I recently sat down for a fireside chat with Yousuf Khan at Ridge Ventures. Let me tell you a few things about Yousuf—he’s not just a successful leader and VC; he embodies the growth mindset in everything he does. That mindset drives his ability to inspire others, lead with clarity, and build lasting companies. I’m lucky to call him a friend. He’ll join me on the podcast soon to share more about his story and approach to navigating today’s fast-changing landscape in AI, Legal tech, and beyond.
Today, I’m reflecting on a story I never imagined would be mine—transitioning from a successful legal career in the UK to founding Level 7 Legal, my coaching and consulting company.
After becoming a partner at a top law firm before age 30, I realized that despite my outward success, I felt the same burnout, frustration, and lack of inspiration and purpose many legal professionals face today.
I knew the industry needed change.
I set about changing it.
I saw technology transforming legal.
But technology alone wasn’t the answer.
So, I built a coaching practice that goes beyond tools and tactics. We focus on the human side of legal teams, helping them navigate the pressure and thrive in a tech-driven world. And we’re gearing up for our next chapter: Custom LegalEd Programs for Elite Legal Teams 2025.
It’s been a journey of transformation, growth, and unlearning—and I can’t wait to share what’s next.
You have a unique journey. What led you from traditional law practice to founding your legal coaching business?
I’m Charlotte Smith, Founder of Level 7, a former lawyer, Executive Coach, and mom of two. I never imagined I’d be here saying those words.
My journey in law started in the UK at a top-tier firm, where I became a partner before I turned 30. But as much as I accomplished, I felt the same pressure, burnout, and frustration many legal professionals experience. But here's the thing - it wasn't just me. Countless companies and legal professionals are grappling with these issues right now. Whether you're part of an in-house team, a big firm, or a fractional firm, the challenges are universal.
Like many of you, I was drawn to law for the promise of success. But the reality of long hours, constant demands, and an unsustainable work-life balance led me to realize that the traditional ways weren’t working. I had a unique vantage point when I moved to Silicon Valley: two different countries. I witnessed how technology and AI were reshaping industries, and I knew the law would have to change, too. Technology is excellent, but it’s not the whole picture. Legal teams need more than just new tools—authentic leadership and support. That’s why I founded Level 7 Legal, where we focus on coaching, workshops, and custom professional development programs to help legal leaders and teams thrive in today’s fast-changing world.
I understand the weight of leading a legal team because I’ve been there. Even with a powerful vision, no one trains you to be a leader. Building a healthy team culture takes time, strategy, and a lot of effort. I’ve seen firsthand how legal professionals struggle to manage their teams while also breaking free from the unhealthy mindsets ingrained in the industry.
Take, for example, a General Counsel I worked with at a fast-growing company. They’d invested in tech and other tools but were still burning out, and their team wasn’t thriving. We introduced coaching programs focused on resilience and team culture, and within six months, productivity increased by 20%, team morale surged, and attrition was reduced. What sets me apart is that I’ve spent years in the trenches of the legal world. I know the grind, the pressure, and the incredible satisfaction when things click into place. I’ve coached leaders from elite law firms and top tech companies, helping them break free from outdated practices and build thriving energized teams.
At Level 7, we’re not just reacting to change; we’re shaping the future of law. Through coaching, workshops, and professional development programs, we help legal teams embrace technology and lead with humanity. Legal professionals can have fulfilling careers and balanced lives. We’re just getting started.
What is coaching, and how can it help legal teams?
Legal leaders today face more pressure than ever before—burnout, turnover, and restructuring are at an all-time high. Without the proper support, these challenges can break even the strongest teams. For example, turnover rates for mid-level professionals are as high as 25% (Thomson Reuters).
Think of top athletes—not just their talent that keeps them performing at their peak. They rely on coaching to manage stress, build resilience, and push through mental barriers. Legal professionals face similar challenges, but they often lack this structured support.
I’ve seen many high-performing leaders struggle with not feeling good enough, fear of failure, and eventually burning out. As a lawyer myself, I experienced this. That’s why I created my business: to help legal professionals overcome these unnecessary obstacles and thrive.
For example, I recently worked with a CLO who brought me in to coach her VP, after a significant restructuring left morale low. The VP was finding it hard to delegate. Together, we uncovered that her fear of failure was holding her back. She was calm in crises, making her an amazing VP, but found it hard to trust her team day-to-day. Through coaching, we worked on shifting her mindset and building emotional intelligence, which helped her start delegating effectively.
The result? A more confident leader who delegated effectively improved team morale and saw productivity rise—all because of targeted coaching. In fact, teams that invest in coaching and development have seen up to a 23% reduction in attrition (CLOC Research). It’s about more than solving immediate problems—it’s about building long-term success and resilience.
Legal can be seen as a cost center. Why do legal teams not pay for coaching for their people? What patterns have you seen?
Legal teams are often viewed as cost centers because they don’t directly generate revenue. This makes it challenging to justify budgets for coaching. Most legal teams get access to generic coaching programs through HR, like BetterUp. But they don’t work. If I could have a $ for every time someone has explained that to me. While those services might work for other industries, they don’t address the specific challenges of the legal field.
Legal departments are among the highest-paid teams because they prevent risk and help the business make smarter decisions. But too often, the focus is only on managing costs or investing in tech as a quick fix. A recent Gartner report shows that 72% of GCs invest in tech but only 4% in people development. It’s a dangerous imbalance. Technology is essential, but the full potential can’t be unlocked without investing in your people.
