The legal system, formerly a legal administration, has now become an integral part of legal teams in health and healthcare companies. Legal ops specialists drive decisions on data, and their production is important for managing the overall risk of the organization. Through a series of interviews with doctors, MedCity News and Above the Law are actively involved in the field.
Stephanie Corey is the CEO & amp; Co-Founder at UpLevel Ops. Based in Redwood City, CA, the advisory firm provides comprehensive legal support, including policy and organizational planning, evaluation and roadmap, technology selection and implementation, performance improvement, job readiness, best practices and metrics, and management of foreign consultancy. . Stephanie is also the co-Founder of LINK, Legal Innovators Network, a professional association for professionals with legal experience.
Read how Stephanie’s career grew from her work at Hewlett Packard to being an industry expert who learned to ask tough questions, such as: “Does a lawyer really need to look? see? “
(This discussion is tailored to the length and clarity.)
How did you get into the legal process?
Most of my work was in the house. I came from the financial world and I was going to be a financial trader. I have an undergraduate degree in economics with an MBA and when I first started doing law at Hewlett Packard I thought it would take two years to get into business. I never thought of finishing all my work with a team of lawyers and lawyers. When I first started, I used to help lawyers learn how to reduce spending. Then the part changed and I started to see if there were any good ways to do things. I had a working background, and I tried to see what was going on in the legal field, to put it all together, and then tell the story of how the law works, so lawyers can focus on the work of a strong law. I stayed at HP for over ten years and was eventually promoted to manager of staff.
I have learned to ask difficult questions, including, “Does a lawyer need to look at this?” The answer is usually no. Then you can get lawyers to focus on things of a higher quality than spending time discussing NDAs, for example.
I realized that my role was unique in HP and there was no one I could identify with. It was there that I started the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium to form a community for support.
I founded UpLevel Ops six years ago with my friend and General Counsel, Jon Hoak, and it was a good decision and a good time to be in this area. We have a very talented team across the US, with deep in-house experience, supporting UpLevel customers worldwide.
What are the challenges of working in the legal system?
The equipment is well supplied and taken seriously. You will often hear the word “not a lawyer.” It is always insulting even if it is said in an ignorant way. We must change this so that the impression is that legal experts recommend an increase. Self-employment, job creation, and bringing business ideas into practice will help to change the way the law is implemented. The only way to meet the growing demand for business is through legal process because it does not have an unlimited number.
After meeting with other legal experts at the CLOC, I realized that we were all struggling to find resources and solve the same problems, for example, the costs of an external consultant, to report , to manage what was going on with our contracts, and to work with storage facilities. tons of data.
UpLevel Ops seeks to change the perception that the law is a cost center and a “no department,” where lawyers close anything new. If we can rewrite the story, the law can be well-documented and it gets what they need to do for themselves. We want to work with attorneys so that we can “help do this legally and ethically,” for example, or enter a new market, create new products, or earn money quickly .
That is why the network is so important. It is for this reason that I helped start LINK, The Legal Innovators Network, with my partner, Andrew Dick. Our new community is 6 months old, but we have over 400 members. fun to network in different cities across the country.
What do you think legal departments should do now?
Long ago you saw work being done in-house and work was being transferred to law firms. Indoor lawyers performed the day-to-day work, and law firms performed state-of-the-art, strategic work. It was very expensive and not suitable for indoors when all the good work was done outside.
General consultants need to think critically and think the same way as their peers, and ask themselves, “What value can I add to the business?” For example, if the CEO says, “We want to increase revenue by X,” the law needs to think about how they can support that. Then the task team needs to know how to do it.
Legal departments need to look at the work they do in the home and decide on a policy on what they want to keep in the house and what they want to do. For example, instead of hiring five contractors, bring in a partner who does so and focus on hiring, controlling and reducing. It’s not an easy solution, but once you have that interaction that works, it’s gold. Then free up time on the in-house attorney plates and they can pull off policy work from law firms.
I also recommend sending high-quality, risky partner work, and using only law firms when you really need them, which is a very low cost for the legal profession and results in a happy legal department. to retain that knowledge. in the house.
Finally, I recommend doing a review of the work done at the branch. Make sure the right people are doing the work, indoors or outdoors. Look at the processes, and check the technology. Make sure technology is available to support people and processes. Companies do not need so many bells and whistles, especially if you are going out. Then you can use the company’s external technology and you do not need a tool.
Are you predicting the future of the legal system?
Updated focus on work done and proper use of partners. I think that is important. We see senior law enforcement officials and general advisers paying attention to that.
We will see a shift away from the hour and technology can support that with electronic payment systems. We will also see workflows and self-help tools for clients to protect lawyers from doing work that is not worth their time. It is another ethical and bots technology that will get people to the right source quickly to help lawyers answer recurring questions, such as clients pointing to a template, or the top ten questions.
How have you seen the legal process change over the last 5 years?
Many legal entities are surprised by the salaries that law enforcement professionals make, and will say, “That’s what I pay my attorneys.” I’ll tell them, “Yeah, right because it’s the part that will help you measure.”
Parts are in high demand. I feel very optimistic, especially when I think about how busy UpLevel Ops has been in the last two or three years. The epidemic has accelerated this growth because consultants in general have realized that if they try to slow down automation they will not be able to stop it for long, and they realize that they need more equipment.
What are the challenges to the legal process in the health care system?
Most of our clients at UpLevel are in health care. Surprisingly, we do not encounter a single direct challenge to health care.
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Confidentiality of data remains a problem and protects confidential health information. To see also : Cryptocurrency latest news – Bitcoin legalized by Ukraine after El Salvador adopts it as legal tender. If a health care company has rules about storing and shipping items off the coast, there are different opinions depending on the industry and the company.
