Hsu Untied — HsuUntied

Hsu Untied Interviews

David Tsai, Partner at Vinson & Elkins

Lawyer

Today, my guest is David Tsai, Co-Managing Partner of the Vinson & Elkins LLP’s Taipei office and also resident in the San Francisco office. David’s practice focuses on patent, trade secret, complex breach of contract, and product defect litigation for companies innovating biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, software and hardware (semiconductors, set-top boxes, smartphones, LEDs). David is fluent in spoken Taiwanese and Mandarin and represents over 30 leading Taiwan, China and Korea based companies. David is also committed to serving pro bono clients […]

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Richard Susskind (II), Author of “Tomorrow’s Lawyers”

Academic, Author, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Professor Richard Susskind OBE, an author, speaker, and independent adviser to major professional firms and to national governments. He has written and edited numerous books, including Expert Systems in Law (OUP, 1987), The Future of Law (OUP, 1996), Transforming the Law (OUP, 2000), The Susskind Interviews: Legal Experts in Changing Times (Sweet & Maxwell, 2005), The End of Lawyers? Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services (OUP, 2008), Tomorrow’s Lawyers (2013), and has written around 150 columns for The […]

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Mark Lemley (Stanford Law School) and Video Games

Academic, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Stanford Law School Professor Mark Lemley (who is also a Partner at Durie Tangri and Founder of Lex Machina (aquired by Lexis Nexis)) who talks about playing video games. As a full-time professor, law firm partner and a founder of a startup, one would think Mark wouldn’t have time for something like video games. But his hobby is a throwback to his childhood days of playing Dungeons & Dragons and an activity that allows him to completely forget about work — something we […]

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Paul Goldstein, Stanford Law School Professor and Author

Academic, Lawyer

Today my guest is Stanford Law School Professor Paul Goldstein, a globally recognized expert on intellectual property law and author of an influential four-volume Goldstein on Copyright (Aspen Publishers) treatise on U.S. copyright law, as well as leading casebooks on intellectual property and international intellectual property. In addition, he is the author of several novels including Secret Justice (2016); the bestsellers Errors and Omissions (2006), A Patent Lie (2008), Havana Requiem (2012), which received the 2013 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction; and […]

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Nathan Sawaya and Lego Brick Artist

Author, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Nathan Sawaya who is a Lego Brick Artist. What started as a side hobby after working as a lawyer has now blossomed into a full time profession with millions of bricks. Even though Nathan has played with lego bricks as a child – like many of us – what he finds most fascinating is to transform simple plain square lego pieces into curved life size humans and other objects. Nathan’s most recent book is entitled The Art of the […]

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Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, Professional Poker Player

Lawyer, Special Guest

Today, my guest is Greg “Fossilman” Raymer*, a professional poker player and former patent attorney. Nicknamed “Fossilman” for his unusual glasses, Greg was originally a scientist who played blackjack in graduate school as a way to make some extra income. That soon turned into poker and he went on to win the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2004 (see his winning hand below). Now he splits his time with his 2 great loves: teaching poker and playing poker from his […]

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Yul Kwon (Facebook) and Survivor Winner

Inhouse Counsel, Lawyer, TV Celebrity / Movies

Today, my guest is Yul Kwon*, Head of Privacy Program at Facebook. Yul is most well known for being the winner of the CBS TV show Survivor but he has a number of incredible achievements: degrees from Stanford, Yale Law School, legislative assistant to Senator Lieberman, Second Circuit Law Clerk, McKinsey, Google, FCC, FBI, CNN — and all before the age of 40. What’s even more incredible is that Yul self-classifies himself as an introvert — perhaps even a bit of […]

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Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Olympic Gold Medalist

Athlete, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Nancy Hogshead-Makar, an Olympic swimmer who won 3 Gold medals and one Silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. After retiring from competitive swimming, she obtained a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and later became a tenured professor at Florida Coastal School of Law, where she taught torts and sports law courses until 2013. After spending over 30 years with the Women’s Sports Foundation (starting as an intern in 1984), she is now the Founder and […]

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Catalina Girald, Founder & CEO of Naja

