Most legal chiefs are working to have their departments operate more like businesses and demonstrate concrete value to executives at their organizations.

Citi’s efforts in this regard include hiring a director of innovation, Christina Wojcik, who evaluates the global legal department’s technology needs and identifies opportunities for process improvements that would benefit both the legal team and the broader business.

Elastic Chief Legal Officer Carolyn Herzog said she has worked to identify personnel gaps that could be filled in a way that would support key company priorities.

Other legal departments at companies large and small have turned to flexible outside talent providers, such as Axiom and Lawtrades, to complete key projects at less expense than adding headcount or retaining high-priced law firms. Many of these platforms not only offer access to attorneys, but also members of the growing legal operations profession.

Mary O’Carroll, the former head of legal operations at Google, penned some columns for Legal Dive this year that offer advice for legal chiefs creating legal ops teams, including the key skills to look for when hiring. 

Tim Parilla, chief legal officer at LinkSquares, shared why he values employees who bring humility to the table.

Once new team members are on board, GCs typically aim to provide professional development opportunities to position their employees for long-term success and to assist with succession planning.

For example, Prudential General Counsel Ann Kappler said she encourages legal team members to pursue a mix of opportunities within the company so they can learn about new areas of the law and different parts of the Fortune 500 business.

We hope the 10 stories listed below offer useful information for legal leaders who are building out their legal departments and looking for ways to help employees advance their careers.