You joined Banc of California back in July 2023, as Deputy General Counsel. Can you describe your main responsibilities and how different this position is from your prior in-house roles?
At Banc of California, I am a bit of a “jack of all trades” – I handle a broad range of corporate legal matters, primarily corporate governance, including board matters, securities and M&A, but also some bank regulatory, risk and compliance, executive compensation, and other various matters. I would say this type of generalist corporate practice is common for in-house roles, especially in companies without large internal legal teams. It is a practice for which my S&C training particularly prepared me in the early years and was one of the reasons I chose S&C to begin my career. I wanted a firm focused on training lawyers in a generalist approach so that I could build a well-rounded corporate legal foundation to serve as a base for a broad in-house practice.
Prior to joining Banc of California, I was at Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) from 2018 to 2023, initially as corporate and securities counsel, later transitioning primarily to a corporate investments and M&A role. At both SVB and Banc of California, my responsibilities evolved with the bank’s emerging needs and my own interests, which is something I especially enjoy about practicing in-house.
How helpful has the S&C alumni community been in your job searches? What would be your advice to lawyers in navigating through the S&C alumni network?
The S&C Talent Network department was very helpful to me during my latest job search. I believe the best professional resources we have are from personal working relationships, and the Talent Network is an extension of that. I initially saw my role posted on the S&C Alumni Network website job board and after I realized both Jared Wolff and Ido Dotan, CEO and General Counsel of Banc of California, respectively, are S&C alumni, I felt a certain level of comfort that it would be a good fit for me. Similarly, Jared and Ido’s familiarity with S&C’s training gave them a baseline comfort with my legal experience, which facilitated the interviewing process.
I would advise lawyers on the lookout for in-house roles to keep an eye on what’s being posted on the S&C Alumni Network job board and leverage contacts through the network and those still at S&C, particularly those colleagues you know well and who can directly vouch for your work. If you see something you’re interested in, chances are the Talent Network department can help you understand the opportunity better or connect you directly to the company. I didn’t personally know anyone at Banc of California, but I have worked frequently with Jared Fishman, both at S&C and while I was in-house at SVB, who connected me to Pat Brown, who, having worked extensively with Banc of California, helped me understand the company and the team before I pursued the opportunity.
What are the biggest challenges you have faced as an in-house lawyer so far? What are the things you wished you had known before moving in-house?
Before I moved in-house, I didn’t fully appreciate how critical it was to have the ability to communicate effectively across different stakeholders. As a law firm associate, I found that most of my clients were other lawyers, so I could often focus on legal issues within a legal framework. In house, I had clients who span a diverse group of stakeholders with different priorities and points of view – business teams, finance teams, risk and compliance teams, PR/IR and so on. The skills required to translate legal issues into different frameworks to build understanding and buy-in was something I had to learn by experience.
My key role as in-house counsel is to help my internal clients navigate legal risks and requirements in a way that advances the company’s goals. While outside counsel ultimately have the same purpose, in-house counsel are uniquely situated to understand the business, the culture and priorities of the management team. In-house counsel also need to understand the company’s risk profile and risk appetite, which are all constantly evolving, and provide ongoing legal judgment through that lens. I didn’t fully appreciate this before I went in-house, but I have found it truly rewarding and exciting to grow and evolve with my companies and to serve as a trusted advisor seeing through projects over a longer term and more comprehensively than I would be able to in private practice.
How did your experiences at S&C as a Financial Institutions associate help prepare you for your endeavors beyond the Firm?
S&C provided me with best-in-class legal training as well as great experience working with partners and associates with different working styles and preferences. I was exposed to a broad range of matters and worked with teams across the firm, which was great training for me to understand how to work with different stakeholders within a company. Having the opportunity to cross-train as a general corporate associate before specialization was also very valuable to me. Furthermore, working on matters that seemed far outside any corporate practice area I was interested in pursuing, such as investigations, structured finance or bankruptcy, has provided helpful experience or context in unexpected ways.
What advice would you give to more junior lawyers who may be interested in following a similar career path as you?
Be open to different experiences. Try to work with as many different partners and clients as possible. You’ll learn something different from everyone you work with even if it is something that seems outside of your focus at the time. Taking on different types of work will give you different perspectives and add depth and breadth to your legal experience. Try to do work outside of your group, provide some cross-functional support, and take advantage of the firm’s resources to learn things outside of your focus area.
Lastly, hone your communication skills to make your emails, memos, and presentations clear, succinct and relevant to the prompt. Correct legal analysis is foundational, but the ability to communicate it in a comprehensible way that unlocks action will distinguish you as an effective counselor.