Entrepreneur, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Catalina Girald, who is the Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Naja. Although she started her career as an M&A attorney at Skadden Arps after earning her JD from Boston College, she quit her job after getting accepted into Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. After graduating with her MBA, Catalina started Naja with the goal of empowering women through lingerie — from the wearer to the garment worker. She is also the founder of Underwear for Hope, a […]

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Rodney Gilmore, ESPN College Football Analyst

Athlete, Lawyer, TV Celebrity / Movies

Today, my guest is Rodney Gilmore, a college football analyst for ESPN and practicing lawyer at the law firm of Doty Barlow Britt & Thieman LLP. He is a graduate of Stanford University, where he played football for three years under legendary Coach Bill Walsh, and received his JD from the University of California, Berkeley. While at Stanford, he was involved in The Play (see video below), a legendary last-second kickoff return by the University of California (“Cal”) Golden Bears to defeat Stanford in […]

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Strauss Zelnick, Chairman & CEO of Take-Two Interactive

Entrepreneur

Today my guest is Strauss Zelnick*, Founder of Zelnick Media Capital and Chairman & CEO of Take-Two Interactive, which owns and has published many notable games, including its most famous series Grand Theft Auto, Civilization, and the NBA 2K game series. Although Mr. Zelnick has a JD from Harvard Law School, he never practiced as a lawyer and instead went straight into the media and entertainment business, holding executive positions at BMG Entertainment, Crystal Dynamics and 20th Century Fox. A lifelong […]

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Sandy Kurtzig, Entrepreneur, CEO, ASK Group and Kenandy

Author, Entrepreneur

Today, my guest is Sandy Kurtzig, who has been the founder, co-founder and investor in many successful software companies. She founded her first company, the ASK Group and grew the company into one of the ten largest software companies in the world and was the first woman CEO to take a technology company public. She is the author of the best-selling autobiography, CEO: Building a $400 Million Company from the Ground Up and her latest company, Kenandy, is transforming the world of enterprise software […]

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International Chef Ming Tsai and Family Reach

TV Celebrity / Movies

Today, my guest is Chef Ming Tsai, a world-renowned chef, owner of the famous Blue Ginger restaurant and host of the television show Simply Ming. Despite his incredible success and international celebrity, what Ming finds most rewarding — after his family — is cooking for Family Reach, a national charity dedicated to providing direct financial support to families fighting cancer, where my daughter Maya has volunteered (see picture below). As part of his role, Ming recently hosted a Cooking Live event on […]

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Lucy Kalanithi on “When Breath Becomes Air”

Author

Today, my guest is Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, the widow of the late Dr. Paul Kalanithi, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, for which she wrote the epilogue. At the age of thirty-six, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and he wrote a deeply profound book on death and his illness as he went from doctor to patient and a new father to a baby girl, all the while confronting his own mortality. I sat […]

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William Green, Author of “The Great Minds of Investing”

Author

Today, my guest is William Green*, author of The Great Minds of Investing where he interviews 33 of the greatest investors, including Irving Kahn, Marty Whitman, Charles Brandes, Thomas Gayner, Bruce Greenwald, Paul Tudor Jones, Bill Miller, Arnold Van Den Berg, Thomas Russo, Francisco García Paramés, Pat Dorsey, Wallace Weitz, Isabel Levy, Warren Buffett, Mohnish Pabrai, John Spears, David Winters, Howard Marks, Donald Yacktman, Georg von Wyss, François-Marie Wojcik, Vincent Strauss, Bill Nygren, Mario Gabelli, Klaus Kaldemorgen, Thomas Braun, Jean-Marie Eveillard, Joel Greenblatt, Bill Ackman, Mason Hawkins, Frank Lingohr, Francis Chou and Charlie Munger. William Green wrote 22 of the profiles and edited 11 of them. After interviewing many of these extraordinary investors in […]

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Len Elmore, Retired NBA Basketball Player

Athlete, Lawyer, TV Celebrity / Movies

Today, my guest is Len Elmore, an All-American basketball player from 1971 to 1974 at the University of Maryland, who was a first round draft pick in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Over his ten-year career, he played for the Indiana Pacers, Kansas City Kings (presently Sacramento Kings), Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks. After retiring from professional basketball, Elmore received a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1987 and began his law career […]

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Tom Mendoza, Vice Chairman of NetApp

