Desi-derata
This email goes out to 1,889 South Asian legal professionals.
What do you want in a legal conference?
I’m looking forward to returning to my former home Boston for the SABA Conference this summer. Boston is one of the best cities to visit in the summer.
We’ll be holding a Pani Cooler gathering, either before or during the conference, because I want to make sure we have a chance to connect and do something different.
Legal conferences have a pattern. Late nights fueled by alcohol, the inevitable comments on the food. Why do conferences have to be so unhealthy? Here's what I’d love to see:
shift late nights to early mornings
organic meat and produce
open juice bar
choose your social workout - yoga, interval training, etc
more opportunities for small gatherings
(My avocado smoothie with fresh berries from Main)
What would you like? Weigh in in the comments.
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.
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.
Grow this newsletter
(This is from a berry farm 15-minutes from my short-term rental in Maine)
This community is only as effective as its members. Pani Cooler is looking for additional roles in these categories:
In-house
Legal-adjacent
Law student
If you see a role on LinkedIn or if a friend mentions a role, send it my way and I’ll add it here.
Partner with me
If you’re looking to promote yourself to 1,889+ South Asian legal professionals in a newsletter with a 60% open rate, request your ad here.
Khurram’s List
In-house:
Looking to grow a publicly-traded media company through M&A? M&A is central to the value of this holding company. Roll up to the GC, who got promoted from this role. Highly compensated. 5 or more years of experience, NYC based.
Join an early-stage venture capital firm with hundreds of investments and over 50 exits. If you’re a 2019 or 2020 M&A associate, this is the place to be. Exceptional compensation. NYC based.
If you want to be a fractional GC for a VC fund portfolio - e.g., working on half a dozen startup businesses at once, this is the place to be. This is for 4-5th year associates in NYC.
Law Firm:
If you want to level up or reposition your practice to a cutting-edge national IP practice and you’re a 3rd-6th year patent litigation associate with life sciences and EE experience, let me know.
A marquee law firm is looking for a private equity, M&A, or funds partner in Chicago, you’ll grow its foothold in a key market.
If you’re a patent litigation partner in SF, NYC, Boston, or DC looking for a growing, collaborative platform, we should talk about this national firm.
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 Nisha Ramachandran: Nisha is General Counsel at Signifyd. Nisha’s team is looking for a Head of Product and Privacy Counsel.
Ashwin Krishnan: Ashwin is Head of Legal & Business Affairs at Betr. Ashwin’s team is looking for an Associate Counsel.
Om Jahagirdar: Om is Associate General Counsel at Freddie Mac. Om's team is looking for an Assistant General Counsel.
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.
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.
Law Firm
NEW Suja Vathyam: Suja is partner at Botos Churchill IP Law LLP. Suja’s team is looking for an attorney with 2-7 years of experience in patent drafting and prosecution. Experience with medical devices, AI, semiconductor manufacturing, or FTOs is a plus.
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
Joth Bhullar: Joth is Counsel, Legal & Business Affairs at Pac-12 Networks. Pac-12 is hiring its Legal Intern for Summer 2023.
Yoga and mindfulness activities!