Chasing “Dealief”: AI Just Named That Post-Call Exhale
I’m still undecided on whether AI will change the world… but it’s already upgraded my post-negotiation mood. After a particularly “spirited” call, I asked it to name that fleeting feeling of relief between battles. It delivered! My prompt: when a deal closes there is a feeling of relief. along the way there are intermediate pauses […]
A Second Act with Meaningful Impact
I had the chance to sit down with Michael Sennett on this week’s episode of Becoming the GC Podcast. Early in my career at Baxter, Mike was the antitrust partner I learned from. It was great to reconnect and hear how his path evolved from global Big Law work to a General Counsel role where […]
Step Into the Unknown and Get to Work
Hands-On Leadership: Ben Huddleston on Rolling Up His Sleeves for 28 Companies Great leaders don’t wait for perfect conditions; they step into the unknown and get to work. In this episode, I reconnect with Ben Huddleston, a seasoned general counsel whose career spans advising fast-growing, pre-IPO companies, building group GC teams at DaVita, navigating major M&A at Quorum […]
Careers Aren’t Straight Lines: Why the “Right Path” is a Myth
For a long time, I believed there was a “right” path to becoming a General Counsel. Big law → transactions → in-house → GC. And then I started actually talking to people. What I learned is that I haven’t met anyone who took the exact same path. Not one. Some were litigators. Some were regulatory lawyers. Some did work […]
From Litigator to Leader
From Litigator to Leader: David Shapiro on Seizing Opportunity and Building Teams I love how this episode turned out, especially the opening minute, which features a great quote from David that perfectly sets the tone for the conversation. David Shapiro’s career doesn’t follow a neat, pre-planned path, and that’s exactly what makes his story so […]
From Reflection to Momentum: Stepping into 2026
It’s too late to say Happy New Year (per Larry David), much less reflect on 2025, but here we are. Defying all convention to take a moment to recognize the outstanding guests we had on the Becoming the GC Podcast 🎙️ What started as a simple idea to give current and former General Counsels a […]
What Makes Mediation So Powerful
This week I got to participate in a mediation. Even though I’m not a litigator, mediation has always been one of my favorite parts of being a lawyer. As a General Counsel, I’ve done countless mediations on behalf of my clients over my 30+ year career — and I can’t think of one that didn’t […]
2025 LA Times Executive Leadership Awards
I am proud to see my partner, Carrie Fogliani, honored as a nominee at the 2025 LA Times Executive Leadership Awards on Monday night! As President of GeneralCounselWest, PC, Carrie’s expertise and “inside counsel” approach are making a real difference for many businesses transforming healthcare. Her dedication and leadership are truly inspiring. Congratulations, Carrie – […]
From ‘Big Law’ to In-House
What does it take to become a world-class General Counsel is usually the question I am asking others on my own podcast Becoming the GC, a show where I try to deconstruct the practices of the best in-house lawyers in the country. This time I got to be the guest and Ali Rafie did a […]
Chat GPT Is Not Wisdom, It’s Information
“Chat GPT is not wisdom, it’s information.” – Words to live by in 2025. First, I’d like to thank Cody H. for having me as a guest on his podcast, The Faces: Entrepreneurs are people! It was such a pleasure to dive into a meaningful conversation. We covered so much ground – everything from personal […]