Khurram's Quorum
24 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsDeep conversations with underrated lawyers.
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Episodes
023: Moez Kaba on boldness, the art of cross-examination, and a career-changing subway conversation
March 08, 2024 14:07 - 1 hour - 82.7 MBMoez Kaba is the managing partner of Hueston Hennigan, the elite trial firm. Moez’s father drove a cab, and now Moez is one of the most sought-after trial lawyers in the country, and he’s only 42. We spent a lot of time exploring Moez's approach to trial and the role serendipity and boldness played in guiding his path through law. (00:45) - how he joined his firm based on a conversation on the subway (09:51) - how boldness can help first-gen lawyers get a seat at the table (19:4...
022: Nimesh Gupta on therapy, moving from biglaw to bigtech to startups, and generative AI in law
December 15, 2023 17:40 - 1 hour - 100 MBNimesh Gupta is the founder of Briefly, a legaltech generative AI company. I met Nimesh through a mutual friend, and we hit it off - our patent litigation background, views on parenting, therapy, and entrepreneurship. We take Nimesh’s unconventional moves from biglaw to big tech to startups and dig into the decisions. We explored how to assess risk and opportunities in new technologies and businesses, including legaltech and generative AI. Along the way we explore how mindfulness ...
021: Neel Chatterjee on moving fast and breaking things, counterintuitive career decisions, and ChatterjeePT
December 01, 2023 15:48 - 1 hour - 103 MBNeel Chatterjee is a partner at Goodwin. Neel is fascinating because on one hand he’s a trial lawyer that handles serious high-stakes tech disputes, and on the other hand he’s the kind of guy who has “partner and very handsome man” written on his firm business card. We spend some time going deep on these aspects of Neel, where they came from, and how they converge. (31:40) - a counterintuitive decision career (00:00) - Chapter 2 (36:00) - a pattern in his career (00:00) - Chap...
020: Paul Grewal on asymmetric bets, conspiracy theories, and the best question for career decisions
August 11, 2023 02:27 - 1 hour - 90.9 MBPaul Grewal is the Chief Legal Officer at Coinbase. As the highly visible head lawyer at a company perennially making headlines, much of Paul's story and approach is well-known. This interview explores the lesser-known aspects of Paul's career moves: how Paul thinks about risk, the key question to ask in making a career change, and a conspiracy theory he can't shake. (09:12) - the financial and emotional changes in leaving practice for the bench (15:30) - the most challenging par...
019: Alamdar Hamdani on "the Mama Rule", entrepreneurial civil service, and the most underrated risk in the US
July 14, 2023 12:19 - 1 hour - 199 MBAlamdar Hamdani is the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, one of the most important jurisdictions in the country. What I love about his story is that it’s the classic American story of how the son of poor immigrants in small-town Texas became the US attorney for one of the most important jurisdictions in the country. But I discovered another equally American part of this story I hadn’t heard elsewhere - the story of the entrepreneurial civil service that led him to...
018: Gurbir Grewal on nonlinear career paths, how government should use media, and identifying enforcement priorities
September 06, 2022 12:33 - 1 hour - 75.9 MBGurbir Grewal's meteoric ascent to the Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement may seem charmed, but here Gurbir shares the tradeoffs and costs of the steps he took. Gurbir is uniquely down-to-earth for someone so public and prominent, and this interview went deep into the decisions and experiences that shaped his path.
017: Amandeep Sidhu on turning tragedy into opportunity at The Sikh Coalition, creating consensus and finding allies, and building a portfolio of causes
August 13, 2021 01:49 - 1 hour - 73 MBIt's inspiring to hear the origin of The Sikh Coalition in the aftermath of 9/11 and the disproportional impact on the Sikh community. But it's all the more remarkable to hear how Winston & Strawn partner Amandeep Sidhu and his cofounders built an organization around consensus-building causes that benefit multiple communities. And how Amandeep did it by getting stakeholders at his law firm to support him along the way. This episode is for anyone looking to make a social impact and le...
016: Avaneesh Marwaha on carrying out the goals he wrote on a legal pad at 25, the #1 skill lawyers need to develop now, and what betting on yourself feels like
July 30, 2021 11:44 - 1 hour - 181 MBAs the CEO of Litera, Avaneesh Marwaha is responsible for setting the pace of innovation at a leading legaltech company. So when Avaneesh shared some of the goals he set for himself at 25 that he's still carrying out at 40, I had to dig in to learn more. A company like Litera has a powerful lens on the legal industry and where it's headed. So we spent a lot of time talking about core insights like what makes clients stick with law firms. We also discuss the three areas Avaneesh see...
