Lessons I Learned in Law

Dean Nash, Global Chief Operating Officer for Legal at Banco Santander, joins Scott Brown to share practical leadership lessons from operating at scale within one of the world’s largest legal functions.
In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Dean reflects on his move away from the traditional General Counsel path into a newly created global operations role focused on transforming a 1,700-lawyer legal organisation. His first lesson centres on identifying and leaning into your unique strengths. Rather than obsessing over weaknesses, he explains how recognising what genuinely gives you energy can unlock unexpected career opportunities and shape more fulfilling leadership paths.
Dean’s second lesson is grounded in execution: learning to create momentum and “get things done” in environments that often reward over-analysis. Drawing on experiences in early-stage fintech and global banking, he explores how in-house lawyers can think more commercially by treating legal support as a product that helps businesses grow while managing risk.
His final reflection highlights the importance of maintaining interests beyond the day job. By building perspective and protecting personal identity from becoming too tied to professional roles, he argues that lawyers can remain clearer-headed advisers and more resilient leaders.
Guest Recommendations:
Book: Good to Great by Jim Collins 
Podcast: The Tim Ferriss Show 
Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode
Executive Counsel Accelerator (ECA): https://www.cpduk.co.uk/courses/heriot-brown-executive-counsel-accelerator-eca-course 
The Lodge In-house Legal Community: https://forms.office.com/e/Pq7Uyv8xnS 
The Lodge In-house Legal Community: https://bit.ly/TheLodgebyHB 
Connect with Heriot Brown
https://heriotbrown.com/ 
Give us a follow
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·       Apple Podcast: https://lnkd.in/ea6Y4JYy
·       YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eAeMvrgz
About Heriot Brown:
At Heriot Brown, we help lawyers find fulfilment in their careers. Beyond recruitment, we foster a thriving community of in-house legal professionals who share insights, experiences, and growth opportunities.
Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Lessons I Learned in Law, leave a review, and share it with colleagues growing their careers in legal leadership.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Opening insight – Creating momentum in business 
00:56 Scott introduces Dean Nash, COO Legal at Santander 
03:00 Global legal operations role & transformation remit 
08:37 Lesson 1 – Lean into your unique selling point 
18:14 Lesson 2 – Get shit done & create commercial momentum 
21:03 Helping the business make money faster – in-house mindset 
25:52 Lesson 3 – Don’t let your identity become your job title 
30:18 Did I Say This? – leadership quotes & light-hearted debate 
32:29 AI governance, advisory roles & future of legal leadership 
35:52 Book, podcast & walk-on song reflections

Justine Campbell, Chief Legal Officer at National Grid, joins Scott Brown to share grounded leadership insights from operating at the centre of a complex, global energy business.
In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Justine reflects on what it truly means to influence at senior level in-house. She explains why the most effective lawyers focus on delivering insight rather than just information, understanding business context, stakeholder priorities and the pace at which decisions need to be made.
She also explores how strong legal leadership is built through assembling diverse, high-performing teams. From creating space for constructive challenge to investing in trusted peer networks outside the organisation, Justine shares candid reflections on how perspective shapes better judgement.
Her final lesson centres on recognising the responsibility that comes with senior legal roles. Whether advising boards, managing crises or shaping organisational integrity, she highlights why lawyers must balance technical excellence with emotional intelligence and resilience. Listeners also hear personal insights, including her early ambitions outside law and the importance she places on maintaining curiosity throughout her career.
Guest Recommendations:
Podcast: The Rest is History
Podcast: RUNA
Book: Persuasion by Jane Austen
Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode
Executive Counsel Accelerator (ECA): https://www.cpduk.co.uk/courses/heriot-brown-executive-counsel-accelerator-eca-course
The Lodge In-house Legal Community: https://forms.office.com/e/Pq7Uyv8xnS
The Lodge In-house Legal Community: https://bit.ly/TheLodgebyHB
Connect with Heriot Brown
https://heriotbrown.com/
About Heriot Brown:
At Heriot Brown, we help lawyers find fulfilment in their careers. Beyond recruitment, we foster a thriving community of in-house legal professionals who share insights, experiences, and growth opportunities.
Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Lessons I Learned in Law, leave a review, and share it with colleagues building their careers in legal leadership.
Chapters:
00:00 Opening reflection – Insight over information 
 00:48 Scott introduces Justine Campbell, CLO National Grid 
 02:35 Justine’s career journey & leadership scope 
 06:52 Lesson 1 – Insight matters more than technical brilliance 
 14:10 Building trust with stakeholders & commercial judgement 
 20:42 Lesson 2 – Leading teams through challenge and change 
 29:18 Developing future legal leaders & succession mindset 
 36:05 Lesson 3 – Owning your voice and influence 
 44:12 GC Hot or Not – Leadership visibility & career signals 
 49:30 Walk-on song, personal reflections & closing