Entrepreneur

Today, my guest is Tom Mendoza, Vice Chairman of NetApp. Tom joined NetApp, Inc. in 1994 as employee number 32 and went on to serve as its President from 2000 until 2008 until he was promoted to Vice Chairman. In September 2000, the University of Notre Dame renamed their business school the Mendoza College of Business based upon a generous endowment from Tom and Kathy Mendoza. Mr. Mendoza has also been the keynote speaker for such diverse companies as Oracle Corporation, Veritas, […]

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Anja Manuel, co-Founder of Rice Hadley Gates LLC

Author, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Anja Manuel*, author of “This Brave New World” and Co-Founder and Partner along with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, of Rice Hadley Gates LLC, which assists companies to expand their businesses and meet regulatory challenges in international markets. A graduate of Harvard Law School and Stanford University, she also served as Special Assistant to Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns at the U.S. Dept. of […]

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Rodney Perkins, M.D., Surgeon, Inventor, Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur

Today, my guest is Rodney Perkins, M.D., an internationally known otologic surgeon and serial entrepreneur who has successfully launched numerous medical device and healthcare technology companies including ReSound Corp, Laserscope (acquired by American Medical Systems), Collagen Corp (acquired by Inamed), Sound ID, Novacept (acquired by Cytyc), SurgRx (acquired by Ethicon), DFin (acquired by Merit Medical), Pulmonx, Cohesion (acquired by Angiotech) and his most recent companies, Ear Lens and ProCept. Dr. Perkins founded the California Ear Institute and is a Clinical Professor of Surgery […]

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Jack Brigham, Former SVP and General Counsel of HP

Inhouse Counsel, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Jack Brigham*, who was Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and General Counsel at Hewlett Packard from 1975-2000. A graduate of the University of Utah law school, Jack began in the accounting department at HP and after becoming General Counsel in 1975, he worked closely with Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard (who are pictured to the left of Jack in photo below). In the early 1980s, Jack was responsible for overseeing Corporate Offices Personnel, Government Affairs, […]

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Thomas J. Fogarty, M.D., Surgeon, Entrepreneur, Vintner

Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist

Today, my guest is Dr. Thomas J. Fogarty, an internationally recognized cardiovascular surgeon, inventor, entrepreneur and vintner. He has dedicated his entire career to improving patient care and has acquired 165 medical patents for his revolutionary work, including the “industry standard” Fogarty balloon catheter and is widely considered one of pioneers of minimally-invasive surgery. Dr. Fogarty has been recognized by countless organizations for his contributions to medical science, including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, an honor granted by the […]

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Henry Bushkin, Author of “Johnny Carson”

Author, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Henry Bushkin, who was Johnny Carson’s lawyer, business manager, advisor, confidante and author of the book Johnny Carson. I sat down with Henry in his apartment on the Upper East Side to talk about what it was like to work for the “King of Late Night” for 18 years and to write a book about it 25 years later. It took him over 3 years just to “get the voice right” in the book but despite having […]

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Kelly Perdew and Apprentice 2 Winner

Author, Entrepreneur, Lawyer, TV Celebrity / Movies, Venture Capitalist

Today, my guest is Kelly Perdew, entrepreneur, investor, advisor, author and winner of The Apprentice 2. A graduate of West Point and former Army Ranger, Kelly decided to start a company after law school and eventually won Season 2 of the television reality show “The Apprentice.” Even though he now works almost exclusively with startups as an investor and entrepreneur, he says not a day goes by where he doesn’t get a chance to use his law degree. Kelly Perdew and […]

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Dr. Pippa Malmgren, Economist, Politics and Policy Advisor

Author

Today, my guest is Dr. Philippa “Pippa” Malmgren, a politics and policy advisor, who is the author of Signals: the breakdown of the social contract and the rise of geopolitics. Raised by a father who served in four presidential administrations (Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford), Pippa learned early in her career that the only way to influence public policy is to be able to explain things in plain, everyday language. Partially inspired by Peter Lynch‘s famous book on choosing stocks One up […]

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Drew Shoals, Drummer for Train Band

Lawyer, Musician

Today, with the help of my 12 year old daughter Emma, we interview Drew Shoals*, the drummer for the Grammy Award winning band, Train. Drew had previously played with the lead singer of Train, Pat Monahan, prior to going to law school. Despite having a successful legal career at Shearman & Sterling, when he got the call to join the band, he couldn’t say no! *with special thanks to Michael Dorf Listen to an interview I did with @HsuUntied where I talk […]

