(Image via Sarah Feingold)
Ed. note: Please welcome Sarah Feingold to our pages. She’ll be writing about her experiences working as in-house counsel for startup companies.
Company name: biggest print.
Paying for Law School in 2025: A Straight-Talk Playbook
Juno has consistently secured the best private loan deals for students at the Top MBA programs since 2018—now they’re bringing that same offer to law students, at no cost. Students can check their personalized offers at juno.us/atl This article is for general information only and is not personal financial advice.
First name, last name, and job title: small print.
I didn’t spend money to attend this conference, but I was afraid I was about to pay dearly. I slip the nametag over my neck, the wrong way, so that my shirt reads my personal information. The check-in professional doesn’t notice as she’s now taking information from the lawyer behind me in line.
I have much experience working in a small subset of the legal profession. I’m an in-house attorney at a well-funded or well-known tech company. That means that along with the zip-up hoodies, engineer talk, office dogs, and hand-crafted cold brew on tap, comes my least favorite perk. I’ll be one of the most popular people in a room full of esquires. I’m a potential client. I assume I look exactly like walking, talking, name-badge-wearing money. Money that may be small today, but has the potential to grow up to be significant cash flow. I’m a guppy in a room of hungry sharks and I’m in no mood to be eaten.
I take my seat, usually in the very front row. Instead of chatting with attendees, I hope to absorb all the content in this narrow and deep area of law. I feverishly jot down notes to report back to my team and CEO.
Inside The Minds Working At US Midsize Law Firms: 2025 Priorities Revealed
Midsize firms want smarter tech, not more. Our 2025 industry report shows how the right tools—and strategy—can drive growth, efficiency, and better client outcomes.
According to Wikipedia, “a unicorn is a privately held startup company valued at over $1 billion.[1] The term was coined in 2013 by venture capitalist Aileen Lee, choosing the mythical animal to represent the statistical rarity of such successful ventures.”[2][3][4][5] A baby unicorn is defined (by me) as a company that investors or the press thinks, one day, hopefully soon, may mature into a unicorn.
In 2007, I was the 17th employee and first lawyer of a baby unicorn, Etsy. For nine-plus years I supported Etsy through its unicorn trajectory to public company status. And then I landed the role of Vroom’s general counsel and first lawyer. The only way I could have avoided malpractice and stayed sane throughout this process is through my carefully cultivated network of similarly situated magical in-house tech attorneys and hand-selected outside counsel.
All outside counsel must have a common mission for the long-term prosperity of my fragile, rare, golden-horned relative of a horse. Not all relationships have gone as planned. I’ve hired, fired, and worked with dozens of law firm lawyers. I have stories to tell.
I write this column to share some pro tips for nourishing a rare client creature so that when a fledgling animal is spotted out in the wild, cold emailed, or introduced, you will know what to do. Pull up a seat in the front row. Take some notes. Because nametags often flip.
Sarah was the General Counsel / first Lawyer at Etsy and Vroom. She’s a co-founder of The Fourth Floor, a creator and producer of Legal Madness, an NYU Law School Engelberg Center fellow, a board member, an investor, and a speaker. You can also find Sarah hammering silver, eating candy, and chasing her child. sarahfeingold.com.