Tom Stephenson began his career as a paralegal at law firms, handling matters related to corporate finance and employment law.
He then transitioned into legal operations, working his way up legal ops leadership positions at Teladoc Health and the personal finance company Credit Karma.
Stephenson hopes to bring his career journey to bear in his newest role as the vice president of community and legal operations at Legal.io, an online platform connecting legal talent with corporate clients such as Zoom and Nextdoor.
“I'm aiming to inspire the next generation of legal professionals and to show them that there's multiple paths to success in this industry,” Stephenson told Legal Dive.
Growing the network
Legal.io’s talent pool is made up of more than 2,500 professionals who serve in either permanent or temporary roles at legal departments and law firms.
Thousands more regularly engage with the platform, including a high percentage who actively or casually explore new opportunities, Stephenson said.
Some of these professionals are lawyers, while others are legal operations specialists or serve in various legal professional roles.
Stephenson has firsthand experience of how these experienced professionals can effectively assist Legal.io’s corporate clients.
During his two years at Credit Karma, the company’s legal department turned to Legal.io to support in-house roles ranging from legal ops to commercial counsel to privacy counsel.
Stephenson said one of his primary goals is to help Legal.io grow its talent network and continue to welcome a wide array of legal professionals.
“That diversity strengthens our community and gives us this broader understanding to drive us towards more equitable and inclusive legal practices,” he said.
Building community
Another priority for Stephenson in his new Legal.io role is strengthening the ties between the legal professionals it serves.
One way the platform is working to advance that goal and expand its reach is through a roadshow tour in which company leaders are visiting different parts of the country.
Locations Legal.io has already visited include New York City and Chicago, with Los Angeles and Dallas among other planned stops in the months to come.
Legal.io, which raised $11.6 million in its Series A round last year, also helps build connections among its network of legal professionals through an in-house Slack community that it manages.
Stephenson said more than 2,000 dedicated members on Slack discuss topics ranging from careers to legal software.
“This space facilitates real-time collaboration and knowledge sharing, fostering a sense of camaraderie among legal professionals across the globe,” he said.
Salary data
As part of its commitment to knowledge sharing, Legal.io recently released a new salary tool for legal professionals.
The technology provides anonymized data about compensation for legal professionals with various titles and years of experience in different parts of the country.
Users of the tool can examine the base pay, stock and bonus they could potentially receive for specific positions such as a senior corporate counsel in Michigan or legal operations manager in Connecticut.
The salary tool is constantly updated as more professionals provide their own compensation information.
“By illuminating the often hidden aspects of compensation, our salary tool will hopefully empower our community of professionals to make strategic choices for their careers and their teams,” Stephenson said.
He and Legal.io also have emphasized that salary transparency promotes equity and inclusion in the legal industry.
As for Legal.io’s clients, they could potentially use the platform’s salary tool to conduct budget planning and to ensure their compensation aligns with industry standards, according to Stephenson.
“It also assists in establishing new roles within in-house teams, offering real-time data points for setting realistic salary bands,” Stephenson said. “Through this transparency, we’re equipping in-house legal teams with the knowledge to attract and maintain the highest caliber of talent.”
