From Stephan James To Bülow Meet This Year’s Rising Stars

By MC Staff

Discover, License, Don't Repeat

Source: According to a recent study by IT and business automation company Redwood Software, about 25 percent of most employees’ time worldwide is spent on repetitive tasks. That knowledge, combined with her training as an engineer, has driven Meredith McKenzie to look for ways to reduce repetition at Juniper Networks, a Fortune 1000 global designer and seller of networking equipment. McKenzie earned an electrical engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and landed a job at Intel as a microprocessor design engineer after graduation. At the time, Intel had a program to help its engineers go to law school while working in its legal department. Now deputy general counsel at Juniper Networks, her engineering background lends a unique perspective to solving the bottlenecks and inefficiency that can needlessly slow down progress. One of her responsibilities is to oversee intellectual property and product support, including inbound technology licensing, which covers instances in which Juniper must integrate technology from another company into one of its products. This was the first area in which she saw opportunity for improvement. “It’s easy to create templates and standard processes for some legal documents like nondisclosure agreements (NDAs)”—which, in Juniper’s case, are generally designed to protect its proprietary technology from third parties—“and real estate leases,” she says, “but inbound technology licensing is much more complex and has issues that can change from case to case.” Inbound licensing deals tend to be highly negotiated and are more likely to vary from deal to deal. This is because each deal is specialized to reflect specific technology, including its particular purpose and usage, plus each company supplying technology has a different business model for licensing its technology. It is not uncommon for companies to improve their patent program process, nor is it uncommon to have standard clauses or a list of alternative clauses for various types of licenses. Juniper is no different. But, says McKenzie, the clauses did not provide guidance on their interaction with other clauses. This left negotiators without additional knowledge to negotiate as a whole, rather than one clause at a time. McKenzie’s nine-person team (including seven lawyers) discovered a group of clauses and definitions in most licensing agreements that tend to be repeatedly disputed and often interact in unique ways with other clauses, so they created a template that lists various options for each, essentially ending up with a multiple-choice framework. For instance, a variety of choices are provided for describing the “limitation of liability” clause along with possible interactions with other clauses and how those should be amended accordingly. The attorneys are, thus, able to provide guidance to the users regarding the alternatives and how they may interact with other parts of the document. “This has given the whole process a lot more consistency—no matter which business units are involved—while still giving the internal clients some freedom of choice,” says McKenzie. “It helps people in the company understand why we need certain language in these agreements.” It’s also enabled her to utilize the services of some of her lower-level attorneys. McKenzie calls this new document the “licensing playbook” and intends to create similar templates for other common legal transactions. All of them will be dynamic (they will be tweaked as users and situations demand). Studies show that templates streamline workflows and ensure nothing essential is missed. McKenzie agrees: “These documents will enable us to capture institutional knowledge and reflect things we’ve learned. No one person can remember everything. The playbooks will allow us to add things that we learn, so the next person can benefit from the previous person’s experience and avoid the need to ‘recreate the wheel’ or repeat knowledge-gathering.” McKenzie is further streamlining processes through her redesign of the company’s e-discovery process. The company used to treat every case separately, McKenzie says. There can be a lot of overlap in e-discovery. Rather than gather the same information twice, she’s set up a central repository for all e-discovery-related material, so it is more easily searchable and recoverable. McKenzie has assigned one person, a litigation paralegal, to be the gatekeeper or central point person to help people obtain what they need when they need it. McKenzie’s team is tackling process improvement one IP area at a time. Now that they have made headway in this area, she says, improving litigation is next on the list.