For me, this shift is deeply personal. It’s about looking through a humanity lens—helping people reach their full potential and being a force for good in the world. Tech is changing the future of work, but it’s people who, with the right support, will genuinely thrive. I’ve seen so many professionals burdened by the past who, with coaching, can unlock their potential and lead fulfilling lives.
This is why we’re shifting from traditional HR to a focus on Human Capital. The SEC now requires reporting on Human Capital, signaling to investors that investing in people is not just a ‘nice-to-have’ but critical for compliance and sustainable growth.
One of the most common issues I see when legal professionals struggle, underperform, or leave is that they don’t feel supported. Coaching changes that. It’s life-changing for the individual and makes leadership smoother for the General Counsel because they’re working with happy, supported, and fulfilled people.
At Dapper Labs, we delivered a custom workshop program to help the legal team handle the pressure of scaling and adopting new technology. This program gave the team the tools and mindset needed to feel supported, adapt to change, and thrive in their roles. This is the tailored, legal-specific coaching that makes a tangible difference in performance.
We worked with Luke: He’s an M&A lawyer, has a newborn, and is struggling to manage his caseload and adapt to new tech. After receiving feedback that he wasn’t performing, he became anxious and stressed, even considering leaving. Through coaching, we created a space where he saw the transformation in the department, not as further burden but as an opportunity. He learned to manage his energy, set boundaries, implement the techand communicate his needs. The result? His performance improved, and he developed the soft skills to thrive in a high-paced enviroment.
You emphasize soft skills, like resilience and adaptability- why are they needed in high-pressure/high-growth environments?
Having coached many lawyers and leaders, I’ve seen self-doubt as a powerful driver, especially among high achievers. As someone who has dealt with self-doubt myself, I know how deeply it can ripple into every area of life. Uncovering how these patterns hold us back has been a lifelong journey, and I want to help others heal from this and thrive.
Self-doubt often leads people to overwork, stay stuck in roles that don’t fulfill them, or maintain the status quo. While their drive leads to success, it can also create negative impacts on leadership, culture, and even tech implementation. It lowers motivation and morale. It’s at the root of much of my coaching work.
Take Jessica, a new General Counsel with an impressive resume. Despite her success, she feels the pressure of her new role and constantly fears being ‘found out.’ That self-doubt holds her back from fully stepping into her leadership.
Our workshops help professionals recognize and reframe these patterns. We teach them to shift from a fixed mindset, where failure feels like a setback, to a growth mindset, where failure becomes a learning opportunity. They develop the emotional intelligence to recognize and manage these behaviors, making them more resilient and adaptable in their roles.
For leaders, managing mindset is crucial. When teams can manage self-doubt, leaders benefit from more emotionally intelligent, resilient teams that thrive under pressure. Shifting to a growth mindset empowers teams to face challenges with curiosity instead of fear.
Through coaching and workshops, we help professionals turn self-doubt into an asset, preparing them for success in their careers and lives. My goal is to create transformational change across the board so more legal professionals can feel fulfilled and happy in their work.
AI in Legal. What trends have you seen? Why is technology great, but it is not the full picture?
The latest Gartner report highlights a striking trend: 72% of legal teams invest in generative AI and other cutting-edge technologies, yet only 4% prioritize training and development for their people. This imbalance reflects a familiar blind spot—legal teams are betting on technology to solve efficiency issues while overlooking the human element crucial for long-term success.
Generative AI and other tech innovations are transforming legal operations, reducing time spent on document review and research tasks. But while technology can increase efficiency, it doesn’t solve everything. Too many teams struggle with low morale after new tech rollouts because the human side was overlooked. Tech doesn’t address core challenges like team morale, resistance to change, or burnout. Without resilience, adaptability, and emotional intelligence, even the most advanced tools won’t deliver their full potential.
As we head into 2024, the thriving legal teams will balance tech investments with people development. It’s not just about implementing new tools—it’s about ensuring legal professionals have the mindset and skills to use them effectively.
Our workshops and coaching programs bridge this gap.
We track critical metrics, such as the Team Morale Index, Change Resistance Score, and Tech Adoption Rate, to measure the performance of people and technology.
For instance, while AI may automate specific tasks, efficiency gains are lost if morale is low or there’s resistance to adopting the new tech. Through coaching, we help teams build the resilience and adaptability they need to embrace change and thrive under pressure.
The key to optimizing legal in 2024 is balance: investing in AI and tech is crucial, but investing in your people is equally important.
With only 4% of resources going to training and development, budgets for development lay outside of legal, and many legal teams are missing out on untapped potential. By combining targeted workshops and coaching, we help legal teams improve performance, foster innovation, and increase creativity by as much as 25%. This is a significant ROI, when considering loss of knowledge, headcount etc.
I’ve seen firsthand how how investing in people, takes legal from survive to thrive.
As legal teams look to the future, the question isn’t just “What tech should we invest in?” but also “How can we equip our people to succeed alongside that tech?”
Legal is at a crossroads.
Technology alone isn’t the answer.
We can redefine what's possible with the right blend of innovation and people development.
Here’s where we go next:
We will focus on high-impact coaching and workshops that equip legal leaders to manage change, overcome burnout, and build resilient teams.
Away Days & Offsites. For Bay Area Teams Q4 through 2025, reach out for our Redwood Trees Experience or Immersive Vision Lunch like the one below, which we held at Pebble Beach. We also have programming for a LegalTransformation Think Tank that is perfect for larger legal teams, investing in a multiday offsite.
We’ll be building & delivering custom Legal Ed Programs, creating tech-enabled cutting-edge programs to prepare elite legal teams for the challenges of 2025 and beyond.
I’m excited to share this journey with you. Together, we can shape the future of legal—Because when legal professionals thrive, they empower their organizations to succeed too.