Ep7 Smart Strategy for Small Legal Teams
Big ideas don’t need big budgets, just smart strategy. 💡
In this episode of Legal Light Bulbs, Verity White chats with Bec Taube, fresh from her role as General Counsel at Oxfam Australia, about how to design and run a powerful strategy day that energises your team and aligns you with the business.
You’ll discover:
Why going offsite is a game‑changer for small legal teams.
How Bec used the “Why, How, What” framework to set clear purpose and direction.
The role of surveys and feedback in uncovering your team’s true reputation.
Practical ways to bring in guest speakers, external perspectives, and team‑led sessions.
Tools like lean methods and human‑centred design to cut waste and add value.
How to keep the buzz alive after strategy day with reminders, slogans, and accountability.
From bougie coffee to high‑vis warehouse tours, Bec shows that strategy days don’t have to be stuffy, they can be inspiring, practical, and transformative.
Ready to give your legal team permission to innovate and think differently? Tune in and get the inside scoop on how to make strategy stick.
Listen Now on Spotify, Apple Podcast or Youtube
"A strategy day isn’t an indulgence for small legal teams, it’s a practical way to create alignment, build trust, and spark innovation." — Bec Taube, Former General Counsel, Oxfam Australia
In Episode 07 of Legal Lightbulbs, Verity White sits down with Bec Taube to explore how small legal teams can design and run powerful strategy days that deliver real impact. Drawing on her experience at Oxfam Australia and beyond, Bec shares practical tools and frameworks to help legal leaders energise their teams and connect more deeply with the business.
The episode begins at [00:01:00], with Bec explaining why she set up an offsite strategy day: to give her team space away from daily pressures, align on purpose, and think creatively about the future. She highlights the importance of going physically offsite, whether to a law firm, warehouse, or even a flight school, to spark fresh thinking and engagement.
At [00:06:00], Bec introduces the “Why, How, What” framework, starting with the organisation’s purpose, then the legal team’s role, and finally the practical actions needed to deliver value. She also shares how guest speakers, external perspectives, and team‑led sessions create ownership and professional development opportunities.
By [00:16:00], the focus turns to surveys and feedback. Bec explains how a simple Microsoft Forms survey revealed the gap between the team’s “brand” (how they see themselves) and their “reputation” (how the business sees them). The insights helped shape priorities and conversations for the strategy day.
From [00:20:00], Bec draws on lean methods and human‑centred design to identify waste and reimagine templates. Her team used data from their intranet to prioritise redesigning their most‑used resource, a consultancy agreement, making it clearer and more user‑friendly.
The episode wraps up at [00:26:00], with Bec sharing tips for keeping momentum alive after the day: giving out small tokens as reminders, creating team slogans, embedding strategy topics into regular meetings, and assigning responsibility for follow‑through.
In the lightning round, Bec reveals her go‑to productivity mantra (“Start less, finish more”), what she wishes in‑house lawyers better understood about their value, and her must‑read resource for contract design.
If you’re part of a small legal team, this episode will inspire you to carve out time for strategy, involve your team in new ways, and align more closely with your organisation’s goals.
#LegalLightbulbs #LegalInnovation #StrategyDay #SmallLegalTeams #InHouseLegal
Key Takeaways
Let’s recap the secrets of the after meeting email:
1. Strategy days create alignment
Taking time away from business‑as‑usual helps small teams connect with purpose and plan for the future.
2. Simple frameworks work best
The “Why, How, What” approach keeps strategy grounded, practical, and easy for everyone to follow.
3. Feedback closes the gap
Surveys reveal the difference between how legal sees itself and how the business experiences it, giving a clear path for improvement.
4. Lean and human‑centred design add value
Borrowing tools from other disciplines helps cut waste, redesign templates, and deliver business‑friendly solutions.
5. Momentum matters
Tokens, slogans, and regular check‑ins keep the energy of a strategy day alive long after the event.
5. Value is more than legal advice
In‑house lawyers prove their worth not just with contracts and memos, but through trust, relationships, and behaviour change.
Episode Highlights
Go-To Productivity Habit: Bec’s mantra “Start less, finish more” is a powerful reminder to focus deeply, finish tasks, and avoid the trap of juggling too many projects at once.
Advice for In-House Lawyers: Don’t just see yourself as a lawyer, see yourself as a business professional with deep legal expertise. Your true value lies in relationships, trust, and influencing behaviour, not just contracts and memos.
Recommended Resource: Bec swears by Create Contracts Clients Love by Verity White (yes, really!) as a practical guide for in-house teams to rethink templates and design contracts that work better for the business.
💡Legal Light Bulb Moment:
"I love working in-house so much. Permission to be and do law in really different ways was just thrilling and exciting. And I think, taking it back to our topic for the day, doing the strategy day with your team is a great way to give your team permission to innovate and be different”.
— Bec Taube, Former General Counsel, Oxfam Australia
Links
Listen Now on Spotify, Apple Podcast or Youtube
Connect with Bec!
Bec Taube: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccataube/
Connect with Verity!
Verity White: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verityw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/checklistlegal
Head to the The Checklist Boutique for access to the other templates and examples mentioned in the show.