015: Kenneth Anand on writing the book on sneaker law, the returns to focusing on individuality, and lessons learned from Kanye
April 22, 2021 21:44 - 1 hour - 63.1 MBWhen I was introduced to Kenneth Anand, I was equal parts excited and anxious. I'm no more than a casual fan of Kanye's work and I've never been into streetwear. But how could I say no to meeting the ex-GC of Yeezy? Kenneth and I ended up having a sprawling conversation about his new book Sneaker Law and how it departs from traditional legal casebooks. We talked about his journey from producing hip hop to law and how after 15 years of practicing law he oriented himself back to his r...
014: Manik Suri on the alpha of inner confidence, the law clinic origin of his cold chain technology company, and renewable sources of internal energy
March 18, 2021 21:56 - 52 minutes - 41.8 MBIt's hard to picture a better time to grow a cold chain technology company like Therma, and it's even harder to picture the legal clinic origins of the business. Manik Suri has made a career out of synthesizing surprising insights and finding talent to partner with. In this episode we discuss what Manik learned from a friend that ended up as a presidential candidate on how to channel your inner confidence. You'll learn a new question to ask yourself "what kind of energy am I burning?...
013: Judge Matthew Kennelly on how he manages his docket, how new ideas spread among judges, and the interesting implications of lifetime tenure
March 04, 2021 15:24 - 1 hour - 93.1 MBFederal judges are fascinating because they resolve high stakes matters addressing a wide swath of issues touching on every aspect of society. And because of their limited resources and the 30-some new cases they get a month in a busy court like the Northern District of Illinois, they have to become experts at building systems for making decisions. So I'm happy that I got to spend two hours with Judge Matthew Kennelly to learn about what he does. We explored the tools he's develope...
012: Chief Judge James Holderman on lessons from growing up on a farm, the hardest task he had on the bench, and how he'd change federal litigation
February 19, 2021 14:32 - 1 hour - 52.1 MBI'm thrilled to share this interview Chief Judge James Holderman (ret.) formerly of the Northern District and now a mediator at JAMS ADR. Externing for Judge Holderman in law school was an inflection point in my legal development, and I feel like I've been riding that wave ever since. It's rare to get a chance to sit with a federal judge and explore lessons from 30 years on the bench. We talked about his upbringing on a farm in Southern Illinois and some of the surprising legacy that...
011: Archit Shah on creating legal solutions for Robinhood, misconceptions about fintech, and yes Gamestop
February 12, 2021 02:04 - 1 hour - 51.1 MBWhen Archit and I planned to do this episode in the new year, we didn't quite expect this much attention on Robinhood. We explore Archit's arc from the first lawyer at Robinhood to general counsel. We talked about the lessons learned from building a team of dozens of lawyers, and how he approached the novel legal and regulatory issues along the way. We covered the regulatory landscape for fintech companies, reasons to be bullish on crypto, and yes, we talked about Gamestop.
010: Megha Parekh on how strengths can become weaknesses, why perfectionism isn't the goal, and being unapologetically yourself
February 05, 2021 17:51 - 48 minutes - 39.1 MBI didn't expect to interview someone at another Florida sports franchise so soon, but I'm glad I had a chance to talk to Megha Parekh, Chief Legal Officer of the Jacksonville Jaguars. One of the most interesting themes from the conversation was around work-life integration and the systems she's used to foster it in herself and others. There were insights into the relation of remote work and inclusivity, and lessons on the perils of perfectionism. This interview is for anyone interest...
009: Kunal Patel on the future of South Asian creatives, lessons from working with celebrity musicians, and how to ignore a title
January 29, 2021 03:00 - 1 hour - 48.2 MBKunal Patel and I something less of a conversation and more of a jam session. We explored his career as a creative and a lawyer to creatives and the multi-year grit it took to land the roles he took on. I don't know how many lawyers once drove for Uber or took a paralegal role to get a foot in the door at the right company. We also explored his ambitions for South Asian creatives and why representation in media really matters. One quote from Kunal has stayed with me: "there can't be ...
