Malbek

• Lead and manage the legal function.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO and COO with respect to all legal matters.
• Regularly contribute to Malbek’s product development efforts. 
• Provide structured and ad hoc legal support as needed across the enterprise.
• Recommend, design, and implement new processes and procedures to improve and better align  processes with strategic business and product development objectives.
• Regularly contribute to Malbek’s content marketing efforts by authoring long-form thought leadership pieces and participating in webinars and podcasts.
• Work cross-functionally with product marketing, content producers, designers, and sales leaders on lead demand generation strategy and marketing campaign development efforts.
• Lead and/or moderate webinars, podcast episodes, and in-person events with prospects, customers, partners, and other members of the legal and legal technology communities.

General Counsel

•	Lead the legal function with a focus on data privacy, contracting, and intellectual property. 
•	Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO and COO with respect to all legal matters.
•	Provide ad hoc legal support as needed across the enterprise.
•	Recommend, design, and implement new processes and procedures to improve and better align contract templates and processes with strategic business and product development objectives.
•	Regularly contribute to Malbek’s content marketing efforts by authoring long-form thought leadership pieces and participating in webinars and podcasts.
•	Regularly contribute to and provide advice regarding ongoing product development initiatives.
•	Work cross-functionally with product marketing, content producers, designers, and sales leaders on lead demand generation strategy and marketing campaign development efforts.
•	Lead and/or moderate webinars, podcast episodes, and in-person events with prospects, customers, partners, and other members of the legal and technology communities.

Director of Legal and Evangelist

Albany Law School

I teach "Technology and Law Practice Management" - a course designed to be an introduction to the evolving world of legal technology and its transformative impact on modern legal practice. The course explores how technology is reshaping the legal profession. The course incorporates hands-on experience with tools alongside strategies for how to best use the tools that students in the class are asked to experiment with.

Adjunct Professor of Law

Proxy

Advisory Board Member

The Colleges of Law

I teach "Technology for Legal Professionals".  This course is a Masters-Level intensive course in legal technology. Students gain first-hand experience using a variety of technologies commonly used in the practice of law alongside learning best practices for using technology in an effective and productive way.

Adjunct Faculty

WordRake

-Key business leader and advocate for WordRake.
-Led market research efforts and engaged in discussions with legal leaders.  
-Responsible for leading various marketing, business development, and branding initiatives. 
-Designed and directed social media outreach and campaigns.
-Co-led competitive analysis and positioning efforts.
-Directly assisted in a number of product development efforts.

Director Of Marketing And Business Development

Lookout

Negotiated, drafted and closed a variety of agreements, including distributor agreements, reseller agreements, customer and sales agreements, technology licensing agreements, and services agreements.
Developed, improve and maintain policies and agreement templates.
Maintained contractual records and documentation.
Assisted with managing company's contract management system.
Facilitated the resolution of business / legal issues and formulating recommendations using analysis, creativity and the development of new approaches to enable contract execution while safeguarding the company and creating a positive customer experience.
Built and managed processes and workflows that can scale globally.
Kept abreast of U.S. and international law that may affect the business.
Advised on special projects as needed, including new product development and expansion into new international markets.
Contribute to cross-functional teams as a trusted advisor, creative problem-solver and strategic thinker.

Legal Counsel

Salary.com

Served as strategic advisor to the CFO and CEO with regards to data privacy, information security, strategic transactions, commercial transactions, employment law, and intellectual property matters.
Led and directed all legal operations, processes, and procedures for the company and provided general legal guidance and support to all departments across the company.
Closed deals worth $200K and more.
Supported sales teams and all other functions by managing, drafting, reviewing, redlining, and negotiating both standard and non-standard agreements including, but not limited to SaaS, data privacy, marketing, professional services, independent contractor, and distributor contracts.
Improved upon existing organizational contracting processes and templates to improve workflow.
Maintained contractual records and documentation, such as receipt and control of all contract correspondence, contractual changes, and other documents for all projects.
Worked with finance to ensure adherence to broader finance and risk requirements 
Reviewed and maintained the company’s internal policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the company’s legal obligations. 
Reviewed and developed as needed relevant processes, policies, and procedures relating to the company’s contracting and other internal practices.
Coordinated and managed outside counsel on an as-needed basis for various ad-hoc matters.
Facilitated the resolution of business / legal issues and formulating recommendations using analysis, creativity and the development of new approaches to enable contract execution while safeguarding the company and creating a positive customer experience all in accordance with company policies and procedures.
Provided the sales team (and any other teams as needed) with training, education, and documentation on any and all relevant legal matters.
Responded to ad hoc requests for legal assistance/legal research.

