The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium announced today that it would be opening up membership to service providers, tech companies, law schools and "everybody else." Mary O'Carroll, president of CLOC, dropped the news during her keynote speech launching the organization's first virtual Global Institute.

"It is time—past time—that they joined us at this table. People have been asking for this for years and so I'm thrilled to be able to welcome them here very soon," she said.

Per a press release issued following the announcement, the existing in-house community will remain "intact and unchanged," a nod to CLOC's original incarnation as an organization focused exclusively on in-house counsel and legal ops professionals. Under the new model, membership is open to any professional working in the legal industry. Members will be categorized based on their role in the industry, and new members will receive access and benefits "specific to their needs."