Pani Cooler Hangout in Chicago
Plus new roles, new schedule
Desi-derata
This email goes out to 1,781 South Asian legal professionals.
New Schedule
We’re switching back to Fridays, starting with the 13th. Auspicious. When I switched to Mondays, I was curious if it would increase engagement, but engagement is still high (~60% open, ~10% click) and I just like Fridays more.
Pani Cooler Hangout in Chicago
We’re going to have a hangout in Chicago on 1/16. It’ll feature time with other friendly Chicago faces and a 36-week-pregnant Emma.
Where: Time Out Market
When: 1/16 12:00-1:30pm
The Indie Guide To Building Your Legal Network
I went to a non-target law school in the depth of a recession with the largest group of law students before or since. I was determined to land a role in biglaw. I knew I had to build my network to make that happen. And after meeting 200 lawyers for coffee, lunch, or drinks, I got the job. Here's what I did:
- I identified the intersection between my skills, my law school's strengths, and the market
- I read every local industry publication to learn about which firms had what expertise and which clients
- I kept track of who I reached out to and kept in regular contact about my progress
- I focused on getting to know everyone I could in my target niche
- I added value by sharing my analysis of market and industry conditions
- I volunteered in key organizations to increase my visibility and show my skillset
The hundreds of hours I invested in this process have paid dividends over the years. Those skills are what helped me move into an AmLaw 20 firm when I didn't even graduate cum laude. And they're what helped me move into one of the strongest platforms in legaltech.
I distilled everything I learned from this process in The Indie Guide to Building Your Legal Network. This is the guide I wish I had when I started out in law.
If you're looking to build the relationships that will get you hired and find lasting relationships, this guide will help you. Here’s the latest review:
"I have been practicing law for over 20 years, and I found this to be a quick, useful read. I wish I had this resource when I started my legal career. Building a network involves overcoming anxiety, fear, and a number of other obstacles. Khurram addresses these issues directly. Thinking about your network as an asset that only gains value changed my perspective. I highly recommend this for current or recent students, as well as anyone interested in stepping up their networking game. You know how everyone talks about how valuable a network is? That's because it's true. Nothing will help you more in your career. And nothing I've seen will help you more than this simple writeup."
- Pav Athwal, Head of Legal, Nexthink
You can pick up a copy here.
The Jobs
The mission of Pani Cooler is to build direct connections between South Asian lawyers. A key part of that is getting South Asian lawyers hired and promoted. The below roles include contact information for your colleagues. Reach out to these lawyers in a manner consistent with the goals of building community on this platform. Apply for any roles listed on the website, as available.
In-House
NEW Asma Hasan: Asma is General Counsel at Scaled Agile. Asma’s team is looking for a Commercial Counsel.
Amit Shah: Amit is Senior Vice President & General Counsel at MiTek Inc. Amit’s team is looking for a Corporate Counsel.
Keval Patel: Keval is General Counsel at Zipline. Keval’s team is looking for a Legal Associate.
Om Jahagirdar: Om is Associate General Counsel at Freddie Mac. Om's team is looking for an Assistant General Counsel.
Not-for-Profit
Rekha Nair: Rekha is Executive Director at Phoenix Legal Action Network. Rekha's team is looking for a Lead Immigration Attorney.
Government
NEW Avy Malik: Avy is General Counsel of the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. The Department is looking for a Senior Counsel.
Madiha Zuberi: Madiha is Enforcement Attorney at SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office, Division of Enforcement. The SEC is looking for a General Attorney.
Batool Raza: Batool is General Counsel at Boston Public Health Commission. Batool's team is looking for an Associate Labor and Employment Counsel.
Hiral Mehta: Hiral is Deputy Chief at U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York. The U.S. Attorney's Office is looking for an Assistant U. S. Attorney.
Legal Adjacent
Sachin Bansal: Sachin is Chief Business Officer at SecurityScorecard. Sachin’s team is looking for a VP, Government Affairs.
Law Firm
Harsh Parikh: Harsh is a partner at Nixon Peabody LLP. Harsh's team is looking for a Senior Health Care Transactions Associate.
Ajay Mago: Ajay is managing partner at Edwards Maxson Mago & Macaulay, LLP. Ajay's team is looking for attorneys with 6+ years of substantive experience in the relevant area of practice to join the firm’s Bankruptcy, Technology Transactions, Commercial Contracts, Corporate – Private Equity and M&A, Corporate – Venture Capital and Emerging Companies, and Banking and Finance practice groups. The positions can be remote anywhere in the U.S. or hybrid in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Ft. Lauderdale, and New York.
Law Student
Mohsen Ghazi: Mohsen is Managing Director, Deputy General Counsel at Cresset. Cresset is looking for a Summer 2023 Legal Intern.