Wendy Larson's guest appearances

Wendy Larson

Through Tinted Lenses? How Chinese and Americans See Each Other (Audio Only)

Through Tinted Lenses? How Chinese and Americans See Each Other

Lone Star Lawyers

Jason Scott

Erin Brockovich

Andy Jones

Brandon Waddell

Stephanie Curtis

Caroline Harrison

Amanda Taylor

Brandon Lewis

Jennifer King

Will Thomas

Anna Greenberg

Alex Bell

Josh White

Brian Lopez

Matthew Myers

OwlTail

Jered Matthysse

Wendy Larson and Jered Matthysse, "soft" IP lawyers with the Austin firm of Pirkey Barber, join us on today's show. They talk about NFTs, having enthusiasm for your work, and engaging with your law firm partners Your firm/practiceNearly 40 attorneysHeadquarters in Austin with another office in the Washington, D.C. areaFirm founded in 2006 based completely on trademark and copyright law, though it has since grown into other areasNew announcement soon on a new area...exciting!Wendy and Jered have been there over a decadeMoved into a new office on the East side of Austin/I-35all partner and associate offices are the same sizelots of glass to let in lightlots of meeting roomsHot topics in IPNFTs (non-fungible tokens)Their clients may want to get into itOr someone might be infringing on their IP by creating NFTs of artwork depicting their productsNBA Top ShotGary Vaynerchuck / VeeFriendsBefore joining the firm 15 years ago, Wendy was concerned that trademark and soft IP law was to niche and that she would be pigeonholing herself. But it is always changing, growing, adapting, and it has made for a fascinating practice area.You don't need a hard science background to work in soft IP - Wendy was a psychology major!That said, there are patent lawyers who practice soft IPThe best laterals usually have a few years of litigation experience, with an expertise in writingThere are some lawyers who do more counseling/transactional side while others do more of the litigationCOVID update (as of May 13, 2021)First few months were one phasePhase two, as people got used to it, moved on to using Zoom, etc.Some clients have done well/better during the pandemic (grocery, delivery, etc.); others have struggled (restaurants, entertainment)Didn't see a big drop in transactional work, but litigation did slow downRemote work has certainly taken center-stage; will be with us after the pandemicOpens up talent pool to folks outside of AustinAdvice for lawyers in practiceUnderstanding that all partners practice differently; there isn't one right or wrong way to practiceSo learn how each partner practicesEmails? Interactions with clients?Could be 180 degrees different from another partnerLou Pirkey is one of the founding members of their firm and is awesomeHe noticed a gap in the trademark law field (nationally) and suggested that Wendy become an expert in that areaIt wasn't something she was interested in and she didn't feel quite ready to jump into something like that, but she still remembers that and wonders what might have been had she followed his advice!He also encouraged her to take another lawyer (outside the firm) to lunch every weekLove what you do; partners notice! If you love it, you are much more likely to do a good job.Take initiative; don't make the partner follow up with you all the time.Don't make the same mistake multiple times; learn and improve! A mistake is okay, but if it continues to happen that is a bad sign. Makes the partner feel ignored and that they aren't being listened to.Don't just take edits from a partner and implement them without thinking; engage with the edits and discuss them with the partner to make sure you are on the same page and there isn't something missing.This doesn't mean you are pushing back on everything, but you are working through the material as a team. So if you disagree with the edit you should say so.Goal is to refine and get to the best product; won't happen if the associate acts like a robot.Definitely depends on the partner since they are all different.Advice for lawyers looking to lateralIf the firm is interviewing you, that means they think you can do the work. So they are looking to figure out whether the candidate is a good fit with the firm and the rest of the attorneys.They are looking for people who are kind, not mean, want a family life, and are excited about trademark law.They want to make partners out of each person they hire, so that impacts the hiring decisions.Final thoughtsWendy made partner in her eighth year, has two kids, sits on the management committee, etc.She is happyShe has hobbiesShe spends time with her familyIt can be done!But not at every firm, so look around and see how the other lawyers live.Leaders at law firms should take stock and see how their lawyers are doing and make adjustments to make their people's lives better.Rapid fire questions (Jered / Wendy)What trait do you most want to see in an associate: enthusiasm / joyWhat habit has been key to your success: enthusiasm / relationshipsFavorite app/tool: Slack / SlackFavorite social distancing activity: Zoom Escape Game / painting from home on ZoomFavorite legal movie: The Firm / Legally BlondeThanks again to Wendy Larson and Jered Matthysse for coming on the show!