Corporate Counsel

Pearson

Supported global sales teams by reviewing, negotiating, redlining, drafting, and overseeing a variety of agreement and contracts with both domestic and global partners and customers and coordinating with  other legal and business functions as needed.
Frequently closed deals worth over $200K.
Provided Intellectual Property support and advice on a wide range of matters.
Recommended and implemented changes regarding improving deal processes and procedures and better alignment of deal terms and alignment with business strategic objectives.
Implemented, oversaw, and managed key contract policies, procedures, and processes.
Assisted with ad hoc Intellectual Property queries.
Managed content partner relationships on behalf of Rights & Permissions and Pearson with content suppliers.
Reviewed Intellectual Property and related inquiries and provided related counseling and support pertaining to countless contract matters including but not limited to licensing, partnership, consulting, non-disclosure, and  termination.
Assisted Rights & Permissions teams and business units in the execution and implementation of agreements from planning through approval to post-execution matters.
Coordinated and collaborated with Rights & Permissions Rights Management teams and Royalty Accounting Department to ensure accuracy in payment.
Assisted Rights & Permissions teams and business units in the execution of agreements from planning through approval to post-execution matters.
Maintained contractual records and documentation.
Assisted in maintaining contract database and maintaining key information on all contracts.
Improved upon existing organizational contracting processes to improve workflow efficiency.
Served as Pearson's Boston-area Global Diversity and Inclusion Advocate where I led development of an online student-focused tool focused on combating cyber-bullying.

Manager, Contract Negotiations

C&W Services

Provided direct support and counseling to sales teams by managing, drafting, reviewing, redlining, and negotiating both standard and non-standard agreements including, but not limited to, non-disclosure, master service, master license, independent contractor, consulting, professional service, supplier, and vendor contracts.
Maintained contractual records and documentation, such as receipt and control of all contract correspondence, customer contact information sheets, contractual changes, and other documents for all projects.
Assisted in maintaining contract database and maintaining key information on all contracts.
Worked with risk management department to coordinate contractual insurance requirements.
Worked with finance department to insure adherence to broader finance and risk requirements such as pricing and discounting policies, and other relevant requirements.
Communicated signed contracts to all relevant parties to provide contract visibility and awareness.
Responded to ad hoc requests for legal assistance/legal research.

Temporary Contracts Counsel

Velcro Group Corporation

Provided support to global sales offices by managing, drafting, reviewing, redlining, and negotiating both standard and non-standard agreements including, but not limited to non-disclosure, marketing, marketing affiliate, sweepstakes, professional services, independent contractor, manufacturing, software licensing (both on-premise and SaaS), customer/sales, supplier, joint development, and distributor contracts.
Closed deals worth $300K and more.
Improved upon existing organizational contracting processes to improve workflow efficiency.
Developed/revised contractual templates.
Maintained contractual records and documentation, such as receipt and control of all contract correspondence, customer contact information sheets, contractual changes, and other documents for all projects.
Worked with risk management department to coordinate contractual insurance requirements.
Worked with finance department to ensure adherence to broader finance and risk requirements such as revenue recognition, pricing and discounting policies, and other relevant requirements.
Worked with relevant sales and business team and advised regarding legal issues and risks related to various business transactions.
Served as the point of contact on contract database matters on behalf of the Legal Department.
Assisted with managing, developing, and implementing contract management system.
Maintained contractual records, documentation, and corporate governance materials.
Advised regarding company’s corporate structure.
Drafted and analyzed corporate bylaws, board of directors, and shareholder resolutions. 
Assisted with corporate re-structuring matters arising from mergers and acquisitions and other related transactions.
Provided training to employees.
Communicated signed contracts to all relevant parties to provide contract visibility and awareness.
Responded to ad hoc requests for legal assistance/legal research.

