal profession. She has served on the boards of several legal charitable organizations, including Equal Justice Works, and Street Law, Inc. 

 

Susan is a 1983 graduate (dual B.A. in political philosophy and international relations) of James Madison College at Michigan State University, and a 1986 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.  Prior to joining ACC, Susan served as a law firm associate.

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You can reach Susan at hackett@lawexecs.com or +1.301.785.5534.