HessConnect

Building an online presence of visibility, authority, and trust for lawyers by leveraging LinkedIn. 

☎ 619.962.5504 
🖍 EMAIL viveca@hessconnect.com 
📣 MESSAGE ME ☞ here on LinkedIn!

HessConnect | LinkedIn Strategy, Consulting, & Management for Lawyers 

Branding + Content Specialist

DJJ Law Offices

Responsible for overall outreach directions, communications, and strategies for this law firm. Created, implemented and managed online platforms, visibility to accelerate engagement. Nearly doubled client base within three months of execution, and positioned law firm as authority through various national publications.

JD + Marketing Director

President Swedish American Chamber of Commerce San Diego

President

I help time-starved lawyers + law firms build & strategically position what makes them unique into their online presence to connect with qualified clients and high-quality referral networks consistently. 

Are you ready to leverage LinkedIn for business growth? 
As a trained lawyer, I'll help you with industry-specific business development strategies. 
Short on time? I can even handle it all for you.        

𝙎𝙀𝙍𝙑𝙄𝘾𝙀𝙎 
I offer custom online business development plans and strategies for lawyers, law firms, & business owners...

🟥   LINKEDIN CONTENT MARKETING (DONE FOR YOU)
▹ custom plans to create your online presence
▹ manage your online activity 
▹ engagement to build authority + develop quality client relationships consistently.

🟥   LINKEDIN CONSULTING (DONE WITH YOU)
Audit discovery & strategy sessions to help create content that resonates with your clients to build solid connections. 

🟥   LINKEDIN WORKSHOPS 
Presentations & workshops for law firms, law schools, conferences, law firm retreats, bar associations, & meetings.  
Topics include:
▹ LinkedIn Leveraged Lawyers
▹ Yawnworthy to Trustworthy Branding for Lawyers
▹ Promote & Protect: Social Media Policy 
▹ Content Making & Marketing

🟥   LEARN (ON YOUR OWN)
Private/firm-wide training or coaching on how to establish, build or elevate your online presence & best practices, (or conveniently via my Linked-In Leveraged Lawyers™ course.)         

𝙒𝙃𝙔 𝙒𝙊𝙍𝙆 𝙒𝙄𝙏𝙃 𝙈𝙀
By combining a decade of business law + a decade of online business development, I offer a unique perspective on how to efficiently position you & your firm to connect, engage and build trust with your ideal client. I also understand the unique challenges, communication styles and regulatory requirements related to a lawyer's online activity.

❝ HessConnect understands online media for the legal industry! Law firms resist change in the technological arena. Viveca’s creative, nuanced know-how along with her legal background is critical for business growth. ~ Heidi Weaver, Esq. 

❝ With a wealth of marketing knowledge, Viveca sincerely cares about everyone who works with her. The value Viveca places on building relationships reflects the high quality of her work, making her a person you want on your team. ~ Evan Dwin, Esq. 

🟥   𝙇𝙀𝙏'𝙎 𝙏𝘼𝙇𝙆
619.962.5504 / viveca@hessconnect.com / connect on LinkedIn 
Explore Call ➤ https://calendly.com/hessconnect/15min-1


_____


I do not signify any affiliation with or endorsement by LinkedIn®️ Corporation or its affiliates.

Viveca Hess, J.D.

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

Time for some blunt talk. 

I am over hearing and reading the same tired narrative from SO many highly successful leaders:

The only way to achieve financial success is to sacrifice everything. Give up your time. Give up your relationships. Give up your hobbies. Give up your life. All because your company must come first.

Fuck. That.

I have spent my career working in legal tech across roles that demanded real commitment: in-house counsel, legal tech advocate, writer, speaker, and now General Counsel at Malbek. 

I wrote The Legal Tech Ecosystem while working full time. I built a voice in this field through years of writing, interviewing innovators, and publishing pieces that unpack the future of the legal profession. 

And I did all of it without sacrificing the rest of my life. I learned to set boundaries. I learned to protect my time. I learned that saying yes to everything is a shortcut to becoming no one.

I have seen burnout up close, both in myself and in the leaders around me. I know what it looks like when the work becomes the identity and the identity becomes the prison. I also know that it does not have to be that way.

You can push your career forward without losing yourself. You can build meaningful influence without torching your evenings, your weekends or your relationships. You can achieve financial success without buying into the false choice between being a high performer and being a whole person.

The belief that you must trade your life for your livelihood is not wisdom. It is a culture problem. It is a system problem. It is people mistaking self-destruction for dedication.

Success should not cost your health, your relationships or your joy. Sustainable success comes from clarity, boundaries, curiosity, and the courage to reject a narrative built on sacrifice theater.

You can be successful, even wildly successful, and still have a life. My career is proof. Anyone telling you otherwise is defending a myth they needed to believe to justify their own choices.

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

#legaltech #innovation #law #business #learning

Colin S. Levy

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

Often one's biggest frustration with Generative AI isn't understanding what it can do, it's getting it to actually DO what you want it to do.

So I ran an experiment.

I asked Claude to create a comprehensive guide for writing effective prompts, using document review as a practical example. 

Here's what I've found effective AI prompting really comes down to:

→ Being specific about your desired output format
→ Providing context about your use case
→ Breaking complex tasks into clear steps
→ Including examples when possible
→ Iterating based on results

The difference between a vague request and a well-structured prompt can save hours of back-and-forth.

The full guide, shared below, covers everything from basic prompt structure to advanced techniques for complex document analysis.

I hope it helps you!

#legaltech #innovation #law #business #learning

AI Prompting for Document Analysis

I am done watching and reading the same breathless declarations flood my feed from people who should know better.

AI will fix everything.

AI will replace everyone.

AI will transform every corner of every industry if we just get out of the way.

ENOUGH.

I have spent my career at the intersection of law and technology working with tools that actually move the needle. 

I have seen what AI can do well and  I have also seen where it fails, where it misleads and where it becomes a shiny distraction rather than a meaningful solution.

AI is powerful. AI is useful. But AI is not magic.

I built my career by asking hard questions, pushing past hype, and reminding teams that technology is a means, not a mission. 

I have seen leaders invest in systems that promised transformation only to deliver confusion because no one bothered to ask the most important questions: 

What outcome are we chasing and is this even the right tool to get us there?

Chasing AI for the sake of chasing AI is not strategy. It is noise. It is performative innovation. It is what happens when people confuse novelty with progress.

You can embrace AI without worshipping it. You can leverage it without surrendering judgment. You can build better legal and business functions without assuming that every problem deserves a model or a chatbot or an automation layer.

AI should support thinking, not replace it. It should expand human capability, not become a crutch that excuses bad decisions or shallow planning.

The belief that AI is the solution to all problems is not vision. 

It is wishful thinking. It is a failure to do the harder work of defining goals, diagnosing root causes, and choosing the right tools for the right jobs.

Real progress comes from clarity, intentionality, experimentation, and knowing that sometimes the most effective solution is not AI at all.

You can lead with intelligence, not hype. You can innovate with restraint. You can build strong, modern teams without handing every challenge to a model and hoping for the best.

I’m Colin, General Counsel at Malbek and author of The Legal Tech Ecosystem. 

And I am here to remind this profession that AI is a but a tool, not a doctrine.

#legaltech #innovation #law #business #learning

taplio

The Battle

Viveca Hess, J.D.

Colin Levy

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taplio

The Battle

Viveca Hess, J.D.

Colin Levy

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Colin Levy's LinkedIn Performance

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