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Richard Susskind (I), Author and Speaker

Academic, Author, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Dr. Richard Susskind, an author, speaker and thought leader in the legal profession. He has written 4 books about the practice of law, including The Future of Law, Transforming the Law, The End of Lawyers? and most recently Tomorrow’s Lawyers. He is as good a speaker as he is a profound thinker and it was a privilege to have him join me for this interview from his home in Radlett, England. Here is a recorded interview about […]

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David Lat, Founder of “Above the Law”

Author, Lawyer

Today, my guest is David Lat, a Yale Law School alum, former Ninth Circuit clerk, Wachtell Associate and Founder and Managing Editor of “Above the Law,” a widely read and award-winning website covering the legal profession. When I spoke with David late last year, he had just published his first novel, Supreme Ambitions, which allowed him to combine his creative writing skills with his circuit court clerking experience. Although he hasn’t committed to writing a second book, the first one […]

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Bill Henderson, Indiana University Law Professor

Academic, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Bill Henderson, Professor of Law at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. In 2009, Professor introduced a a new first-year course in 2009 called The Legal Profession and since then, his scholarship has focused on empirical analysis of the legal profession and legal education. His published work includes articles in the North Carolina Law Review, Indiana Law Journal, Texas Law Review, Michigan Law Review, and Stanford Law Review. He is also a frequent commentator, author, […]

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Robert J. Lang, Origami Master

Author, TED Speaker

Today, my guest is Roberg J. Lang, an origami master who is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading masters of the art, with over 500 designs catalogued and diagrammed. A distinguished Caltech alumi, he started his career as a laser physicist before pursuing a lifelong hobby of origami as a full time profession. A TED speaker, he is noted for designs of great detail and realism, and has folded some of the most complex origami designs ever created. The barrel cactus pictured here […]

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Michelle Dennedy (Intel) and Runway Fashion Model

Inhouse Counsel, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Michelle Dennedy, Chief Privacy Officer at McAfee (division of Intel Security), who was invited to represent McAfee Online Safety for Kids and The Identity Project as a runway fashion model for The Moms Struts for a Cause at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion week in New York City. Michelle shares a surreal experience of being a fashion model for a day with hair extensions, 5-inch heels and the NY Knicks but at the end of it all, it was to support […]

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Nicholas Carlisle, Founder & CEO of No Bully

Lawyer, TED Speaker

Today, my guest is Nicholas Carlisle*, a former lawyer and Founder and CEO of No Bully, a non-profit focused on stopping childhood bullying and cyberbullying. A graduate from Oxford University and former chairman of the non-profit section with Amnesty International, Nicholas left the practice of law to get a Ph.D. in psychology where he started studying the effects of school bullying. Nicholas gave a TEDx talk (see video below) on bullying in 2015 and is now a speaker and commentator on school bullying […]

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Tae Hea Nahm, Founding Partner at Storm Ventures

Lawyer, Venture Capitalist

Today, my guest is Tae Hea Nahm, former partner at Wilson Sonsini and Venture Law Group, and one of the founding Managing Directors at Storm Ventures. Going from a law firm partner to a venture capitalist is not an easy transition and Tae Hea’s success is largely attributable to his deep understanding of technology and careful decision-making. He was recently interviewed by the New York Times and he shares his wisdom working with entrepreneurs on his blog Working with Tae Hea Nahm. […]

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Doug Leeds, President & CEO of Ask.com

Entrepreneur, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Doug Leeds*, President & CEO of Ask.com. After starting his career as a lawyer, Doug became an entrepreneur and then worked at a number of Internet search engine companies, including Overture and then Yahoo! (after acquiring Overture) before joining Ask Jeeves. Doug credits Jim Lanzone (also a former lawyer) for hiring Doug in a business role which ultimately led to Doug’s current position as President & CEO. *with special thanks to David Hornik

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Dr. Harrison Dillon, Founder of Solazyme