Season 9 of Lessons I Learned in Law opens with a candid and wide-ranging conversation with Kevin Massie, Chief Legal, Risk, Governance and Compliance Officer at Imperial Brands PLC, a FTSE 30 business with 25,000+ employees globally.
Just over a year into the role, Kevin reflects on stepping into one of the UK’s most senior in-house legal positions and why the title alone doesn’t guarantee influence.
Kevin’s first lesson centres on work-life balance, but not in the traditional sense. From late-night IPO drafting as a trainee in Canada to navigating a demanding first year as GC alongside personal challenges at home, he shares why balance isn’t about rigid boundaries, it’s about building structures that allow you to flex when life demands it.
His second lesson is a pivotal leadership moment: realising that if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. Kevin explains how a near-miss on a major internal project reshaped his view of leadership, from proving individual brilliance to assembling and empowering people who think differently and better than you.
The third lesson focuses on networking without agenda. Kevin recounts how a long-standing mentor invested in a relationship with no commercial expectation, a powerful reminder that authentic connection, not transactional networking, builds a durable career.
Along the way, Kevin shares insights on succession planning, international mobility, building diverse leadership teams, and why lawyers must earn their seat at the table, it isn’t automatically granted.
About Heriot Brown:
At Heriot Brown, we help lawyers find fulfilment in their careers. Beyond recruitment, we foster a thriving community of in-house legal professionals who share insights, experiences, and growth opportunities.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network.
00:00 Genuine connection & networking mindset 
00:52 Introduction – Kevin Massie, GC Imperial Brands 
02:09 Scope of the GC role & global team structure 
05:46 Icebreaker – Farming dreams & life in the Peak District 
07:20 Lesson 1 – Work-life balance isn’t binary 
10:19 Setting boundaries & supporting junior lawyers 
12:05 International career moves – Canada to Dubai to Cape Town 
15:34 Lesson 2 – If you’re the smartest in the room, leave 
18:24 Leadership growth & building stronger teams 
21:45 Succession planning & developing future GCs 
26:43 Expanding remit – Risk, governance & board exposure 
29:30 Earning a seat at the executive table 
31:28 Lesson 3 – Networking authentically & giving back 
35:04 Spotting real relationships vs transactional networking 
37:29 GC Hot or Not – Legal conferences & business partnering 
39:55 International mobility for in-house lawyers 
41:05 US firms vs Magic Circle debate 
43:01 Walk-on song & episode wrap-up

Season 8 of Lessons I Learned in Law continues!
This week, Scott is joined by Jim Reid, Chief Legal Officer at Fortis, the $35bn North American utilities group headquartered in Newfoundland, Canada. Jim’s career shift is one many lawyers dream about but rarely execute—moving directly from partnership at leading Canadian firm Davies into his first-ever in-house role as a general counsel.
In this episode, Jim reflects on the lessons forged during nearly twenty years in private practice and the mindset required to thrive once inside the C-suite. His first lesson centres on resilience—not the glossy version, but the kind earned through long hours, unpredictable workflows, cancelled holidays, and early-career mistakes. Jim explains why resilience, more than intelligence or technical talent, is what determines who survives and progresses in the high-intensity world of transactional law.
His second lesson explores the real engine of a legal career: people. From dealing with difficult partners and stressed clients to mentoring junior lawyers, Jim explains why being respected, curious and reliable matters far more than chasing perfection. It’s people—not deal sheets—that shape the most meaningful parts of a legal career.
Jim’s final lesson is a powerful one for any lawyer eyeing the GC seat: get comfortable being uncomfortable. He recounts how stepping into an executive role required him to stop hiding behind subject-matter expertise and instead contribute to broad business decisions, even when surrounded by industry veterans. As CLO, his job is no longer to simply advise—but to decide.
Jim also discusses leading a decentralised legal structure across ten utilities, the importance of local presence in regulated markets, building credibility as a business leader, and why live music—from Canadian icons The Tragically Hip to The Lumineers—remains his favourite way to reconnect with people.
Guest Recommendations
🎧 Walk-on Song: The Tragically Hip – Canada’s most iconic band, known for storytelling, hockey references and emotional connection.
About Heriot Brown:
Heriot Brown is a leading global recruitment business specialising in the in-house legal market. We help lawyers find fulfilment in their careers by matching them with exceptional in-house opportunities, while fostering a thriving community of legal professionals who share insights, experiences, and growth.
🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Lessons I Learned in Law, leave us a review, and share it with your network.

Season 8 of Lessons I Learned in Law continues in partnership with Wordsmith AI, the legal-AI platform built for in-house teams.
This week, Scott is joined by Stephanie Lopes, Chief Legal Officer at Volt.io, the UK-based fintech scale-up powering global instant payments through open banking. Stephanie joined Volt after a decade in the tech transactions team at Bird & Bird, where she worked closely with the founders from their earliest days and even drafted Volt’s first client contract.
In this conversation—recorded just weeks before she goes on maternity leave—Stephanie reflects on her four years helping Volt grow from around 40 employees to more than 150. She shares how secondments across organisations like the Bank of England, Nestlé, and ABB shaped her understanding of what good (and not-so-good) in-house looks like, and how that experience gave her the confidence to join the business post-Series A.
Her lessons shine a light on modern, commercial in-house practice:
 the importance of clear communication, especially when working cross-functionally;
the courage to hold your values, particularly when ethical questions arise at executive level; and
embracing your role as a business leader, not just a lawyer—balancing legal judgment with product, people, and operational understanding.
Stephanie also discusses preparing her team for her upcoming leave, implementing tools like Ironclad, using AI thoughtfully (including for tone in emails), and the unexpected joy of running an Instagram-famous household of guinea pigs.
Guest Recommendations
🎧 Walk-on Song: “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World – Stephanie’s “absolute banger” for any victory lap.
🎧 Runner-up: “Blitzkrieg Bop” by Ramones.
About Heriot Brown:
Heriot Brown is a leading global recruitment business specialising in the in-house legal market. We help lawyers find fulfilment in their careers by matching them with exceptional in-house opportunities, while fostering a thriving community of legal professionals who share insights, experiences, and growth.
🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Lessons I Learned in Law, leave us a review, and share it with your network.