In-House Counsel

The Dream Team: How Veronica Abreu And Jennifer Lam Shaped Airbnb

How can you foster a dream team in your legal department?

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What do you get when you combine skilled legal leadership with trusted, experienced counsel? That’s what we call a dream team. Veronica Abreu and Jennifer Lam brought this concept to life at Airbnb. Abreu, who is currently Chief Privacy Officer at Square, worked at Airbnb for four years as Senior Counsel for Cybersecurity, Product, Privacy, IP, and Marketing and later Associate General Counsel. Lam, who is currently Senior Counsel at Airbnb, was Abreu’s first hire and a trusted report for over three years. I sat down with the two attorneys to discuss how their dynamic relationship shaped Airbnb and their careers.

On the Same Page

Part of what makes Veronica and Jennifer’s relationship so effective is that they share a vision of how to succeed in their roles. “Product and privacy counseling, to my view, function best when they are highly strategic functions,” said Veronica. “It is essential that one has a deep understanding both of the technology and how the work fits into the company’s (and product team’s) overall strategy.” Jennifer agreed, adding that “[i]t helps me appreciate the business and technological constraints that Airbnb operates under.”

This shared vision helped ensure that the two attorneys could effectively advise the company. “Jenn has excelled at this by always looking several steps ahead and advising accordingly,” Veronica explained. Jennifer added, “I view myself as a partner to the business team — we are all trying to solve the same problem. Offering alternative solutions and options is important in the partnership dynamic and it’s where I feel I add the most value.”

Growing the Company, Growing Professionally

A high-growth company is a great place to grow as a person and as a professional, but it requires employees who truly care about the company, not just its hype. “When building a team, I highly value collaborative players who prioritize the company’s best interest and goals,” said Veronica. “This is important at any company, but essential at a high-growth environment where one’s role by necessity changes every six months.”

Jennifer, empowered by Veronica’s leadership, fulfilled this role by always thinking about how to do more with less. “I enjoy thinking of ways to leverage tools and how legal can empower internal business partners,” Jennifer explained.

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A Positive Environment

Although Veronica is no longer with Airbnb, she acknowledges that mentoring Jennifer enriched her time with the company. “I’m glad I had the opportunity to build a strong team that can succeed me at Airbnb,” she explained. “Watching Jenn grow and blossom during her three first years to take on greater and greater responsibilities has been rewarding.”

At the same time, Jennifer also appreciated the opportunity to truly contribute to Airbnb because of how Veronica empowered her in her role. Jennifer explained, “One of my favorite things about working at a fast-paced and innovative company like Airbnb is the ability to be creative. There are so many gray areas in privacy law. With the GDPR deadline approaching, and the uncertainty within the industry about how to operationalize and interpret the law, I get to help write Airbnb’s privacy story. It’s very exciting!”

Working Together to Achieve More

Ultimately, Veronica and Jennifer’s relationship is based on mutual respect and appreciation. Veronica was a great leader who empowered Jennifer and led both women to grow Airbnb. “Through her extensive experience, she’s been able to help identify and spot issues that may not be immediately apparent,” explained Jennifer. “It’s one of the ways we’ve been able to get ahead of certain issues, and has positively impacted the way we work with our internal business groups. Veronica and I worked effectively together as we have similar approaches. So we were often able to tag team to provide seamless legal counseling.”

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At the same time, by maintaining this dynamic mentorship and constantly impressing Veronica, Jennifer was able to prove herself and earn opportunities to grow, such as her current GDPR leadership. Veronica explained, “Jenn is a unicorn that can scale with a rapidly expanding company and can take on various new roles.  It is no coincidence we’ve entrusted her with GDPR compliance.”

How can you foster a dream team in your legal department? Following Jennifer and Veronica’s example, look for team members you can trust to be on the same page, with diverse backgrounds that complement your own. A shared vision and mutual appreciation can set the foundation for a fulfilling, dynamic relationship that can boost both your company and your career.

Olga V. Mack is an award-winning general counsel, operations professional, startup advisor, public speaker, adjunct professor at Berkeley Law, and entrepreneur. Olga founded the Women Serve on Boards movement that advocates for women to serve on corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies. Olga also co-founded SunLaw to prepare women in-house attorneys become general counsel and legal leaders and WISE to help women law firm partners become rainmakers. She embraces the current disruption to the legal profession. Olga loves this change and is dedicated to improving and shaping the future of law. She is convinced that the legal profession will emerge even stronger, more resilient, and inclusive than before. You can email Olga at olga@olgamack.com or follow her on Twitter @olgavmack.

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