Entrepreneur, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Dr. Harrison Dillon, founder of Solazyme. Harrison always knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur so even while he was at Duke Law School, he took biology classes to learn everything he could about algae genetics and got credit for it in the law school. Harrison and I were colleagues at Townsend LLP (now Kilpatrick Townsend) so it was a privilege to know him before he become a successful entrepreneur! Since the interview, Harrison has co-founded and is currently Chairman […]

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Randy Schoenberg and “Woman in Gold” movie

Lawyer, TV Celebrity / Movies

Today, my guest is Randy Schoenberg, an attorney who specializes in legal cases related to the recovery of looted or stolen artworks. Randy is widely known for representing Maria Altmann in her lawsuit to recover paintings from the government of Austria. Their story was made into a critically acclaimed movie Woman in Gold, in which Randy was depicted by Ryan Reynolds and Maria Altmann was portrayed by Oscar Winning Actress Helen Mirren. A long and arduous case that took nearly […]

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Augustine Yee, CLO and Head of Corp Dev at Hoya Corp

Inhouse Counsel, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Augustine Yee, Chief Legal Officer and Global Head of Corporate Development and Affairs at Hoya Corporation, who talks about recently taking a C-level role at a public Japanese multinational company leading legal, M&A/business development, venture capital investments and a number of other global functions for this highly diversified high tech and life sciences company. Prior to joining Hoya, Augustine was AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals’ Head of Asia Pacific Regional and Corporate Business Development where he was an expat based […]

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Ayelette Robinson, Actress

Lawyer, TV Celebrity / Movies

Today, my guest is Ayelette Robinson*, a former corporate lawyer turned actress. A Meisner-trained actor who has appeared in a variety of films as well as on TV, Ayelette is also an experienced competitive Latin ballroom dancer, having won the National Championship title in International Latin in 2011 and having placed 5th in the World finals that year. Ayelette originally took acting lessons as a way to improve her ballroom dancing but once she started, she became hooked on acting. Her theatrical reel is posted […]

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Harold J. McGee, Food Scientist

Author

Today, my guest is Harold McGee, a food scientist who writes about the chemistry and history of food, science and cooking. A distinguished Caltech alum, he earned his Ph.D. from Yale University before becoming a food science writer. After writing his first book On Food and Cooking in 1984, it was extensively revised in 2004. Today, he writes a regular column for the New York Times which examines, and often debunks, conventional kitchen wisdom; and also teaches at The French Culinary Institute in New York […]

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Liz Stone (Stone Legal Search) and Standup Comedy

Lawyer

Today, my guest is Liz Stone, Founder of Stone Legal Search, who is also a standup comedienne. Liz actually started doing “stand-up” after a couple of friends noticed her performing a wedding speech and after doing many “open mics,” she now performs at clubs like the San Francisco Punchline and Cobbs Comedy Club. Although she enjoys what she currently does, she admits there is nothing more exhilarating — or terrifying — than trying to make an audience laugh. You can see her […]

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Ro Khanna, Congressional Candidate

Author, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Ro Khanna*, Congressional Candidate for the US House of Representatives in Silicon Valley. With a law degree from Yale, Ro began his career as a successful Silicon Valley technology attorney but has found his passion in politics and policy, having written Entrepreneurial Nation and served in the Obama Administration. Ro took time from his very busy campaign schedule to talk candidly about his career and his current run for Congress. *with special thanks to Chad Walsh I had […]

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Keith Wetmore (MoFo) and Funeral Homes

Lawyer

Today, my guest is Keith Wetmore, former Chairman of Morrison and Foerster, who grew up working in his family-owned funeral home business. I have known Keith for many years and in this candid conversation, we talked about death, the television show Six Feet Under and how everything he learned about being a service provider in the legal profession, he learned from working in the funeral home business. A link to the podcast of my conversation with the very gracious Richard Hsu. @HsuUntied […]

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James E. Mitchell, Hedge Fund Manager and Value Investor

Lawyer

Today, my guest is James E. Mitchell, General Partner of Mitchell Partners, a value fund located in Costa Mesa, California which is focused on thinly traded stocks listed on the Pink Sheets. Despite graduating from Stanford Law School and becoming the General Counsel of Century 21 Real Estate Corporation, a company which he helped incorporate, Jim’s passion has always been in picking stocks. He bought his first stock at the age of 12 after selling newspaper subscriptions door-to-door and bought Berkshire Hathaway […]