Contracts Counsel

Provided support to global sales offices by managing, drafting, reviewing, redlining, and negotiating both standard and non-standard agreements including nondisclosure, marketing, marketing affiliate, professional services, independent contractor, manufacturing, software licensing (both on premise and SaaS), customer/sales, supplier, joint development, and distributor contracts.
Maintained contractual records and documentation, such as receipt and control of all contract correspondence, customer contact information sheets, contractual changes, and other documents for all projects.
Developed/revised contractual templates.
Worked with risk management department to coordinate contractual insurance requirements.
Worked with finance department to insure adherence to broader finance and risk requirements such as revenue recognition, pricing and discounting policies and other relevant requirements.
Worked with relevant sales and business team and advise regarding legal issues and risks related to various business transactions.
Ensured proper completion of a wide variety of agreements.
Monitored compliance by company employees with established procedures.
Ensured that signed contracts are communicated to all relevant parties to provide contract visibility and awareness.

Contracts Administrator

Director of Legal @ Malbek | Legal Tech Author and Commentator | Fastcase 50 2022 Honoree | Legal Tech Startup Advisor and Investor

Hey. I’m Colin. I am the General Counsel of Malbek, CLM for the Enterprise. I am a man on a mission. 

My mission is helping people make sense of legal tech—where technology and the law intersect to drive real change. 

As an educator, writer, and advocate, I explore how innovation is reshaping the legal landscape and share insights to help you navigate this dynamic space.

I actively work to grow and support the legal tech community. 

I authored The Legal Tech Ecosystem, a foundational guide to understanding the industry, co-wrote CLM for Dummies to make Contract Lifecycle Management accessible, and edited the comprehensive Handbook of Legal Tech. 

Additionally, I’ve contributed articles, spoken on podcasts, and hosted webinars to unpack the role of technology in law.

I aim to empower legal professionals to embrace technology and realize its potential to improve the legal industry. 

Change and innovation are not just buzzwords to me—they’re the driving forces behind my work.

As Director of Legal and Evangelist for Malbek, a leading Contract Lifecycle Management platform, I stay on the frontlines of legal tech innovation. I also advise startups, invest in emerging technology, and look for ways to propel the industry forward.

Here are a few specific highlights of my work:

1) Author of The Legal Tech Ecosystem – An essential guide for understanding the foundations of legal tech and its key players.

2) Editor of the Handbook of Legal Tech – A comprehensive exploration of the distinct sectors shaping the legal tech landscape.

3) Co-author of CLM for Dummies – Breaking down Contract Lifecycle Management into practical, approachable concepts for legal professionals at every stage.

4) Judge for the American Legal Technology Awards – Highlighting and celebrating groundbreaking advancements in legal innovation.

5)  Columnist for Today’s General Counsel – Delivering in-depth analysis and actionable strategies on the intersection of technology and legal operations.

Every role I take on reflects my dedication to advancing the legal tech community and showing what’s possible when technology and the law work together.

My journey started with candid conversations with pioneers in legal tech. I continue to share those experiences and what I’ve learned on my website, colinslevy.com.

For updates, follow me here, on my website, or on platforms like Threads, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).

Whether you’re curious about legal tech, just starting out, or building something new, I’d love to connect. 

Please reach out!

Colin Levy

Paralegals.

Often the smartest and most engaging people I've met in my life have been paralegals. 

They tend to be the most tech-savvy, the most innovative, and the most collaborative individuals within a legal organization.

They are at the forefront of innovation and process improvement in many cases.

They also often go on to become legal operations managers and directors.

Listen to them. Treat them well. Learn from them.

