Contract Heroes

The Future of Smart Contracting With Kraig Conrad

In this episode, Kraig Conrad, Chief Executive Officer of NCMA (National Contract Management Association), explains the role of the NCMA as a neutral forum supporting contract management across the U.S. federal space and globally. He highlights its certifications, standards, and focus on professional development. The conversation also explores how the contract management profession has shifted from compliance-driven processes to outcome-based practices, supported by clear competencies and a common language. Kraig shares how organizations use the Contract Management Standard to improve performance, reduce risk, and identify skill gaps. He also discusses the growing impact of AI, including digital twins and automation, while emphasizing the need for cultural change. The discussion concludes with an invitation to the upcoming World Congress, a leading training event for contract management, procurement, and acquisition professionals.

Building Agile Legal Operations At Scale With Brian Powers

Everyone's talking about AI for contracts. Not everyone can actually make it work. Brian Powers, Co-Founder and CEO of Markups.ai, has a refreshingly honest take: AI is overhyped, adoption is elusive, and most teams trying to "add AI" to their contract workflows are going to struggle to show ROI. But when it's set up right — trained carefully on a client's specific workflow, integrated into the tools they already use — the results are real. We're talking up to 90% reduction in contract review time. Brian breaks down what makes contracts actually a strong use case for AI (rules-based, pattern-driven, predictable), why plugging into existing tools like Word, email, and your CLM matters more than a shiny standalone product, and what separates AI that sticks from AI that gets abandoned after the pilot. The honest truth? It's not easy. And it's too much work for most teams to figure out alone. This is a conversation worth having before you commit to your next AI vendor.

Building a Global Legal Operations Community With Anne Graue & Colin McCarthy

Legal operations is growing fast, but there's no standardized pathway for professionals entering the field. That's the gap Colin S. McCarthy and Anne Graue are working to close with Our Legal Community (OLC). On this episode, Colin and Anne share why they created OLC—a global community focused on certification, knowledge sharing, and career growth for legal ops professionals. They pair newcomers with experienced coaches who've built legal ops programs from the ground up, creating the certification standards the industry has been missing. We also talked about AI's role in legal teams, the future of in-house legal departments, and what makes OLC different from other networking groups. If you're in legal ops or thinking about starting a legal ops function, this one's worth your time.

Building Agile Legal Operations at Scale with Jessica Vander Ploeg

In this conversation, Jessica Vander Ploeg, Vice President of Legal Operations at Belron, shares her unconventional journey from interior design and market research to leading global legal teams. Now Vice President of Legal Operations at Belron, she explains how she oversees strategy, technology, and process enablement across multiple countries.  The discussion dives into practical approaches to legal tech adoption, why Belron prioritizes point solutions over complete CLM systems, and how quick wins, integration planning, and change management drive impact.  Looking ahead, Jessica reflects on the growing complexity of legal technology, the influence of AI, and why thoughtful, proactive planning is essential for the future of legal operations.

How AI Is Changing Contract Management with Nate Kostelnik

In this discussion, Nate Kostelnik, a lawyer now handling contracts and IP for the Oncology Nursing Society, explains that contract lifecycle management (CLM) isn't "dead," but is improving with AI while still relying on core components such as intake, approvals, renewals, and contract storage. He shares how AI can help with tasks such as first-pass reviews and redlining, saving time and reducing workload. Nate also discusses standard contract drafting issues and how legal teams sometimes struggle with change. He highlights the importance of giving AI a clear playbook, so it follows the organization's rules. Nate also says consultants will need to focus more on helping companies use AI, not just setting up CLM tools. His main advice for beginners is to start small, test AI on simple tasks, learn its strengths, and slowly build from there!