Desi-derata
This email goes out to 1,790 South Asian legal professionals.
The Monty Hall Problem
The Monty Hall problem is very simple, although it has a counterintuitive result. On its surface, it's just a game about probability, but you can use the game for a counterintuitive career insight.
You're on a game show. There are three doors. Behind one of the three doors is a prize - a million bucks. The other doors have goats behind them. You're asked to pick a door that has the prize. You pick the door on the right. The host then opens the middle door to reveal a goat. So now you have a choice: stick with the door you chose on the right, or switch to the door on the left. What do you choose?
Many people think that now that the middle door has been revealed to be a dud, you have a 50:50 shot of having picked the correct door, so you could stay or switch, doesn't matter. They're wrong. The right answer is to switch.
Here's how to think about it: your initial task was to choose one door, and it equivalently was not choosing two doors. Revealing what's behind the middle door isn't a neutral event. It creates information - you now know what's behind that door, and it's not the prize. So if you had a 1/3 chance of picking the correct door and a 2/3 chance of picking the wrong door, the middle door then transfers the 2/3 chance of picking the wrong door onto the left door.
So if the odds you picked correctly from the outset is 1/3 and the odds you picked wrong were 2/3, then you're twice as likely to win by switching.
Your career follows this same principle. When you progress through your career, information is revealed. You learn what skills you value in yourself - what's more like a game, what's easy for you that's hard for others? You can consider industries - do you want to play the game of jumping on a trend, or the game of guessing which industries provide reliable growth?
There are entire practice areas servicing clientele that didn't exist ten years ago. If the game emulated life, new doors would have to be added throughout the game. What are the odds you are currently in the perfect role in the perfect industry?
This principle has guided my legal career. I moved to a firm that had the promise of a stronger platform for the litigation I was already doing, and greenspace for a new frontier of litigation. But when those opportunities didn't pan out because of industry demand, I reassessed. Maybe I was too focused on opportunities, and I should choose a role to focus on a skill. So to learn sales, I took on a role in a legaltech company.
But I discovered that my principal asset, the network I was growing, couldn't be fully serviced there. I realized that recruiting was an industry with reliable demand that rewards people who invest in their network, so I made the move.
You don't make moves starting from scratch. You build on previous relationships, skills, and lessons. And very few business decisions aren't reversible. But you won't be able to find out until you make the leap.
Khurram’s List
I’m adding an occasional section to The Jobs. It’ll be for select roles I’m placing as a recruiter. If you’re curious about the role, apply using the link or message me on LinkedIn or at khurram@whistlerpartners.com.
Pani Cooler Hangout in Chicago
Due to scheduling conflicts, we’re moving our Chicago hangout to 1/23. It’ll feature time with other friendly Chicago faces and a 37-week-pregnant Emma.
Where: Time Out Market
When: 1/23 12:00-1:30pm
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.
Khurram’s List
I'm looking for a corporate lawyer with 4-6 years of experience to be lawyer #2 at a $1 billion publicly traded solar energy company in Stamford.
In-House
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
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.