#legaltech #innovation #law #business #learning

Colin S. Levy

General Counsel @ Malbek - CLM for Enterprise | Adjunct Professor and Author of The Legal Tech Ecosystem | Legal Tech Speaker, Advisor, and Investor | Named to the Fastcase 50 (2022)

Don't be an asshole.

There, I said it. 

Look, I get it. The world is not always a nice place. You're not going to like everyone you meet. People will do things that frustrate or annoy you.

Especially during hectic times, like now, as another year wraps up.

But, by being a jerk you are only contributing to the problem.

This doesn't mean you need to be sweet as sugar to everyone, but it does mean to keep your feelings in check and to be respectful whenever possible.

So, let me repeat.

Don't be an asshole. 

Happy Halloween. 

#legaltech #innovation #law #business #learning

Too much legal tech content is performance, not analysis.

It circulates because it requires no sustained thought: a tool announcement, a vague efficiency claim, a prediction divorced from mechanism. This serves the person posting. It does not serve the profession.

Legal professionals considering technology adoption face concrete structural questions that popular commentary systematically avoids.

When you implement document automation, you are making explicit decisions about knowledge transfer. Which analytical patterns will your newer lawyers never learn through repetition? How does competency develop when the formative tasks disappear?

For legal professionals sharing knowledge about technology: your obligation is to examine mechanisms and tradeoffs, not to amplify adoption narratives.

The profession needs people who can think clearly about these tools, not people who just promote them. 

#legaltech #innovation #law #business #learning

Lawyers and law students, here is some advice.

Don’t compromise your ethics, your values, those things that make you, you. 

Find work at places aligned to to you.

Ask questions during the interview process to ensure this is the case. 

Interviewing is a two-way street.

No job is worth giving up who you are and how you want to be seen by others.

There is only one you.

I’m Colin, General Counsel of Malbek - CLM for the Enterprise and author of The Legal Tech Ecosystem.

#legaltech #innovation #law #business #learning

Law schools need to teach technology skills. It's not optional anymore.

I see new lawyers struggling with basic legal tech that firms use every day. Document review platforms, contract analysis software, AI research tools. 

These aren't coming someday. They're here now.

What should law students actually learn?

Some essential tech topics for law students and new lawyers:

-IP questions when AI creates content
-How and when to use AI for legal work and examples of tools that can help
-Liability issues with automated systems
-Using tech to help clients including underserved clients access legal services
-Ethics rules around AI in legal practice

The reality: Clients expect those they hire to know how to use and when to use the tools of their trade. 

Lawyers who combine legal knowledge with tech skills are winning cases and building practices. Those who don't are falling behind.

Law schools that skip this preparation are failing their students. The market has already decided that tech literacy matters.

I’m Colin, General Counsel of Malbek - CLM for the Enterprise and author of The Legal Tech Ecosystem.

#legaltech #innovation #law #business #learning

Working as a lawyer in-house:

1) Skip the legal history lesson. Start with "We can do this by..." not "We can't because..." 

Show you understand risk in context. 

2) Never say "that's not legal's problem." 

Own problems together with your business partners.

3) Relationships matter more than you think. 

Build your network before you need it.

4) Not every question needs the same response. 

Learn when to give what type of response. 

#legaltech #innovation #law #business #learning

Too often it seems that salespeople view lawyers as roadblocks and lawyers view salespeople as careless. 

The way forward?

Recognizing that this relationship works best when both sides understand what the other is actually trying to accomplish. 

When sales takes responsibility for learning the basics instead of treating legal like a helpdesk. When legal approaches questions as a coach instead of a gatekeeper.

And when executives actually prioritize this relationship instead of assuming it will fix itself.

The question worth asking isn't "how do we eliminate tension between sales and legal?" It's "how do we channel that tension in ways that serve our customers better?"

Because at the end of the day, that's the only metric that matters.

Check out the latest guest-authored blog post by Alex Boyd on this topic on my blog. The link is in the comments.

#legaltech #innovation #law #business #learning

Docusign

Helping the market leader in agreement management and e-signature build innovative features responsibly and with a focus on customers.

