- , "Corporate teams are being challenged to combine 'legal' and 'operations' into a single, cohesive, modern legal function. FLEX lawyers should play a critical role in this AI-fueled transformation.", Jay is a technology attorney with extensive experience advising companies on privacy, compliance, litigation management, operations, and legal technology, including AI/ML. He has worked with start-ups to public companies and led legal teams with an eye toward efficiency, scalability, and cost reduction. FLEX clients benefit from Jay's deep legal and operational skillset.
- , “FLEX gives me access to interesting, cutting-edge work from great clients, while allowing me flexibility in how I structure my work week. The FLEX team is smart, friendly, and easy to work with. It’s been a great experience.”, Drew Ellsworth began his career as an IP-focused litigator at an Am Law 100 firm before moving in-house to the SaaS start-up GuideSpark. As the first in-house attorney, he broadened the scope of his practice to include technology transactions and a wide range of other practice areas. From there, he moved to Yelp where he was the primary attorney supporting Yelp Reservations across commercial,…
- , "I'm energized by solving complex and novel legal issues to help businesses achieve big things. FLEX by Fenwick is great because it connects me with some great clients who have important needs--whether for the short, medium, or long-term--and sets me up to succeed in delivering that help and adding value quickly.", Patrick brings deep experience from both BigLaw lawyering and being in-house legal leader, helping tech companies scale with confidence. After starting his career in M&A at Kirkland & Ellis, he joined Amazon to support e-commerce/technology clients. There, Patrick delivered results in commercial deals (like logistics partnerships and marketing programs) and leading teams to support…
- , "I joined the FLEX network to pursue engaging, meaningful legal work while balancing life as a parent to two young children.", Hailey is a strategic corporate attorney with extensive experience advising senior executives and board members on a wide range of legal matters, including complex commercial and corporate transactions. Across her roles at Verily, a fintech startup Gluwa, and earlier in her career as a big law associate, Hailey developed deep corporate and commercial experience that our clients rely on.
- When it comes to the hiring process, a candidate's skills are a focal point. But what kind of skills matter most - hard skills or soft skills? Hard skills are tangible, measurable abilities such as industry knowledge or proficiency in a particular task. They reflect the candidate's past responsibilities and their capacity to execute duties. Soft skills are more intangible interpersonal attributes…
- AI is changing the world of legal operations as was apparent at Corporate Legal Operations Consortium’s (CLOC) annual meeting in May 2025. AI stole the showroom and stage as the leading topic of conversation among vendors, legal operations teams, and presenters. With the consistent flow of new AI tools and innovation in the legal operations space, legal professionals are asked to evaluate and…
- , "FLEX provides me with an opportunity to assist a variety of clients who are counting on internal counsel to provide timely, reliable service and guidance to their business and legal teams. Not only am I able to gain exposure to unique business models, technologies and legal teams, but the client is able to take comfort that, as a FLEX attorney, I have the background and skills necessary to…, Dusty is an in-house counsel with significant experience in commercial agreements and product counseling. He offers a deep background in corporate, securities, and commercial law from his early career beginning at Kirkland & Ellis through private practice and in-house roles. His broad industry experience across healthcare, life sciences, services, and technology has proven to be an asset to…
- , "FLEX has been a wonderful opportunity for Lauren to explore the myriad of issues that come up in daily in-house life while advising companies on the employment and corporate compliance side in technology and other industries. She looks forward to continuing to work with FLEX to contribute to the work of the many interesting companies that the FLEX program partners with.", Lauren is an experienced employment and corporate counsel with a deep background advising companies in technology and other industries on a range of matters, including executive compensation, employment, labor, corporate formation and governance, benefits, and ERISA. Through her career in private practice with leading law firms, Lauren represented private and public companies on matters related…
- The rise of artificial intelligence has sparked a wave of transformation across the legal industry. From contract analysis to legal research, AI tools are handling tasks that once consumed hours of a lawyer’s time. In some corners, this has led to speculation that legal departments will soon be lean, automated machines. But here’s the truth: even in a world of highly capable legal AI, in-house…, Ethical and Strategic Accountability Can’t Be Outsourced, Every legal decision exists in a landscape of risk and responsibility, and AI doesn’t bear the weight of fiduciary duties, professional ethics, or reputational consequences. When something goes wrong, AI doesn’t answer to regulators, stakeholders, or the press. Humans do. That accountability and responsibility is what gives in-house lawyers their voice at the table—and their authority to make the…, AI Handles Tasks, Humans Handle Judgment, AI can highlight a risky indemnification clause, suggest redlines, or summarize a complex contract. But it can’t decide how much risk is acceptable given your company’s strategic goals, market position, or appetite for confrontation. In-house lawyers bring more than legal know-how. They bring judgment: the ability to weigh competing priorities, read between the lines, and make decisions in…, Trust Is a Human Currency, In-house lawyers are often among the most trusted advisors within a company. They understand the business beyond the black-and-white of the legal code. They know the players, the backstory, and the internal politics. When a crisis hits—or a sensitive issue bubbles up—executives don’t turn to a dashboard. They turn to someone they trust. AI might generate a summary, but it won’t earn your CFO’s…, The Future Is Human And Machine, AI isn’t replacing in-house legal teams. It’s reshaping how they work—and freeing them up to focus on what they do best. Alternative legal services providers (ALSPs) like FLEX are leading the way in combining human expertise with AI efficiency. Our lawyers bring years of expertise across industries, including an ever-increasing amount of experience with AI-related laws, regulations, issues, and…
- Notification of Copyright Infringement: Fenwick and West LLP (“, Fenwick, ”) respects copyright law and expects its users to do the same. It is Fenwick’s policy to terminate in appropriate circumstances the accounts of users who repeatedly infringe or are believed to be repeatedly infringing the rights of copyright holders. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, the text of which may be found on the U.S. Copyright Office website at, http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf, , Fenwick will respond expeditiously to claims of copyright infringement committed using the Flex by Fenwick website (the “, Site, ”) that are reported to Fenwick’s Designated Copyright Agent, identified in the sample notice below. If you are a copyright owner, or are authorized to act on behalf of one, or authorized to act under any exclusive right under copyright, please report alleged copyright infringements taking place on or through the Site by completing the following DMCA Notice of Alleged Infringement and delivering…, DMCA Notice of Alleged Infringement (“Notice”), Identify the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed, or – if multiple copyrighted works are covered by this Notice – you may provide a representative list of the copyrighted works that you claim have been infringed. Identify (i) the material that you claim is infringing (or to be the subject of infringing activity) and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and…, Fenwick and West LLP, 555 California St. San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 875-2401