A Day in the Life of a Founding Partner at VLP Law Group
A startup lawyer's day is highly varied, beginning with "triage" of 300+ emails and then transitioning to enabling a small team, meticulously reviewing complex legal documents to ensure "everything is just right," and providing crucial client counseling through phone calls and video conferencing to help "make hard decisions." This blend of detailed legal work and client support highlights the demanding yet rewarding nature of the profession.
Communication, Problem-Solving, Teamwork, Leadership, Stress Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
David Goldenberg
Founding Partner
VLP Law Group
Stanford 1993
Law - JD - Stanford Law School
Philosophy
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing), Law
Entrepreneurship and Business Owner
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. A startup lawyer's day is highly varied, involving a large volume of emails (300+) requiring prioritization and triage.
2. A significant portion of the day focuses on team enablement, reviewing work, and ensuring high-quality deliverables.
3. Client counseling is a key aspect, involving phone calls and video conferencing to advise on critical decisions and problem-solving. The work requires careful attention to detail and precision, particularly in reviewing complex legal documents.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a startup lawyer look like?
My day is pretty varied, but I'd say I spend a lot of time in email. I probably receive over 300 emails daily.
I work out first thing in the morning because I've found that if I don't, it won't happen. I've made that a priority.
After that, I'll spend an hour on what I call triage, going through my email and prioritizing what needs immediate responses versus what can wait.
A significant part of my role now involves running a small team. About half of my email and day is spent enabling my team by helping them answer client questions directly and reviewing their work to ensure it looks good.
Then, I'll spend hours in the midday answering those questions or looking at documents directly. A lot of what I do involves careful, detailed reading of complicated agreements, ensuring everything is just right.
No one wants even one mistake in a million-dollar contract, so everything we do has to be perfect every single time. That's part of what makes my job hard and stressful, but that's what I spend a lot of my day doing. I ensure my team delivers good work, and I turn that good work into great work.
The other main thing I do is a lot of counseling. I spend a lot of time on the phone or Zoom with clients, helping them make hard decisions, figuring out the best way to approach a problem, and solving those problems with them or for them. That takes up a lot of my day.