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.

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