008: Bilal Zaidi on the benefits of concentrating your forces, insights from interviewing top creators, and a revelatory glass of pomegranate juice in Lahore
January 21, 2021 17:59 - 1 hour - 57.1 MBBilal Zaidi is the host of one of my favorite podcasts, Creator Lab. We explored the genesis of his podcast and the connections it drew between his influences from Pakistani, the UK, and the US. We dove into some of the patterns Bilal has discerned from interviewing CEOs, investors, and writers. We also compared experiences growing up Pakistani in the UK and the US and some of the surprising differences.
007: Ashwin Krishnan on the future of sports as entertainment, bootstrapping his role as general counsel, and reflections on Miami's past and future
January 12, 2021 18:53 - 1 hour - 48.1 MBYou probably know more about baseball than me, but I'm glad I had a chance to learn a little about the business of the game with Ashwin Krishnan, General Counsel of the Miami Marlins. As soon as you start talking with him, you can tell he's built differently than other attorneys - there's no jargon and he's high-energy. It was fascinating to hear about how the Marlins is thinking about its place in entertainment as it competes not just with other franchises but Disney, gambling, an...
006: Sachin Shivaram on how Atlas Shrugged led him to steel, the advantages of being an outsider, and what's special about Wisconsin
December 29, 2020 17:47 - 52 minutes - 41.7 MBSachin Shivaram is CEO of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry Co. I was fascinated with Sachin's journey that started with every credential imaginable and led him to running an aluminum foundry in Manitowoc, WI. We talked about the surprising revelation he had from reading Atlas Shrugged that led him to the steel industry, a panic moment when hosting Joe Biden, and what's special about Wisconsin.
005: Avanti Bakane on how to collect people, how to find allies, and why should you never stress over good intentions
December 24, 2020 18:35 - 43 minutes - 98.5 MBAvanti Bakane is a partner at Gordon Rees. I've known Avanti for some years now, and I've been consistently impressed with her ability to collect and connect people. I sat down with Avanti to discuss her people-driven approach to her career and what she's learned about building allies and how to manage by playing to your team's strengths. Avanti is just easy to talk to and I admire how even-keeled she is for a big-firm lawyer.
004: Rudhir Krishtel on finding true autonomy, book learning vs. experiential changes, and how a pair of red Jordans changed his life
December 14, 2020 17:19 - 48 minutes - 111 MBRudhir Kristhel is the founder of Krishtel Coaching and a former attorney. We started the conversation talking about how his beard helped me strike out on his own and ended it with Rudhir's three-part framework for how to think about growing relationships. The theme of this conversation is how to tune in to yourself to be a better player in the game of career and life.
003: Vivek Jayaram on building for creatives, diversity of thought in practice, and getting clients on Craigslist
December 09, 2020 18:39 - 1 hour - 162 MBVivek is founder of Jayaram Law. He went from biglaw to opening his own firm in the depth of a recession, which now has three offices and is growing. We talked about how much of his growth has come from a core insight around aligning the legal work to clientele and firm culture. That lead to some interesting conversation about how to think about diversity and why contemporary culture matters for lawyers.
002: Vineet Shahani on politics as VC, career home runs v. singles, and the benefits of taking a pay cut
November 17, 2020 15:44 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBVineet and I talked about: picking the right narrative for your career career home runs v. singles politics as venture capital how to make losses as useful as wins the benefits of taking a pay cut
001: Adam Gill on trading Chinese microcaps for fun and profit, creating opportunities by publishing, and how to get in the flow
October 19, 2020 18:12 - 41 minutes - 33.6 MBLearn more about Adam at https://www.glscap.com/our-team/ Learn more about Khurram at https://www.naik.co.
#001: Adam Gill on trading Chinese microcaps for fun and profit, creating opportunities by publishing, and how to get in the flow
October 19, 2020 18:12 - 41 minutes - 33.6 MBAdam Gill is a founder and Managing Director at GLS Capital and a leader in litigation finance. I talked to Adam to learn how he obtained his financial independence and used that to pursue the opportunities that led him where he is today. We discussed the strategies to create opportunities and serendipity. And we dive into the investments he's made, and how he recommends others invest their time and effort and capital. Adam’s experience in litigation finance began in 2013 when he joined Ger...