Deputy General Counsel, AI Innovation & Trust

Ready Set GC

Developing the next gen of women legal leaders.

Aerial

Elevating the data room experience. Aerial is an AI-powered data room that serves as a system of record that collects, organizes, and cross-references core corporate information, contracts, and legal documentation, allowing companies to be quickly ready for diligence and utilize the information they need when they need it.

Lexion

* Acquired by Docusign (NASDAQ: DOCU) in May 2024

Intake + Workflows + Negotiation and Redlining + Contract Lifecycle Management + OCR and Analytics all powered by AI and a single platform. In addition to building and managing a high performing legal team, influenced more than 75% of closed won deals from 2020-2022 and more than 50% in 2023, and played an integral role in GTM such as building pipeline and creating brand awareness amongst the legal community. 

Lexion is an AI first company founded at the Paul Allen Institute for AI. Lexion is built by an experienced team and backed by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and top tier investors (Point72 Ventures, Citi Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Madrona Venture Group).

Chief Legal Officer

Payscale

PayScale’s first in-house attorney and General Counsel. Built a high performing legal team/function from scratch, supported M&A, partnerships, privacy / compliance, IP, employment, and litigation matters, and helped PayScale accelerate revenue operations, grow, and scale as it grew to $100 million+ ARR, 400+ employees, and 8000+ customers. 

Played integral role in integration of MarketPay, acquisition/integration of ePRISM (from Mercer), and sale of Payscale to Francisco Partners (April 2019).

Microsoft

- Member of the Office 365 legal team. Trusted partner to the Outlook / Exchange CVPs and engineering and business development leadership teams. See LinkedIn recommendations. 
- Highlighted Responsibilities: (a) enterprise / consumer product counseling and regulatory compliance (such as privacy / GDPR); (b) strategic partnership deals; and (c) acquisition and subsequent integration of acquired companies (Yammer, Acompli, Genee).

Attorney - Office 365

Hibu

Lead counsel to global team responsible for building hibu’s portfolio of digital products to pivot the business from phonebooks to digital marketing products.

Avalara

- First in-house attorney for the Series A startup during a hyper growth period. 
- Highlighted responsibilities: (a) contracts, contracts, contracts; (b) trusted advisor to the business development team on all things partnerships and built out partnership programs; (c) product counseling; (d) integration of acquired companies; and (e) implemented scalable processes and policies.

Attorney (first one)

Cairncross & Hempelmann

General business/corporate, M&A, and tech transactions lawyer

Attorney

Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP

General business/corporate and real estate lawyer

Dynamic and award winning General Counsel, tech leader, and change maker on a mission to humanize AI and technology. Passionate about building effective and accessible AI / tech responsibly and helping the legal / agreement community cut through the noise with translating tech to value.

18+ years of legal experience working with technology companies specializing in the intersection of law, AI / innovation, and product, and a talent for simplifying the complex, storytelling, and building relationships and community.  

Proven track record of:
- Growing top line revenue and brand awareness, improving conversion rates, and building pipeline 
- Recruiting, coaching, and managing high performing teams 
- Executing M&A transactions / integrations and financings 
- Managing governance, scaling operations, compliance, product counseling, employment, metrics / OKRs, and contract negotiations 
- Building community with practical trainings / content and authenticity

Recognitions (proudly not paid for): 
- 2024 Women, Influence, & Power in Law (Corporate Counsel) - Innovative Leadership
- 2024 WorldCC Foundation Inspiring Women in Commerce and Contracting 
- 2023 Washington State Bar Association Apex Award for Legal Innovation 
- 2021 Women, Influence & Power in Law (Corporate Counsel) - Thought Leadership - In-House Honoree
- 2020 Law.com/Corporate Counsel Magazine “Startup GC of the Year”
- 2019 The Business Journals’ Top 100 Legal Influencers
- 2019 National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Best Under 40
- 2018 Puget Sound Business Journal 40 under 40

* Views expressed are my own and not my employer. No legal advice provided or attorney-client relationship created. 

