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TLDR

Forward is a revolutionary preventive healthcare membership that puts you in control of your health, with world-class doctors supported by technology.
Lawyers at startups are responsible for making things happen - this means nonstop learning and deciding where and when to take risks
Learn how to show where legal should and shouldn't be used
Don't underestimate the importance of intellectual curiosity
Communicate directly and with a belief in your objective

Resources Mentioned:

Intro

Matt Gipple and Thomas Scott, leading lawyers at Forward, discuss some common questions concerning the legal side of tech startups.

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Entering the Tech Space

It is important to understand the language of engineering in order to understand the dynamics of the space
- “Engineering is the function of a company, so you have to learn how engineers think and talk and what motivates them”
Try to set yourself up environment where persistent, perpetual learning is encouraged

The Role of A Lawyer in a Highly Regulated Startup

In this scenario, lawyers are responsible for making things happen
- Constantly helping your company figure out what rules cover their product/initiative and what you need to get done to launch
- Being able to take the necessary risks to keep the company and culture progressing forward
  - “For companies that are small and trying to grow, there is risk all over the place, but there is also risk in not stepping forward”

Performing in Multiple Roles

It is important to learn to frame tasks in terms of tradeoffs
- Ex: “For the first time, legal will go through this with you, but after that it won’t make sense to pay lawyers to do this”
Analyzing what the company is ready for and when
- Having an idea of what a mature company looks like, and knowing “when is the right time” to start doing something can be really important

On Culture and Tone

Two of the most important qualities a person can have in the legal startup space are a comfort with change and an intellectual curiosity
- The people who end up being the best fit are almost always nerds about something
For a culture in a legal team, you want people who develop relationships and dialogues around questions instead of finding narrow answers
Don’t underestimate the downside cost of hiring someone who isn’t the right fit

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Approaching Regulatory Issues in an Unfamiliar Industry

Do as much reading as possible, conferences, talking to people in the space, learning the buzzwords
Lean on outside counsel to give you context
“You hired me because you think I'm great [as a generalist], but I'm going to spend money getting smart on these [specific] issues, and you want me to do that”
Go to first principles
- “What are the underlying things that a regulator would be worried about?”
Reason by analogy
Approaching regulators with a straightforward and honest philosophy
- We believe we have a service that’s going to be really powerful and valuable to people, and we’re not afraid of that or ashamed of that or trying to hide anything”
- Be very clear and direct, don’t try to play games or omit things

About Lawtrades

Lawtrades is a software company that builds legal infrastructure for in-house teams to scale their operations. We develop software that serve as the connective tissue between an organizations in-house legal team, a tech-enabled workforce, and sophisticated analytics to help companies solve complex legal issues. To meet a Lawtrades lawyer, especially those specializing in hyper-growth tech companies, create a position.

🔊 Podcast #8 - Forward's Thomas Scott & Matt…