Wendy Larson and Jered Matthysse, "soft" IP lawyers with the Austin firm of Pirkey Barber, join us on today's show. They talk about NFTs, having enthusiasm for your work, and engaging with your law firm partners  Your firm/practice Nearly 40 attorneys Headquarters in Austin with another office in the Washington, D.C. area Firm founded in 2006 based completely on trademark and copyright law, though it has since grown into other areas New announcement soon on a new area...exciting! Wendy and Jered have been there over a decade Moved into a new office on the East side of Austin/I-35 all partner and associate offices are the same size lots of glass to let in light lots of meeting rooms Hot topics in IP NFTs (non-fungible tokens) Their clients may want to get into it Or someone might be infringing on their IP by creating NFTs of artwork depicting their products NBA Top Shot Gary Vaynerchuck / VeeFriends Before joining the firm 15 years ago, Wendy was concerned that trademark and soft IP law was to niche and that she would be pigeonholing herself. But it is always changing, growing, adapting, and it has made for a fascinating practice area. You don't need a hard science background to work in soft IP - Wendy was a psychology major! That said, there are patent lawyers who practice soft IP The best laterals usually have a few years of litigation experience, with an expertise in writing There are some lawyers who do more counseling/transactional side while others do more of the litigation COVID update (as of May 13, 2021) First few months were one phase Phase two, as people got used to it, moved on to using Zoom, etc. Some clients have done well/better during the pandemic (grocery, delivery, etc.); others have struggled (restaurants, entertainment) Didn't see a big drop in transactional work, but litigation did slow down Remote work has certainly taken center-stage; will be with us after the pandemic Opens up talent pool to folks outside of Austin Advice for lawyers in practice Understanding that all partners practice differently; there isn't one right or wrong way to practice So learn how each partner practices Emails? Interactions with clients? Could be 180 degrees different from another partner Lou Pirkey is one of the founding members of their firm and is awesome He noticed a gap in the trademark law field (nationally) and suggested that Wendy become an expert in that area It wasn't something she was interested in and she didn't feel quite ready to jump into something like that, but she still remembers that and wonders what might have been had she followed his advice! He also encouraged her to take another lawyer (outside the firm) to lunch every week Love what you do; partners notice! If you love it, you are much more likely to do a good job. Take initiative; don't make the partner follow up with you all the time. Don't make the same mistake multiple times; learn and improve! A mistake is okay, but if it continues to happen that is a bad sign. Makes the partner feel ignored and that they aren't being listened to. Don't just take edits from a partner and implement them without thinking; engage with the edits and discuss them with the partner to make sure you are on the same page and there isn't something missing. This doesn't mean you are pushing back on everything, but you are working through the material as a team. So if you disagree with the edit you should say so. Goal is to refine and get to the best product; won't happen if the associate acts like a robot. Definitely depends on the partner since they are all different. Advice for lawyers looking to lateral If the firm is interviewing you, that means they think you can do the work. So they are looking to figure out whether the candidate is a good fit with the firm and the rest of the attorneys. They are looking for people who are kind, not mean, want a family life, and are excited about trademark law. They want to make partners out of each person they hire, so that impacts the hiring decisions. Final thoughts Wendy made partner in her eighth year, has two kids, sits on the management committee, etc. She is happy She has hobbies She spends time with her family It can be done! But not at every firm, so look around and see how the other lawyers live. Leaders at law firms should take stock and see how their lawyers are doing and make adjustments to make their people's lives better. Rapid fire questions (Jered / Wendy) What trait do you most want to see in an associate: enthusiasm / joy What habit has been key to your success: enthusiasm / relationships Favorite app/tool: Slack / Slack Favorite social distancing activity: Zoom Escape Game / painting from home on Zoom Favorite legal movie: The Firm / Legally Blonde Thanks again to Wendy Larson and Jered Matthysse for coming on the show!

Monday Mentor's with Austin Soft IP Lawyers Wendy Larson and Jered Matthysse