Spiwe L. Jefferson

Division General Counsel, ELSE at ABB

Spiwe Jefferson leads global legal and integrity functions across international operations for ABB’s Electrification Service division. A sought-after speaker and thought leader on AI enterprise adoption, she has achieved over 710 hours (18 weeks) of AI-driven efficiency gains on one platform alone. Spiwe authors the Mindful in 5 book series and podcast, providing leaders with actionable strategies for resilience and growth.

My Articles

Skills and Professional Development

From Layoff to Launch: A Legal Professional’s Guide to Strategic Job Searching

A layoff isn’t the end — it’s a launch. Discover how in-house counsel can turn career disruption into opportunity using AI-driven job search strategies, resume optimization, and interview mastery.

Skills and Professional Development

From Layoff to Launch: Planning Your Career Transition

At the year’s end, many legal professionals find themselves out of work — or looking for their next career move. Learn how in-house counsel can transform year-end uncertainty into new-year opportunity with tips from Spiwe L. Jefferson, CLO of Moyana Music, LLC.

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

AI Counsel: When AI Addiction Becomes Professional Negligence

From fabricated case law to costly sanctions, the consequences of relying too heavily on AI tools are real. This article explores the power of GenAI, the ethical wake-up calls, and how legal teams can stay sharp in an era of generative AI.

Compliance and Ethics

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

10 Tips for Conquering Cross-Border Internal Investigations

When serious allegations surface across multiple jurisdictions, in-house teams face a labyrinth of legal, cultural, and operational challenges. Here’s how to navigate cross-border investigations with precision and confidence.

Group of workers at a window with sticky notes

Information Governance

Law Department Management

Skills and Professional Development

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

AI Counsel: Driving Team-wide AI Adoption

AI Counsel columnist Spiwe Jefferson is joined by GC AI’s Cecilia Ziniti with a powerful anecdote of AI adoption, including six strategies for driving adoption among in-house legal teams.

Information Governance

Law Department Management

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

AI Counsel: Integrating AI into Daily Legal Workflows

AI Counsel columnist Spiwe Jefferson is joined by GC AI’s Cecilia Ziniti to explore real use cases of AI tools for in-house teams, drawn from the experiences of GC AI’s user base.

Information Governance

Law Department Management

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

AI Counsel: An Inside Look at How In-house Lawyers Are Using AI Right Now

AI Counsel columnist Spiwe Jefferson is joined by GC AI’s Cecilia Ziniti for an inside look at how corporate lawyers are using AI, including questions to ask when evaluating AI tools for in-house legal work.

Skills and Professional Development

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

AI Counsel: Challenges, Strategies, and the Road Ahead

In her debut column on the intersection of artificial intelligence and in-house practice, Asset Marketing Services’ GC Spiwe Jefferson shares her outlook for how artificial intelligence may change our profession.

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

Two-Year Verdict: ChatGPT’s Impact on the Legal Practice

As ChatGPT celebrates its second birthday this month, it’s remarkable to reflect on how this technology has transformed the legal landscape. Asset Marketing Services General Counsel, Chief of Staff, and Corporate Secretary Spiwe L. Jefferson takes a look at where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going with GenAI in legal practice.

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

Prompt Engineering: Your Hidden Superpower for AI Mastery

Prompt engineering has exploded with the rise of new generative AI technologies. Find out how in-house lawyers can quickly master prompt engineering for better, more accurate outcomes. #ACCDocket #inhouse #GenAI

Group of humanoid robots lined up in a row.

Skills and Professional Development

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

ChatGPT and AI Applications for In-house Lawyers

AI-powered tools can help in-house lawyers be more productive. But be sure you understand the best ways to deploy the technology before jumping on the bandwagon. #ACCDocket #AI

Skills and Professional Development

5 Steps to Effective Mindful Leadership

The better we take care of ourselves, the more effectively we can serve our clients and stakeholders. While there is no quick fix or miracle cure, mindfulness can help lawyers reduce stress and improve leadership.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Autonomous Vehicles – Future Risks Come to Roost

The area of autonomous vehicle liability will continue to evolve for years to come. Notwithstanding technological novelty, it is unlikely that the existing body of law governing litigated claims will be swept away by sensors and batteries. More likely, new elements will be developed that build on and perhaps morph the laws we currently have.

multidistrict litigation, where multiple people are in individual circles. versus class actions, where multiple people are in one big circle

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Litigation Nightmares: How to Tame Class Actions and Multidistrict Litigation

This article touches on the similarities and differences presented by class actions and MDLs and offers a few pointers to tame those respective nightmares.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

7 Strategies to a Multidistrict Litigation Victory

Companies faced with an MDL can employ these seven strategies to mitigate exposure and exit the case at the earliest opportunity.

several documents being discussed around a table

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

7 Steps for Coronavirus Litigation Preparedness

The litigation underway suggests that additional consumer and commercial disputes will likely follow due to the outbreak of COVID-19. While it is impossible to predict the nature and extent of any related litigation, claims could develop in several areas.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

5 Checkpoints for Strategic Litigation Planning

The strategy you employ to manage your litigation portfolio can increase the likelihood of having satisfied stakeholders and sound fiscal management. This article includes checkpoints every litigation manager can use in an arsenal of successful strategies.

two women wearing winter clothes and holding hot beverages

Skills and Professional Development

3 Ways to Reduce Employee Stress During the Holidays

Holiday activities that cause the greatest stress include cleaning the house, cooking, and gift shopping — selecting the right gifts and maneuvering through lines and crowds to buy them. Since it is difficult to truly compartmentalize, holiday stress is likely to bleed into the workplace and affect employee morale and performance.

International Symbol of Access on a keyboard

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Is Your Website at Risk for ADA Litigation in the United States?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States requires certain businesses to accommodate people with disabilities. Lawsuits against large corporations, small businesses, and government entities with consumer-facing websites are on the rise.

Compliance and Ethics

Update: 5 Ethics Lessons Lawyers Can Learn from Michael Cohen

Regardless of your stance on the Cohen/Trump relationship, Cohen’s plight should serve as a cautionary tale to lawyers everywhere. It is especially relevant to in-house lawyers whose careers and daily work are often dependent on a single company with a sole group of business professionals.

Employment and Labor

Using a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to Halt a Former Employer's Noncompete

Courts generally dislike the restraint on trade inherent in noncompete agreements. The treatment of noncompete agreements is state and country specific, so when tackling a noncompete, a critical first step is understanding how the applicable jurisdiction views these agreements.

Employment and Labor

I’m Out! 7 Things to Do When a Key Employee Leaves

Key employees are highly valued, usually highly compensated, and have key decision-making roles in the organization. Their position and seniority also gives them access to deeply sensitive corporate information; they know where the bodies are buried! It is important to take measured steps to protect the company upon notice of the voluntary departure of a key employee.

Employment and Labor

Did We Say That? Taming Communications for Litigation

Poor or careless communications can affect the company’s reputation and compromise competitiveness. They can expose the company and individuals to civil or criminal liability, and negatively impact the company’s position in lawsuits and investigations.

Employment and Labor

No Bodies to Throw at Conflict Minerals: 9 Ways to Resolve the Ethical Problem

Our fictitious legal team look for ways to stay competitive in the face of significant requirements related to conflict minerals, with no authority to add headcount.

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

Why and How to Remove Metadata from Documents

Converting to PDF isn't enough. When converting the format of a document, whether it is from word to PDF or another form, the document’s original content is stored and preserved as metadata in the new PDF file.