CLOC President Steps Down to Launch Legal Tech Startup

Jenn McCarron steps down as CLOC board president after six years to launch Contracts.ai, a technology startup targeting inefficiencies between legal and finance systems that cost companies billions annually.

McCarron, former Netflix legal operations chief, served as president since January 2024 and guided the San Jose-based nonprofit's global expansion. His departure marks a significant leadership transition for the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium, which represents the leading voice in legal operations transformation.

Leadership Change

McCarron joined CLOC's board nearly six years ago and transformed the organization during his presidency. He led the hiring of Executive Director Oyango Snell in November 2024 and expanded the board's diversity criteria. Under his leadership, CLOC grew its flagship Global Institute conference held annually in Las Vegas.

The nonprofit expanded its international presence with communities in London and Australia. McCarron launched CLOC Talk podcast in 2020, which recently celebrated its 100th episode milestone.

Startup Venture

McCarron co-founded Contracts.ai with Phani Gunturu, former Google and Deloitte executive who serves as chief technology officer. The startup addresses enterprises spending billions annually on manual contract reconciliation and metadata extraction, where signed agreements remain trapped in silos.

Contracts.ai transforms static agreements into structured intelligence that powers financial systems and provides legal and finance teams a single source of truth. The post-signature intelligence market for metadata extraction and reconciliation represents a $5-10 billion opportunity with less direct competition than the $1.6-1.7 billion contract lifecycle management market.

"As I traveled to our communities in London, Australia and beyond, I realized listening is more important than talking," McCarron said. "That lesson will carry into my next venture, because the product isn't real until customers tell you what hurts, what they need and where it should go."

Succession Plans

Áine Lyons, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Workday, assumes the presidency for the remainder of McCarron's term ending December 31, 2025. Lyons founded CLOC Europe and has contributed to the organization since its 2015 formation.

CLOC Executive Director Oyango Snell praised McCarron's impact: "Jenn is a visionary leader whose energy, passion, and commitment have left an indelible mark on CLOC and the broader legal ecosystem. Her leadership has elevated the profession worldwide."

The board plans to elect new members through a comprehensive nomination and interview process. Lyons will modernize governance policies and enhance member value globally.

Future Direction

McCarron advanced diversity and inclusion initiatives during his tenure while expanding digital transformation resources. He championed legal operations at the intersection of business and law throughout his leadership.

"Serving CLOC has been the greatest honor of my career," McCarron said. "This community has elevated the practice of legal operations, redefined how legal teams partner with the business and, on a personal note, shaped me as an innovator."

The leadership transition occurs as CLOC continues expanding its global membership across different roles and geographic regions.

About CLOC

CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium) leads legal operations transformation as a global community committed to excellence, collaboration, and innovation in law practice. The 501(c)(6) member-driven professional association connects legal operations professionals worldwide through conferences, resources, and networking opportunities.

About Contracts.ai

Contracts.ai is a technology startup co-founded by Jenn McCarron and Phani Gunturu that transforms static agreements into structured intelligence. The platform extracts metadata and enables contract reconciliation, targeting the $5-10 billion post-signature intelligence market. The company focuses on providing legal and finance teams with automated contract data that integrates with existing business systems.