Jessica Nguyen

At the risk of folks getting tired of me speaking (sorry not sorry), add one more event to the list next month. But this time I’ll be speaking with my pal John Lindsey and new one Ross McNairn at the Future of Law Summit, hosted by Goodlawyer — where legal leaders challenge norms and rethink what’s possible in our profession.

Join us November 20 for a free, CPD-accredited event reimagining the future of law. Thanks to my friend Chad Aboud for the invite.  

Other upcoming speaking events: 
✅ October 15 (virtual): Legal + AI summit keynote. Registration link in comment. 
✅ October 20 (live): ACC Annual Meeting panel on AI at 3:15pm (main stage) 
✅ October 30 (virtual): Free Contract Nerds 📝 🤓 CLE webinar on non-standard NDA clauses with Sterling Miller, Olga V. Mack and Nada Alnajafi. Registration link in comment.

Deputy General Counsel @ Docusign | Head of Contract Nerds 📝🤓 & Host of the “In-House” podcast 🎙️ | Board Member

Not one but two cool legal job openings! Yes 2! ✌️If I was in a different stage of my career (or if they’d hire me) here’s an opportunity to work with two amazing lawyers — Ken Priore (DGC at Docusign) and Joe Rossettie (GC at BigPanda).  

The Docusign role is such a fun role to partner closely with engineering and product and help shape a product you’ll also use for your contracting work. It reminds me of my Microsoft years when I counseled the Outlook email team (and I live in email). 

The BigPanda role is an exciting role for someone newer in their legal career and desires to grow exponentially by dabbling in many different areas and learn from an experienced tech / startup leader. I can attest Joe knows his stuff and doesn’t just think like a lawyer. BigPanda role linked in a comment. 

🏃‍♀️💨 Run don’t walk toward these opportunities. 

https://lnkd.in/giCQpY9V

San Francisco, California, United States (Remote)

If you’re evaluating General Counsel roles, is reporting to the CEO a non-negotiable? Or if you’re evaluating a role on a legal team do you prefer a legal department where the GC reports to the CEO? The answer is YES for many because it comes down to actual / perception of influence. 

Sometimes the answer isn’t black or white. In this new episode of the “In-House” 🎙️podcast, hear the raw stories and insights of seasoned legal leaders Victoria Harvey (CLO at Smile Brands Inc.) and Jim Shaughnessy (CLO at Docusign) as they share their first hand experiences reporting to CEO vs not. We even chat GC vs CLO job title. 

It’s a not to be missed discussion with two wonderful humans. I’m so grateful they took the time to chat with us and share their knowledge at scale via podcast form. 😉 Link to the show in a comment. 

Thank you Docusign, Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM) for supporting this show for the legal community. #legal #generalcounsel #leadership

Come get nerdy with me and legal legends Olga V. Mack, Sterling Miller and Nada Alnajafi. Oh and there’s free CLE credit too. 

I talk to a lot of legal tech founders and interestingly one of the top use cases of their AI tool is reviewing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). So this topic remains important and top of mind for us Contract Nerds 📝 🤓. Join us on October 30th. There will be giveaways and a super active chat by attendees (the nerdy attendees teach just as much as the speakers). 

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gYMC3wXA

We’re bringing together industry leaders to tackle one of today’s most important topics: non-standard NDA terms.

Join us for this month’s webinar to learn from experts:
🔹 Sterling Miller (Hilgers Graben PLLC)
🔹 Jessica Nguyen (Contract Nerds | DocuSign)
🔹 Olga V. Mack (TermScout)
🔹 Hosted by Nada Alnajafi (Contract Nerds | Franklin Templeton)

Happening Thursday, October 30, at 9 AM PST | 12 PM ET | 4 PM GMT!

Learn how to draft, review, and negotiate non-standard NDA terms, receive CLE/CPE credit, connect with other Contract Nerds + more ALL for FREE!

You won’t want to miss this one.

REGISTER TODAY >> https://lnkd.in/eJ8hUhGV

#ContractNerds #NDAs #confidential #contractdrafting #data

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