Warrior Mentality & Southern Charm

Source: Tracy Preston remembers watching Perry Mason with her babysitter. Though she didn’t have a full appreciation for what Mason did at such a young age, she found the show fascinating. She followed that fascination to Neiman Marcus, where today she is senior vice president and general counsel. Her unique perspective as a woman of color and her diverse legal background give her an edge in the industry. It all started with her Southern upbringing in Virginia. As she was growing up, Preston’s family instilled in her the values of teamwork and leadership. Her parents were both teachers with strong work ethics, so Preston always pushed herself. She challenged herself throughout high school in tennis, cheerleading, basketball, honors programs, student government, and academics. She was valedictorian of her class. She remembers spending summers with her grandparents and watching them support voting rights by working the precincts. Her grandfather was a stalwart champion of representation and one of her earliest mentors. Following in the footsteps of her grandparents, Preston involved herself in civil rights and pro bono work after studying law and moving to San Francisco. It was her way to give back to the community. She worked in pro bono clinics on cases ranging from landlord issues to child custody concerns. Additionally, she volunteered at a program for at-risk children and assisted the homeless in finding shelter. “At its best, the law provides protection to the innocent and can be a powerful platform to help people,” she says. “I enjoy helping and giving back to others and giving them a voice.” She recalls a taxi driver she encountered through the program who became homeless. Preston worked with him to complete his requirements and paperwork and obtain the funds to get his license back, giving him the opportunity to take care of his family. As a member of more than one minority group, Preston values diversity. For her, any underrepresented individual brings dimensionality to a professional team. She sees this as reflective and necessary in the multicultural, global landscape. “Educational expertise is one thing you bring to the table, but your life story and experiences are just as important,” says Preston. “I think it’s relevant that the next generation has a broader scope of role models.” She hopes to inspire other women of color in roles like hers, as well as young girls. “You can’t be what you can’t see,” she adds. “Everyone has a story. That story will often inspire someone else. It gives permission to the next generation to express their talent in a productive way.” Preston tells other women to experience life outside of the office. Personal passions and relationships add to success because they add dimension and value to contributions and leadership. This is where her love for travel, interest in other cultures, and passion for dance and the arts has contributed to her professional success. Whether going on a safari, training for a half marathon, or performing in a dance recital, each personal interest has also provided opportunities to strengthen her discipline, teamwork, leadership, and flexibility, as well as discover new insights about her profession. When asked if she has any advice for other women aspiring in her industry, Preston insists, “Don’t be discouraged by the setbacks, and don’t take things or feedback personally.” It’s important to learn from failures and quickly reengage. In time, patterns emerge, and it’s valuable to listen to what people are saying about you and your team, she says—not only in the areas that resonate, but also where you may feel uncomfortable. “Feedback is the breakfast of champions,” Preston adds. “It shines a light on blind spots, corrects technique, and can immeasurably improve performance.” Modern Counsel: What effect do you hope your presence and perspective has on Neiman Marcus? Tracy Preston: I try to create workability. What I mean by that is, people often evaluate something as good or bad, pass or fail. Workability is more inclusive. It’s a broader perspective. It’s choosing from what works and altering what doesn’t. Given my experience working at different law firms and in house, I have been involved in broad spectra of the law, including employment, litigation, governance, and compliance. I think I’m quite tenacious, and I like to assume positive intent and take in all viewpoints. I think generally in any litigation, negotiation or proposal, people are doing their best to get some need met. While there may be disagreement on the strategy, seeking to understand the underlying motivations can go a long way to crafting an amenable solution. Modern Counsel: What does a typical day look like for you? Tracy Preston: I’m often quickly moving around from one business issue and legal discipline to the other and playing in numerous “sandboxes.” I enjoy working for Neiman Marcus because no two days are the same. Even planned days don’t necessarily go the way you could hope. I have a litigation background, and I think people who have that in their background tend to like the adrenaline kick you get when your day isn’t planned. It keeps you on your toes. In my role, I have to be a chief issue-spotter and know where to go to get the information. Adaptability and flexibility are a huge part of my role, but that’s exciting for me. MC: In your first nine months with Neiman Marcus, you worked on an IPO that ended up being a private equity sale of the company. What perspective did you bring to that process? TP: It was a combination of things: the immediacy of the project, a forward-thinking company, being blessed with a diverse group of incredibly talented leaders at Neiman Marcus—plus working with a fantastic team. I love a challenge, new things, and being fully engaged. I think all those things occurred in the first nine months. It really pushed me and required immediate engagement with my new colleagues from my team and others. It was not only about taking the leadership role and doing good work, but really hitting the ground running. I didn’t have the time to learn the nuances. I had to integrate. I love working in the paradigm of defying the odds. At that time, it was all about learning many things at once and just diving in. MC: What’s your strategy for finding and handling new legal issues? TP: I’m not in the practice of forging new ground or creating new law. I try to understand and manage the nuances and react to change. Unfortunately, the law hasn’t caught up in a lot of areas—for example, in the area of technology. We have to figure out how to stay ahead and understand in those areas where the law isn’t defined. You must be a strategic business advisor who has a legal background, but not a legal predisposition. You have to analyze the law, try to figure out how it is evolving, and engage in risk management and allocation on the particular business issue. It’s not always black or white. Most of the time, you’re navigating the gray. MC: How does your perspective as a woman of color impact a company? TP: Let me give you an example from my past. Two employees who were close friends were sending e-mails back and forth. The conversation was pulled and reported to their entire company, which led to their suspension. The two employees were talking about things within their own culture, but people who were not of that minority group read it and took it out of context and found it inappropriate and offensive. After an investigation into the matter, they were eventually “rehired” into the company, given that the facts were not as had been portrayed. I think in that instance, without my background or experience, it may have gone differently.

