Business

Pia Biswas, a 2010 graduate of the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law, is a commercial lawyer at Microsoft. The company's legal department, her business unit's needs, and Pia's daily work reflect the complexity you'd expect from a huge company with diverse product offerings. While legal strategy and document drafting is an essential part of her job, she views herself as a business advisor too.

Ryan Evans, a graduate of Boston University School of Law, discusses his work as an in-house franchise and general business lawyer for Qdoba. He discusses his experience on both sides of the franchise relationship. He worked first as a lawyer for a company that franchises several different concepts (a franchisee) and then as a lawyer for a company that sells access to its systems (a franchisor). His work involves many different elements, from HR and commercial leases to negotiations and document preparation.

Zoe Sharp, a graduate of Stanford Law School, works 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 during a pandemic and after a tornado destroyed one of the company's warehouses.

Deepan Patel, a graduate of Florida State University 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.

Dan Minc, a graduate of Seton Hall School of Law, discusses how he managed to rise to his firm's managing partner after starting there as a first-year lawyer. He also talks about how he builds his book of business and what he assesses when determining whether to take a client. After all, as a personal injury lawyer he's only paid if his client wins.

Melina LaMorticella, a graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School, worked as a paralegal for 15 years before going to law school. After graduation, she moved from a local immigration boutique to a larger firm in Portland to practice business immigration law. In this episode, Melina talks about how the U.S. considers immigration applications from professional workers and the charged political atmosphere she operates in, as well as what her typical day looks like.

Kathryn Cockrill, a graduate of Touro Law School, started her career at a small firm and then went out on her own to reap the rewards of building a business in estate planning and probate. In this episode, Kathryn explains the ins and outs of probate, for both the living and the deceased. She also talks about how she avoids bill collection pitfalls, why she plans to hire help once her firm is on a more stable financial footing, and why her practice keeps her interested and invested.

Matt Swain, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law, started his own criminal defense practice in a college town 20 miles outside of Oklahoma City immediately after graduation. In this episode, Matt describes the importance of understanding your business inside and out and the techniques he uses that ultimately make him more efficient and more likely to notice opportunities that help his clients move forward with their lives.

Andy Park, a graduate of the Temple University Beasley School of Law, discusses his work as a junior associate for a mid-size business law firm in Philadelphia. He tells us about his involvement in negotiating and originating loans, litigating and settling loan defaults, and selling commercial real estate acquired from a trial verdict or settlement. While he's still new to practice, he sees how observing issues in litigation can positively affect his work reviewing his clients' deals.

Jessica Morgan, a graduate of the University of Colorado Law School, discusses her areas of responsibility as vice president of Legal for Boulder Brands, a public company that owns a variety of food manufacturers. Jessica oversees a team of regulatory experts, manages outside counsel and company’s intellectual property portfolio, negotiates contracts, and continues to automate as many legal processes as she can to save and make her company money.

Joan Kerecz, a graduate of Duke University School of Law, discusses the various roles she’s played in helping public entities pay for, among other public projects, school and road expansions. Joan also talks to us about the on-campus interview climate at her law school and her decision to move firms after just two years.

Meghann Joyce, a graduate of the University of South Dakota School of Law, is an insurance defense litigator. While she's hired and paid by insurance companies, her clients are the insured defending, among other claims, professional liability and employment suits. Despite being a litigator, she's almost never in the court room. Instead, her work can be categorized as largely pre-trial practice. Her job responsibilities and expectations have evolved since she started, but the unpredictability of her days continues. A lawyer's duty of loyalty is to the client, but Meghann exemplifies how business realities produce complex ethical dilemmas.

Tricia Dennis, a graduate of the University of Tennessee School of Law, has been a personal injury lawyer for almost 30 years. From dealing with sexist opponents to corralling tough clients, Tricia reveals several challenges she's faced in her career. She walks us through a plaintiff lawyer’s perspective on client intake, negotiations, and settlement. By the end of this episode, listeners understand that, more than anything, Tricia is a small business owner who helps her clients navigate an insurance maze.