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The Legal Department

The Legal Department

Written by: Stacy Bratcher
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Practical, efficient and fun, The Legal Department podcast delivers the bottom line of what busy in-house attorneys need to know to level up their career. Whether you’re the general counsel or just starting a career in a corporate law department, The Legal Department podcast is the place to get real world advice from leading legal executives, executive coaches, and other thought leaders on how to grow your career and deliver more value to your clients.


Through conversations with prominent general counsel, chief legal officers and select law firm thought leaders, you’ll get to the bottom line of what you need to know about front page legal issues like digital privacy, cybersecurity and AI. Guests will share their strategies for managing the legal team, budgets, and navigating tricky company politics. Episodes will also tackle in-house fundamentals like the attorney client privilege, litigation, M&A, governance and working with boards of directors and the c-suite.


The Podcast will also feature guests from the c-suite, executive coaches, and other thought leaders who will offer practice insights for attorneys seeking to fuel their own professional development and build those elusive “soft skills.” Each episode of The Legal Department will provide practical tips and takeaways that you can use to take your in-house career to the next level.


The Legal Department podcast provides practical, concise, and actionable insights for busy in-house attorneys. Whether you're a seasoned general counsel or a new corporate law professional, each episode of The Legal Department offers the essential tools, information, and resources to enhance your professional skills. Elevate your career and deliver value to those you serve.


Each episode features in-depth conversations with prominent general counsel and chief legal officers, and select law firm thought leaders who share war stories from their own careers. Learn how to tackle any situation with finesse and confidence, no matter how delicate or politically challenging. Accelerate your journey towards a fulfilling legal career through these podcast conversations.


Guests will share key insights and strategies for effectively managing legal teams, budget oversight, navigating company politics, and mastering in-house fundamentals like privilege, litigation, M&A, governance, and board interactions.Becoming an in-house leader requires more than legal knowledge and experience. It requires business acumen, executive intelligence, and being a team player within your company and with your partners. The Legal Department podcast will help you level up your career.


Host Stacy Bratcher, a general counsel and chief legal officer with nearly twenty years of in-house experience, has fun and engaging conversations about legal careers within in-house legal departments. The Legal Department podcast delivers informative, relatable, and practical advice from thought leaders. As she explores topics with exceptional attorneys, c-suite executives, and other key business partners, you will gain a deeper understanding of front-page legal issues, become more familiar with the impact of today's technology on your practice, and learn to cultivate stronger relationships to position yourself as an approachable and effective legal partner.


No matter where you are in your career, The Legal Department is here to help you tackle whatever comes your way. Join Stacy in these episodes filled with inspiring stories, valuable advice, and tips to elevate your legal practice. Become an invaluable asset to your organization or law firm and establish yourself as the dependable professional they can't afford to lose. Level up your legal career with The Legal Department podcast.

Copyright 2023 | All Rights Reserved | http://legaldepartmentpod.com/
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Episodes
  • Goal Getter: The Happiness Factor Marla Persky Executive Coach, 2x GC And Independent Board Member [E86]
    Jan 27 2026

    Do you feel like you're on a hamster wheel? Or climbing a career ladder that you're not sure you want to be on? In this Goal Getter episode, Executive coach and former public company GC Marla Persky joins Stacy Bratcher to share how setting career goals that align with your "happiness factor" can help us build the career we actually want. She urges lawyers to "own their careers" and set goals that align with what makes us happy. Get off the wheel of endless achievement and build the career you want.


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    38 mins
  • Contracting In The #Creator Economy: Brittany Ratelle, Ratelle Law [E85]
    Jan 14 2026

    Is your company branching out into influencer marketing? Is your Chief Marketing Officer dying to engage with the latest TikTok sensation? Put down that red pen and prepare to approach marketing deals with a different eye. Brittany Ratelle of Ratelle Law has been representing creators for more than a decade. She's in The Legal Department to share tips on how to approach creator deals in a way that benefits your company and the creator.

    In this episode, you'll learn the difference between User Generated Content and traditional Influencer brand deals; the allocation of intellectual property rights (Spoiler Alert: your company isn't going to own the IP); how negotiating a "Creative Brief" at the outset can ensure alignment and brand consistency in the future; and resources to find market rates/terms for #Influencer deals.

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    38 mins
  • Stuck At Work? Tips To Reboot Your Career With Ellen Yang
    Dec 30 2025

    You're at a great company, with a fancy title and what seems from the outside to be exciting work. But all that glitters is not gold. No matter where you are in your career--whether you're just starting out or at the top of the career ladder, you can feel stuck.

    Ellen Yang shares advice for attorneys and managers alike on how to recognize that you (or your team) might be feeling stuck and how to break through that to find something more fulfilling. She has specific advice for senior level lawyers, deputy GCs and associate GCs, about how to fill out that resume to get GC ready.

    Ellen also did the unheard of: she returned to a law firm after more than a decade in-house. Tune in to learn about that experience and whether a return to the "dark side" is right for you. Lots of great stories and advice here to help you level-up, whatever that means to you.

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    40 mins
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