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Claude Stern on Sturgis and Harley Davidson

Lawyer

Today, my guest is Claude Stern, a Partner at Quinn Emanuel, who has a passion for Harley Davidson motorcycles. Claude recently came back from the iconic Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (technically called the Black Hills rally), which takes place in Sturgis, South Dakota during the first week of August. Although an intellectual property lawyer from Silicon Valley seems like the last person to attend such a rally, Claude says he enjoys the change of pace and feels completely at home at […]

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Mitch Zuklie (Orrick) & Stephen Kong (Stradling) and Boxing

Lawyer

Today, my guests are 2 former colleagues, Mitch Zuklie (from Venture Law Group) and Stephen Kong (from Townsend) who both box as a hobby. Stephen is more of a boxing aficionado and historian while Mitch takes a more meditative and therapeutic attitude towards the sport. Both have totally different approaches to boxing, which is reflective of the very different styles of the sport itself.

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Bart Lee (Mediator) and Ham Radio Operator

Lawyer

Today, my guest is Bart Lee*, a mediator and litigator, who some might call the “godfather of ham radio.” Bart was in 5th grade when his father brought home a book on how to build a ham radio using a pencil, a razor blade and some wire. A noted wireless historian, he is a History Fellow at the California Historical Radio Society and was recently honored for his “historic preservation, research and publication.” Over his lifetime, Bart has contacted hundreds, if not thousands, […]

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Khiara Bridges (Boston Univ Law School) and Classical Ballet

Academic, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Khiara Bridges*, Associate Professor of Law and Anthropology at Boston University School of Law, who is a classically trained ballet dancer. Khiara started dancing at the age of 3, but unlike most people, just never stopped dancing. Even though she enjoys the thrill of performing in front of audiences, she enjoys getting up every morning, lacing up her point shoes, standing at the bar and dancing to the beautiful music. Ballet is more than just a […]

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Mark Herrmann (AON) and “The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law”

Inhouse Counsel, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Mark Herrmann*, Chief Counsel of Litigation and Global Chief Compliance Officer at AON Corporation who is the author of “The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law.” Originating from a conversation with a summer Associate while he was a partner at Jones Day, Mark’s book (which was highly rated by the Wall Street Journal) on how to practice law written in the style of a curmudgeon has sold over 50,000 copies, which makes it the ABA’s second highest all-time […]

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Helen Wan, Author and Speaker

Author, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Helen Wan*, former Associate General Counsel at Time Inc, now speaker, writer and author of “The Partner Track.” Helen worked on the manuscript for her novel for over 12 years and when it was finally published, she — along with her publisher — were amazed at the overwhelming response from the legal and business community to her message about diversity and inclusion. So despite having a successful career as a lawyer, she couldn’t resist the opportunity […]

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Stefan Sperling and Deep Springs College (A Tribute)

Lawyer

This post is a tribute to the late Stefan Sperling, who tragically and suddenly passed away on August 10, 2016 from lung cancer. Stefan spoke to me about having been both a student and a teacher at a highly selective – yet little known – college called Deep Springs College located in rural California which only accepts 12-15 students each year. I was introduced to Deep Springs College from my past guest Frank Wu, who is on their Board of Trustees. […]

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Eric Goldman (Santa Clara Law School) and Slinkies

Academic, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Eric Goldman, Santa Clara Law School Professor and Co-Director of its High Tech Law Institute, who has a most unusual hobby: Slinkies. After having collected over 400 slinkies, he may very well have the largest collection in the world. I was fortunate to get a couple of extra samples after he shared his passion for this simple child’s toy invented in the 1940’s by a naval engineer. Of the hundreds of interviews I’ve done, this may be my […]

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Rick Weber (Oracle) and Model Airplanes

Inhouse Counsel, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Rick Weber, Sr. Intellectual Property Counsel, Patent Strategy and Portfolio Management, at Oracle Corporation, who talks about model airplane gliders. Now these are not the plastic airplane models you built on your kitchen table, this is a 40-50 lb carbon fiber airplane glider with a wingspan of over 20 feet that needs to be towed into the air or launched off a cliff (see video below)!