Waking up to great hairstyles is such a great feeling. It is like doing up your hair while you sleep, literally. Fortunately, there are some no-heat hairstyles, which won’t do any damage to your hair (that sometimes happen with heat) and are the best handy solution. The Christmas countdown is officially on! And how do we know? Because the Marks & Spencer Christmas advert has just hit screen. And the star is a certain Holly Willoughby – and her enviable wardrobe. We can’t stop thinking about the fabulous purple coat that she wears during the ad – which is FINALLY available to purchase now.

Although it was released in store earlier this month, you can now purchase it online for £89. The single-breasted design has already proved a massive hit on Instagram, due to not only the gorgeous wide lapels, the on-trend, oversize fit and super cosy wool texture – but also the fact that Vogue Williams, Holly and fashion blogger Erica Davies have all rocked it. Now if you don’t know who Erica Davies is – let us enlighten you. Erica is a huge fashion influencer and has always been a big fan of M&S, having single-handedly made THAT starry-print constellation dress a sellout last year.

Speaking about how to style the purple coat of dreams, the chic mother-of-two advised: “Do not fear the purple hue. It works SO WELL with navy blue, bright yellow (yes really), orange or red AND emerald green. It’s a completely useful shade if you want to inject some colour into your life. And who doesn’t want that? We couldn’t agree more, E.

Second earth deep abundantly winged appear air can’t earth

She added: “I used to feel like I could only wear a certain type of clothing and I think sometimes you just get stuck in a bit of a rut and wear the same thing over and over again and you create rules for yourself, you think ‘ooh I can’t wear trousers because I’ve got a big bum’ and you create some sort of rule book of your own and sometimes you’ve just got to go ‘right, I’m going to tear up that rule book and I’m going to experiment or I’m going to find my trouser, or I’m going to find my V-neck top or I’m going to find the place that does the perfect T-shirt’. It’s about finding the right things.”

“Anyone can get dressed up and glamorous, but it is how people dress in their days off that are the most intriguing.”

Ali, who gave birth to the couple’s baby daughter Isla in September, looked gorgeous in a black maxi dress that featured an off-the-shoulder neckline. Holly was also her typically stylish self, wearing a white summer dress, while Scarlett looked lovely in a zebra-print number.

MIDDLETON’S BABY’S NAME REVEALED

The gang, who were joined by their other female friends and I’m a Celeb co-host Dec, appeared to be in high spirits as they were pictured chatting and laughing. It’s all go-go-go for the cast as I’m a Celeb returns on Sunday night. This year’s celebrity campmates are expected to be revealed the day before but the various star sightings at Brisbane Airport have already given the game away.

Presenters Holly and Dec have also been drumming up excitement over on their social media accounts.
The This Morning star shared a photo of the pair on Instagram.
Holly and I are looking forward to welcoming you to Australia next Sunday night.

There’s only a week to go before I’m a Celebrity returns to screens, and ahead of the launch, show’s leading ladies have been enjoying some downtime together. Presenter Holly Willoughby, who has stepped in for Ant McPartlin this year, was pictured having a laugh with Scarlett Moffatt, who co-hosts the spin-off show, I’m a Celebrity: Extra Camp. The TV stars were joined by Declan Donnelly’s wife Ali Astall on their day out in New South Wales, Australia.

Photographed in a suitably verdant setting alongside her co-presenter, Holly looked ready to take on anything with a retro Cowgirl-esque outfit. Dressed in the supercool Danish brand Ganni, a.k.a the go-to designer for influencers worldwide, Holly wore the ultra cute ‘Salvia’ suede mini skirt in dark camel with frill detailing that buttoned all the way up at the front.

Via: Attacking Bill McRaven

Source: Fashion