Contract Management Blog Articles

The highly anticipated CLOC Global Institute is just around the corner, and legal operations rockstars from around the world are preparing for an exciting and informative experience in Las Vegas.

As you gear up for this remarkable event, I’ve compiled a list of seven critical tips to help you make the most of your time at CGI 2023. Being that this is my 3^rd time at CGI, each time I learn and improvise. From networking to session planning and embracing the Vegas ambiance including evening parties, these suggestions will ensure that you have an engaging and fruitful experience.

This year has started off with an amazing in-person Legal Ops event with Consero's Corporate Legal Operations Forum that took place in Pasadena, California.  I can confidently say that the legal ops community is thriving and determined to succeed in 2023.

We had a fantastic time at the World Commerce and Contracting Americas Summit! I have been in the CLM industry for over 17 years and I still get excited for these industry events. Its always great to be in person networking with contracting professionals and knowing them over the years.

A lot happened in the two days that the summit took place. Here are some highlights: 

Malbek has reached a new milestone in our growth. After years of being remote, we have opened a new headquarters in Princeton, NJ.  And let me tell you, it's nice to finally be back in office with the flexibility to work from home. There are a few things that aren't the same over a Zoom call: the creative meetings, the coffee and snacks, throwing a dart over to a fellow Malbekian, and the actual socialization (which is much needed after two years of a pandemic 😅). 

Even though I will miss my ten-step commute to my home office in my PJs, I am excited to go to a fun and collaborative work space and be with my local-area team again. Here are a few fun facts about our new office:

To my pleasant and welcomed surprise, 2021 was an incredible year for Malbek after the intense pandemic year of 2020. A lot of things changed; however, many things remained the same. Masks have become a normal accessory like sunglasses. Sanitizer is used as much as moisturizer. Working from home continues to be the new norm. I have been to more happy hours on Zoom instead of actual bars. I spent more money on furnishing my home vs. buy any new clothing.

How Malbek is like Amazon Prime

You would have to be living under a rock to not know about Amazon Prime these days. You can order anything — from a mattress to a candle — and within two days you get it on your doorstep. You can search for what you need, figure out if it is eligible for two-day delivery, read the reviews on the product, and get it in your hands in a fraction of the time that would take you to use a different online retailer.  Instead of struggling with long delivery times like other companies, Amazon chose to listen to what people wanted and made a fast and easy way to find and get what you need. With all that said, imagine if we applied that concept to contracting. What if you can get your contracts delivered in two days or less? That sounds like a dream, right?

Well, get ready to pinch yourself because two-day contracting is absolutely a reality — with the right provider, of course.

Recently, Team Malbek India held a photography contest as a fun employee activity. They took pictures using their phone or camera devices and submitted them for the contest. Although no one on the team claimed to be a photographer, the talent evident in each of the 30 images that were submitted might say otherwise. Such amazing creativity!

To ensure that the contest was fair, I asked one of my friends, David Adams, who is an experienced photographer on the side, to judgethe pictures and help select the winner. I asked him to spend a few minutes to review the pictures, identify the winners, and give a short reason why he judged the photos the way he did.

And just like that 2020 is over. As I look back at my blog post from a year ago about our 2020 goals, one of the goals I listed was to “Travel More” and I can confidently say that we accomplished that.