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Saurabh Kikani and Miss India America

Lawyer, TV Celebrity / Movies

Today, my guest is Saurabh Kikani, a former lawyer turned scriptwriter and movie producer. While he was attending law school, someone pointed out to him that he was way more interested in reading movie scripts than contracts so he began his film career with an internship on the movie The Namesake starring Kal Penn. From there, he formed his own movie production company and his latest project is the critically-acclaimed movie Miss India America starring Hannah Simone and Tiya Sircar. Honored to have been featured on […]

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Jon Lindsey (Major, Lindsey & Africa) and Juggling

Lawyer

Today, my guest is Jon Lindsey*, a partner at Major, Lindsey & Africa, who shares his juggling hobby with me. Borrowing from his skills as a 2 string stunt kite flyer, Jon originally learned how to juggle when he broke his wrist and subsequently tried to teach all his colleagues in the civil division at the US Attorney’s office. Over the years, he has taught several hundred adults and kids to juggle, including me! *with special thanks to Sonya Olds Som

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Brian Schar (Dextera) and Zymurgy (Beer Brewing)

Inhouse Counsel, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Brian Schar, a former colleague from Lyon & Lyon, who talks about zymurgy, which is the technical term of beer brewing. Not only does Brian brew his own beer in his backyard, he is also a beer tasting judge. It turns out that getting a beer judge certification is not altogether different from passing the bar exam: it involves study groups, flash cards and 3 hours of essays! Brian has attained a certification level of a “Master” level judge, one short […]

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Josh Green (Mohr Davidow Ventures) and Coaching Basketball

Lawyer, Venture Capitalist

Today, my guest is Josh Green, a former lawyer and now venture capitalist at Mohr Davidow Ventures, who coached high school basketball for 8 years and has a love for the game — and his students — I seldom come across. Hear his moving and inspiring story which will leave you feeling somewhere between Hoosiers and Hoop Dreams. @HsuTubeEsq Had great fun! Richard is quite the anchorman! — Josh Green (@zwimmer4080) April 8, 2014

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Brian Martin (KLA-Tencor) and Family Supportive Housing

Inhouse Counsel, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Brian Martin, General Counsel of KLA Tencor, who talks about Family Supportive Housing where he is on the Board of Directors. Family Supportive Housing tries to keep homeless and displaced families together, which maximizes their chances of getting back on their feet. The organization has had a lot of successful programs and Brian has been a big part of their success.

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Mary Fuller (Maxim Integrated) and Beekeeping

Inhouse Counsel, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Mary Fuller*, who is Managing Director and Associate General Counsel of Intellectual Property at Maxim Integrated, who talks about beekeeping. Inspired by her neighbor, the world renowned Stanford Biology Professor Craig Heller, Mary purchased a bee hive which has now multiplied to 4 bee hives! In addition to having fabulous honey, Mary loves the fact that the bees have greatly increased the productivity of her vegetable garden. *with special thanks to Annie Rogaski

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Frank Goldberg (Zynga) and Rock Musician

Inhouse Counsel, Lawyer, Musician

Today, my guest is Frank Goldberg, Associate General Counsel of Intellectual Property at Zynga, who is the founder and bass guitarist of a rock bank called Talk Tonight. Described as fun, intelligent pop music tangled with melodic soul, Talk Tonight has played to packed audiences at some of the Bay Area’s most iconic venues such as Café du Nord, Brick & Mortar, and Hotel Utah. Their music can be found on SoundCloud, Spotify, iTunes and Amazon.

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Paul Roeder (Hewlett Packard) and Extreme Cycling

Inhouse Counsel, Lawyer

Today, my guest is Paul Roeder, Deputy General Counsel, Litigation and Brand Security at Hewlett Packard, who is an extreme cyclist. Just like the movie Breaking Away (1979), Paul started riding in college and now averages about 11,500 miles per year. Paul self-characterizes himself as “obsessive compulsive” and gets up every morning at 4:30AM and rides 2 hours before work plus another 100 miles every weekend.

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John Orcutt (UNH Law School) and Hospice Volunteer

Academic, Lawyer

Today, my guest is John Orcutt*, Professor of Business Law and Intellectual Property Valuation at the University of New Hampshire Law School and former Associate at Shearman & Sterling, who talks about being a hospice volunteer. Contrary to what one might think, John finds that being a companion to dying people is a great to way to appreciate life and learn how to live. *with special thanks to John Wilson

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