As the company’s only US lawyer stepping into the general counsel role, Katelyn Canning was the person everyone turned to for legal advice. She was also the person they called when a legal system needed troubleshooting.
Alongside the daily legal work, she was building the processes and technology the department needed to operate. All of it depended on her attention.
Katelyn recognized that operational expertise could change how the team worked. Through Lawtrades, she brought in a legal ops professional to take ownership of the systems and workflows — and give her more time to lead.
“Prior to my Lawtrades legal ops hire, I was the person troubleshooting all of our systems, and the go-to person for everything. After that hire, I was able to spend way more time thinking about the strategy of my company, the direction of my team, and the business's priorities.”
Katelyn Canning · General Counsel, Ocrolus
Experience that made an immediate difference
The immediate challenge was a contract-system transition. Katelyn had implemented the company’s first system herself. For the next one, she wanted someone who had done it before and could take responsibility for the work.
The transition involved more than configuring software. Training materials still described the old system. Documentation needed to live somewhere the business could easily find answers, including guidance for new tools the company was adopting.
The legal ops professional she brought in through Lawtrades had implemented both the system the company was leaving and the one it was moving to. His experience matched the work in front of her.
He built the project plan, scheduled meetings, and set up the new system with very little guidance. Regular check-ins kept Katelyn involved as he moved the implementation forward.
For a GC balancing legal work with department building, that ownership mattered. She could rely on someone who understood the tools and knew how to manage the transition.
Next time, she would bring legal ops in even earlier—while choosing the system—to draw on that practical experience before making the investment.
A thought partner for what comes next
With the processes and technology in place, Katelyn could focus on the next set of questions for her department.
How should requests come into legal? Which routine tasks could the business handle on its own? How should the team measure its work? Where do we overlay AI?
Her Lawtrades legal ops professional became a thought partner on those decisions, helping her explore what made sense for a team her size using the tools they already had.
That work reflects her vision for the team: lawyers should arrive and be handed a playbook, ready to apply their judgment and not expected to create the systems but to assimilate into them. A strong operational foundation makes each new hire better equipped to contribute.
Build the foundation, then grow the team
The experience clarified Katelyn’s approach to hiring. If she were doing it again, she would bring in legal ops as soon as possible.
“Having someone who can help you build the foundation of your workflows will make life so much easier. Then I would hire a lawyer to start to do the legal work.”
Katelyn Canning · General Counsel, Ocrolus
She describes her team as “two and a half”: herself, another lawyer, and a legal ops contractor through Lawtrades. That operational expertise has become central to how she runs the department.
What began with a contract-system transition developed into an ongoing partnership. Through Lawtrades, Katelyn brought in someone who could own implementation, help shape the team’s workflows, and support its next stage of growth.
Her decision gave the department a stronger foundation and gave her more time to focus on the company’s priorities. Legal ops is now a seat she would build into any team she leads.
“I do not know how we would operate without him. We could, but I would not be happy about it.”
Katelyn Canning · General Counsel, Ocrolus