In-House Counsel

Zoe Sharp, a 2003 graduate of Stanford Law School, is assistant general counsel at Optoro, a software company that keeps her busy in many areas of law. She talks about how she plans for the worst, which has been especially helpful after a tornado destroyed one of the company's warehouses and during a pandemic.

Choi Portis, a 2011 graduate of Thomas Cooley Law School, is a lawyer for the water and sewerage department in Detroit. She handles litigation for the department, develops policies and procedures, and reviews contracts—so one day is rarely the same as the next.

Matt Hoisington, a 2009 graduate of Boston College Law School, explains his path to and through the United Nations. He talks about how he managed to obtain one of the most sought after jobs in the law as an international human rights lawyer. He discusses his time doing law and policy at UN headquarters in New York City, and time abroad in Abyei and Darfur, Sudan.

Deepan Patel, a 2013 graduate of FSU College of Law, explains his role at the IRS. While the IRS has many types of lawyers, he focuses on business taxpayer guidance, which ensures certainty for businesses making major decisions. He describes how he got into tax, where his career might go, and trade-offs between government and private practice.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) seeks to create inclusive communities that accomodate citizen's rights to affordable housing. Kevin Krainz is an alum of the University of Pennsylvania Law School who talks about being a HUD attorney and how it differs from other affordable housing related public interest work.

After someone leaves prison, limited employment options can lead to a cycle of crime. Kimberley Baker Guillemet, an alum of the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, helped form the Los Angeles Office of Reentry to fix this. Kimberly discusses her work helping the formerly incarcerated rejoin society, and altering conditions leading to initial jailings.

In this episode, Jessica Morgan, a 2012 graduate of the University of Colorado Law School, discusses her responsibilities as Vice President of Legal for Boulder Brands, a public company that owns a variety of food manufacturers. Jessica talks managing outside counsel, negotiating contracts, and automating as many legal processes as she can to save and make her company money.

Professional licensing boards are a major way lawyers protect the public from wrongdoing. In this episode, we talk to Vanderbilt Law School alumna Johanna Barde, a lawyer for the Tennessee Department of Health. Johanna creates health policy and prosecutes medical professionals before state health boards. The work can be repetitive and bleak, Johanna admits, but her desire to protect public health keeps her motivated.