We asked these lawyer-leaders: What's coming up for the law profession in Silicon Valley? - Silicon Valley Business Journal - Silicon Valley Business Journal
The practice of law in the Bay Area is going to see more changes in the near future.
SVBJ asked managing partners at prominent firms what new issues they expect to arise in the near future that could affect the nearly 70,000 licensed attorneys in the Bay Area (a count defined by the State Bar of California and how it defines the Bay Area region)
They also took a look back at their own careers in the local legal profession to show us what motivated them to enter law, what they most rewarding about their careers and what makes the Bay Area's legal community distinct. Here's what they had to say.
Neal Potischman
Co-head of Northern California Office / Head of West Coast Commercial Litigation, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
- Law school: Harvard Law School
- Years as an attorney: 24
- Residence: Menlo Park
What trends in law will we see in the next few years? In the securities litigation space, which is one of my primary areas of practice, it is hard to imagine that there will not be a flurry of cases filed after companies that went public through SPACs run into their first existential challenges.
What makes the Bay Area legal community unique or special? It may be cliché, but by virtue of dealing with amazing technology and life sciences companies, lawyers here have to be creative and adaptable. If you just want to keep doing the same thing year after year, you should probably practice somewhere else.
What initially drew you to pursue a career in law? The opportunity to advocate — both orally and in writing. In college, I studied U.S. history and political science, and one of my primary extracurricular activities was inter-collegiate debate. All of these areas had a heavy focus on reading, writing and crafting arguments.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job? Mentoring young lawyers. Starting out, the learning curve at a law firm is steep. I always encourage young lawyers to ask as many questions as they can and to look for opportunities to learn more. I really enjoy investing time in the development of young lawyers who are investing in themselves. I’m lucky to work at a firm where the incoming lawyers are invariably incredibly smart and equally motivated.
What was your favorite class in law school and why? Civil procedure. I had a year-long 1L class with the famed professor Arthur Miller. It was one of the last “old school” Socratic experiences where every day you were on the edge of your seat thinking about a possible cold-call. You either loved it, or you hated it. I loved it. And I never learned more in a class.
What’s your favorite legal-themed movie or TV show? How realistic is it? If I’m flipping channels and either "My Cousin Vinny" or "A Few Good Men" is on, I pretty much have to watch to the end. They may not be entirely realistic, but they’re great entertainment. And "My Cousin Vinny" has a lot to teach about how to make grits.
Kahlil Yearwood
Co-Partner-in-Charge, San Francisco, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
- Law school: Berkeley Law
- Years as an attorney: 16
- Residence: Kensington
What trends in law will we see in the next few years? There will be fascinating developments in new laws (and application of old laws) to new products, investments and concepts that previously did not exist, e.g. cryptocurrency, NFTs, and other web3 developments.
What makes the Bay Area legal community unique or special? The Bay Area legal community is at the same time a small community, where you can know everyone in a particular field, but also large enough to run the gamut of practices and be on the cutting edge of numerous practice areas.
What initially drew you to pursue a career in law? When I was in college, I took a job at a startup that is what we would today call a fintech company, but that word did not exist then. I found out that I loved doing deals and was most interested in the deal structuring and negotiating done by lawyers. My mentors at the company encouraged me to go to law school as the best training to excel in this area.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job? Working with my colleagues to create a firm where people whose achievements may have previously been limited by systemic and structural barriers, achieve greatness and perform at the highest levels.
What was your favorite class in law school and why? The class was called Advanced Securities Regulation, but it was basically just Larry Sonsini coming in every Friday and telling us about what he did that week. It was enthralling and a masterclass in dealmaking.
What’s your favorite legal-themed movie or TV show? How realistic is it? "Succession". I am a professional negotiator and "Succession", while generally unrealistic, showcases many key concepts of effective negotiation, including understanding your adversary’s personal agenda beyond the stated business negotiation.
Michael Celio
Partner in Charge, Palo Alto, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
- Law school: Harvard Law School
- Years as an attorney: 24
- Residence: Palo Alto
What trends in law will we see in the next few years? As a securities litigator, I am confident that I will spend a lot of time on SPACs in the next few years. Their structure places a lot of stress on statutes and regulations that were written long ago when such transactions were not on anyone’s mind.
What makes the Bay Area legal community unique or special? This is the most creative and thoughtful legal community in the world — because we have to be. Our clients are the most interesting, most cutting-edge anywhere. They have problems no one has ever had and routinely ask questions you can’t look up in a book. To serve them, we need to understand why the law is what it is and how it can be brought to bear in new situations.
What initially drew you to pursue a career in law? At age 11, during summer vacation, I stumbled upon reruns of Perry Mason. I had no idea what lawyers did until that moment and I was immediately hooked. The idea of using words and arguments to do justice was immediately compelling.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job? For me, there is nothing better than helping young lawyers develop into trusted colleagues and partners. We are a profession, not an industry, and mentorship is at the heart of that. Some of my closest friends in the law started as mentees.
What was your favorite class in law school and why? In my third year, I took a class on law in China. It was substantively fascinating, and studying a different legal system was helpful in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of our own.
What’s your favorite legal-themed movie or TV show? How realistic is it? "My Cousin Vinny" is the best legal-themed movie, potentially ever. There is no better demonstration of how a lawyer can dismantle a seemingly airtight case. And it is one of the most quotable movies ever.
Ryan Murr
Co-Partner-in-Charge, San Francisco, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
- Law school: University of San Diego School of Law
- Years as an attorney: 23
- Residence: Marin County
What trends in law will we see in the next few years? I expect to see a continued increase in the number of biosimilar drugs (effectively, a generic version of a biologic drug) and the accompanying biosimilar patent litigation. Biosimilars are still relatively new in the U.S., and the stakes are huge for both the original drug developer and the biosimilar developer. With such high stakes, we can expect many hard-fought legal battles.
What makes the Bay Area legal community unique or special? The biotech community in the Bay Area is among the largest in the country, and yet it is incredibly close-knit. It’s really remarkable that you can have so many close relationships with biotech executives and investors and know so many people in common in such a large market.
What initially drew you to pursue a career in the field of law? I was drawn to the intersection of technology and business, and discovered that I could weave these together as a transactional lawyer for technology-centric clients. Today, I represent biopharma companies and investors, which I absolutely love.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job? Being in the position of helping improve the lives of patients through supporting the development of new drugs. It’s really a privilege to be able to support companies and investors advancing new treatments, even if it’s just playing a bit part in the larger production of drug discovery and development.
What was your favorite class in law school and why? Corporations. The professor was thoroughly engaging and the subject matter fascinated me (particularly the part about hostile takeovers).
What’s your favorite legal-themed movie or TV show? How realistic is it? I love "To Kill a Mockingbird." It’s an amazing book and the rare movie that is just as good as the original source material. I will defer to my litigation colleagues on how realistic it is!
source: https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2022/01/21/bay-area-law-firms-future-legal-issues.html
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