Law Schools

Why Georgetown Law Alum Taylor Weaver Is Planting An Urban Energy Garden And Helping Others Pursue Their Passion Projects

Advice for law students from someone who's been highlighted as a budding leader within his firm.

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Taylor Weaver

Taylor Weaver

“You see you wouldn’t ask why the rose that grew from the concrete had damaged petals / On the contrary, we would all celebrate its tenacity / We would all love its will to reach the sun…” — Tupac

This week, Taylor Weaver (Georgetown Law ’17) was featured on Winston & Strawn LLP’s (W&S) career site. While W&S has made a financial commitment to Weaver’s non-profit foundation, Urban Energy Garden (UEG), the firm has also provided the resources for Weaver to blossom in his career.

As a young lawyer, Weaver has already been recognized among his colleagues as a budding leader in the M&A and private equity areas. “He’s outstanding. He’s been able to balance the hours dedicated to his non-profit while providing essential support in several billion-dollar transactions such as our recent representations of Icahn Enterprises L.P. and Federal-Mogul LLC,” said W&S Partner Bruce Toth.

Last month, I had the opportunity to catch up with Weaver at a brunch in Chicago where I hosted young up-and-coming attorneys from firms such as Sidley Austin, Kirkland & Ellis, Gordon Rees, and W&S. In the not-so distant past, Weaver and I shared a summer as law clerks for a firm in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Even back then, it was apparent Weaver was motivated to be a leader and give back to his community.

Because Weaver played college football for my law school alma mater, Southern Methodist University (SMU), I was familiar with his name even before I had met him. As a novice student-athlete, I’ve always been impressed with those uber-talented people who can both excel in the classroom and on the field — especially law students. Since graduating from Georgetown Law, he has embarked on a Biglaw career and established a non-profit, while helping other colleagues pursue their passion projects. It is no wonder why he has been highlighted as a budding leader within his firm.

Without further ado, here is a (lightly edited and condensed) write-up of our conversation:

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Renwei Chung (RC): How did you choose SMU for undergraduate school and then decide to enroll in law school, specifically Georgetown Law?

Taylor Weaver (TW): My speed trainer, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, knew SMU’s then head coach, June Jones, from their time together in the National Football League. Like many others, Jones had high regards for Coach Shoes, and when Coach Shoes asked Coach Jones to consider me for his 2009 team, Coach Jones didn’t hesitate to offer me the opportunity.

Football was great, but it didn’t last — hence the whole “becoming a lawyer” thing. I didn’t realize that when I agreed to attend SMU, I would have the opportunity to learn from and work with such an incredible teaching faculty. I can’t say that I would have been as successful at Georgetown without the tutelage I received from Elsie Johnson, Keiko Flores, Jim Hollifield, Ling Shiao, Chelsea Brown, Bruce Levy — the list goes on.

As I mentioned in the GULC Newsletter, Georgetown was (and will always be) my “dream” law school. The faculty members (primarily the professors) are in a league of their own and our alumni network is top-tier. There’s probably a Hoya in every Vault’s Top 100 or Am Law 200 law firm. Alumni are easy to contact too.

RC: What motivated you to start Urban Energy Garden and what are your plans for UEG going forward?

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TW: Professor Anthony Cook. While working with Professor Cook, I uncovered research demonstrating that minority college students with science and technology backgrounds were lacking: 1) career opportunities to pursue their passions in environmental sustainability; and 2) the resources to pursue these passions.

When I discussed my research results with Professor Cook, he told me to fix the problem. With the help of Kimberly Chappell, Rauland Sharp, Carla Whitlock, and Junita Turner, UEG offers office, lab and field internships with the U.S. Department of Energy. We also spend $23-$26K on each student depending on their location (includes salary, and living and travel expenses) — so we provide the resources too.

Ideally, we will increase spending for our public sector students to $35K per student. At its capacity, UEG will serve 35 students in the private sector and 40 students in the public sector every year (3-year plan).

Out of the 37 students that applied this year from Stanford, UC Berkeley, University of Michigan and Georgetown, the GPA range was 3.61-4.0. We are already working with companies in the oil & gas, and food & drug industries to expand the program. Our interns have also expressed an interest in working with companies that dominate their specific industry such as AECOM, Tertra Tech, Patagonia, and others.

RC: You mentioned that you recently helped your friend Angela Johnson, litigation counsel at Uber, with the legal process of setting up a non-profit foundation. Can you tell us more about this?

TW: Yes. Angela is remarkable. She mobilized professionals from over 40 organizations (including Uber, Facebook, Google, and Zendesk) to foster community engagement among minority employee resource groups, nonprofits, community members, and small business owners. She united the group around a common desire — to plan educational programs and events that uplift black communities for Black History Month. Her team raised nearly $90,000 and organized 14 events, hosting over 1400 attendees.

Based on the positive feedback and energy from the first year, Angela decided to launch Coalition of Black Excellence (CBE) as a nonprofit organization. She reached out to me for guidance on securing 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. As a result of the guidance I provided, I now have the honor of serving as the Legal Director for the organization.

CBE is operated by 32 volunteers with expertise across multiple sectors. CBEWeek 2019 will be from February 19-24, and will encompass a two-day summit, networking opportunities, as well as community engagement events. It’s the only conference that unites black professionals and business owners from multiple industries to uplift minority communities.

RC: How would you describe your support system?

TW: God blessed me with the best dad anyone could ask for (hands down the only reason why I’m here), but the black women in my life have been absolutely incredible. These women have opened so many doors for me. Elsie Johnson, Tiffani Darden, Goldie Pritchard, Sheryll Cashin, Donna Daley, Donna Fisher-Lewis, the list goes on. I want them to know that I will always remember them.

Lest I forget to mention, Donna Daley is my executive coach. Donna and I have been working together on the “Taylor Weaver Project” since the beginning of my third year in law school — albeit, she used to give me the student discount. Donna has been an executive coach for over a decade and her clients include executives at EY, Deloitte and of course, Winston & Strawn.

RC: What skillsets would an attorney need to run a successful side business?

TW: Probably the most important skill set is knowing how to fundraise. I’ve seen organizations fail despite strong leadership teams and incredible missions simply because the founders were unable to raise enough capital.

If you can’t fundraise, then someone on your team needs to know how to fundraise. If you don’t have anyone on your team who can fundraise, then find someone or move on to a different project.  (Weaver has been successful at fundraising — raising nearly $133,000 for UEG’s pilot program.)

RC: What advice do you have for incoming law students?

TW: Decide early on the type of professional you want to be. Spend the next three years working on your craft and become an expert at helping people.

If you are interested in learning more about Urban Energy Garden, then be sure to check out UEG’s website www.uegnow.com. If you would like to contact Taylor Weaver, he can be reached at tweaver@winston.com or via LinkedIn.

Renwei Chung is the Diversity Columnist at Above the Law. You can contact Renwei by email at projectrenwei@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter (@renweichung), or connect with him on LinkedIn. 

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