The Abstract

What are the top books that every legal leader needs to read to succeed in the new year?  

At the close of each episode, Tyler asks our guests what book they would recommend to our audience, and we’re kicking off 2025 with this year’s list of must-read books that you need to check out. Listen to hear titles that these CEOs, start-up founders, and GCs can’t live without.   

Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-75  

Topics:
Introduction: 0:00  

Joe Green, Chief Innovation Officer Gunderson Dettmer, recommends Leading Professionals: Power, Politics, and Prima Donnas by Laura Empson: 0:42  

Rachel Olchowka, General Counsel & Chief People Officer at Fetch recommends Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by Patty McCord: 1:34  

Dan Haley, General Counsel at Guild Education recommends Helping Your Business Win by  Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford: 2:39  

Chelsea Grayson, Managing Partner at Pivot, recommends Quench Your Own Thirst: Business Lessons Learned Over a Beer or Two by Jim Koch: 5:51

Aaron Gregory, CEO of Upwardly, recommends The Right It: Why So Many Ideas Fail and How to Make Sure Yours Succeed by Alberto Savoia: 7:38

Jasmine Singh, General Counsel at Ironclad, recommends The Practice of Groundedness: A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds--Not Crushes--Your Soul by Brad Stulberg: 10:03

Sean West, Co-Founder of Hence Technologies, recommends The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma by Michael Bhaskar and Mustafa Suleyman: 12:56

Jules Polonetsky, CEO of Future of Privacy, recommends: Privacy Is Hard and Seven Other Myths by JH Hoepman: 14:17

Heath Tarbert, Chief Legal Officer at Circle, recommends The Enchiridion of Epictetus: 14:57

Matt Tanielian, Co-Founder of Franklin Square Group, recommends How to Talk Dirty and Influence People: An Autobiography by Lenny Bruce: 16:21

Connect with us:
Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft   

SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues.   

Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

What’s the best advice you can offer to young lawyers who are just starting their careers? What do you wish you’d known then that you know now?

These are the questions we ask each of our guests at the end of every episode of The Abstract. Listen to some of our favorite answers from the legal leaders and C-suite executives who visited the podcast in 2024 and hear tips about trusting your gut, building strong relationships, taking surprising career paths, and much more.

Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-74

Topics:
Introduction: 0:00
Adam Greenberg, former General Counsel at Warby Parker and Ro, on being a lawyer who doesn’t litigate: 0:33
Christine Uri, founder of ESG for In-House Counsel, on the value of building relationships: 1:24
Jasmine Singh, General Counsel at Ironclad, on trusting your gut: 2:54
Matt Campobasso, General Counsel at Enfusion, on exploring self-doubt: 4:15
Sarah Feingold, playwright and former counsel at Etsy and Vroom, on not doing everything yourself: 6:33
Chelsea Grayson, Managing Partner at Pivot >, on centering business solutions: 8:26
Ben Klein, CEO at Aero, on not putting pressure on yourself: 9:59
Joe Green, Chief Innovation Officer at Gunderson Dettmer, on experimenting early in your career: 11:23
Kristin Sverchek, President of Lyft, on imposter syndrome: 13:46

Connect with us:
Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft

SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues.

Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

How do you avoid common mistakes in commercial contract negotiation? What about in drafting? And how can you get better at and find more joy in commercial contracting?

Join Laura Frederick, Founder and CEO of How to Contract, as she goes deep on all things contracts—everything from how to avoid common mistakes to tips for supercharging your negotiating skills.

Listen as Laura talks about her career in contracts working for top energy and renewable companies like Tesla and SolarCity, making the leap to start her own law firm and training business, establishing a yearly conference about all things contracts, and more.

Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-73

Topics:
Introduction: 0:00
Why Laura chose contracts as her core practice area: 5:52
Drafting contracts for energy and renewables: 10:17
Laura’s favorite types of deals: 13:54
Contract drafting tips and tricks: 15:39
Considering a more generalist role: 17:50
Common mistakes during contract drafting: 23:19
How to negotiate more effectively: 25:10
Tips for breaking a negotiating log jam: 27:59
Lessons from mentors: 33:03
Founding How to Contract: 36:39
Leaving Tesla to make the leap to business owner: 40:06
Focusing on mental health: 44:19
Finding Laura’s businesses online: 51:10
Rapid-fire questions: 54:08
What Laura wishes she’d known as a young lawyer: 55:12

Connect with us:
Laura Frederick - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurafredericklaw/
Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft

SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues.
Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

What do you need to know about managing government affairs for heavily regulated, high growth brands? Is it perhaps the most interesting part of a GC's job? And will it actually lead you to Washington D.C. or maybe other slightly less glamorous cities?

Join Adam Greenberg, Advisor and Fractional General Counsel at APG Advising, as he shares lessons from years as top in-house counsel at healthcare start-ups Warby Parker and Ro about lobbying state legislatures to make telehealth more accessible to customers across the United States.

Listen as Adam discusses the legal needs of direct-to-consumer businesses, working with lobbyists and legislators at a state level, sharing notes with your closest competitors to change regulations, destigmatizing embarrassing medical topics, and much more.

Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-72

Topics:
Introduction: 0:00
Deciding to become a start-up lawyer: 2:56
Dealing with government affairs issues at Warby Parker: 7:15
Lobbying state legislatures: 10:35
Going state to state with a small budget: 19:16
Becoming the first legal hire at Ro: 26:30
Building out the legal team at Ro: 30:08
Talking with legislators about erectile dysfunction medication: 37:10
Lobbying for direct-to-consumer brands: 42:51
Does the CEO need to be involved in state lobbying?: 45:21
What Adam is up to now: 47:39
Rapid-fire questions: 48:54
Book recommendations: 52:29
What Adam wishes he’d known as a young lawyer: 53:47

Connect with us:
Adam Greenberg - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamgreenberg3/
Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft

SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues.

Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

What does a Data Protection Officer do? How is it different from your privacy counsel? And how might a DPO help your company with cutting-edge issues like regulations around facial recognition or biometrics?

Join Paul Collier, data protection officer at The DPO Centre, as he shares how the skills he gained as a front-line police officer have helped him counsel clients on how to balance complex privacy regulations with business goals.

Listen as Paul discusses how companies can use facial recognition technology while safeguarding privacy, how in-house legal departments can work best with DPOs, his side hustle as a part-time semi-professional football referee, and much more.

Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-71

Topics:

Introduction: 0:00
Working as a front-line police officer: 2:00
What does a Data Protection Officer do?: 6:06
Considerations when hiring a DPO: 9:26
Counseling companies on facial recognition: 11:33
Should governments regulate facial recognition technology?: 16:00
How DPOs manage expectations with resistant clients: 20:36
How DPOs can work effectively with legal departments: 23:49
Becoming a semi-professional football referee: 25:23
Rapid-fire questions: 30:06
Book recommendations: 32:13
What Paul wishes he’d known as a young lawyer: 33:33

Connect with us:
Paul Collier - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-collier-a2121056/
Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft

SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues.

Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

If you're in the C-Suite, what do you really need to know about ESG? Is ESG the new privacy? And should ESG really be so controversial?

Join Christine Uri, founder of ESG for In-house Counsel, as she explains the importance of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) to both public and private companies in today’s global regulatory climate.

Listen as Christine draws on more than a decade offering sustainability solutions to her corporate clients to explain how GCs can advocate for ESG to fellow executives, why ESG is great for the bottom line, and why, as she puts it, “ESG is the new privacy.”

Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-70

Topics:
Introduction: 0:00
What are sustainability solutions?: 4:03
The difference between Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental, Social, and Governance: 7:36
Why she decided to launch a consulting company?: 10:09
Why should ESG matter to in-house counsels?: 11:59
Explaining why “ESG is the new privacy:” 15:28
How general counsels can advocate for adopting ESG practices: 20:11
Is ESG relevant at the board level?: 24:40
Why ESG has become politicized in the United States: 26:52
What ESG for In-house Counsel offers: 30:43
How to advocate for ESG at your company: 33:50
Rapid-fire questions: 36:50
Book recommendations: 38:29
What Christine wishes she’d known as a young lawyer: 40:02

Connect with us:
Christine Uri - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineuri/
Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft

SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues.

Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

What does a general manager role involve? How do you establish your company's first international office? And what skills from lawyering can you draw on to do it well?

Join Manuel Martinez-Herrera, General Manager and General Counsel at BetterCloud, as he shares his journey from law school in Spain to offices in Argentina and the U.S., to earning an LL.M at Harvard, jumping from big law to in-house counsel, moving beyond the GC role, and opening his company’s first office in Mexico City.

Listen as Manuel offers tips for lawyers who want to move into business roles, why it’s important to explore new and different opportunities, the traits that lawyers and software engineers share in common, and more.

Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-69

Topics:

Introduction: 0:00
Why did you decide to practice law in United States?: 2:18
Gravitating towards in-house legal: 5:10
Feeling ready to lead a legal team: 7:32
Becoming General Manager at BetterCloud: 11:35
Shifting your mindset from legal to business: 13:43
Working with software engineers: 15:23
Transitioning from advisor to doer: 18:31
How has working as GM changed your relationship with the executive team?: 21:57
Leading a team through its maturation process: 24:19
Investing in company culture: 26:50
Tips for listeners thinking of taking a job abroad: 30:07
What’s next for Manuel: 32:12
Rapid-fire questions: 33:15
Book recommendations: 36:23
What Manuel wishes he’d known as a young lawyer: 38:50

Connect with us:
Manuel Martinez-Herrera - https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuel-martinez-herrera-71a2a763/
Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft

SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues.

Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

Have you ever considered quitting your job outright because you felt like you were being pulled farther and farther away from your calling? And then finding your way back through a career change that's very different?

Join Jasmine Singh, former Chief Legal and People Officer at Binti, as she shares lessons she learned after taking time away from the legal profession about how to recalibrate your career to align with your principles and passions, and how a year instructing a spin class landed her the in-house role that led her all the way to the executive suite.

Listen as Jasmine discusses knowing when it’s the right time to quit, how to rely on your network and give back back to your community, realigning your career to match your values, getting your foot in the door as in-house counsel, and much more.

Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-67

Topics:
Introduction: 0:00
Why Jasmine chose to become a lawyer: 2:36
Knowing when to take a break: 5:50
Teaching spin classes: 14:06
Getting your first in-house role at 24 Hour Fitness: 18:26
How to position yourself during an in-house job interview: 21:36
Transitioning into tech counsel: 25:29
Explaining Binti and it’s mission: 30:59
Fulfilling a philanthropic mission with Dincert Movement: 36:22
Tips for people who feel stuck at work: 40:29
Rapid-fire questions: 42:54
Book recommendations: 44:19
What Jasmine wishes she’d known as a young lawyer: 47:35

Connect with us:
Jasmine Singh - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-singh-b4a25274/
Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft

SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues.

Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

What is the transition like from government service to a C-suite leadership role at a cutting edge tech company? How are regulators thinking about crypto and other financial innovations? And is public service something that's still inspiring or something that we ought to aspire to?

Join Heath Tarbert, Chief Legal Officer and Head of Corporate Affairs at Circle, as he draws on his extensive and prodigious career in public service–serving as Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commision, associate White House counsel, Supreme Court clerk, special counsel to the Senate Banking Committee, and more–to break down the legal side and wide-ranging impacts of financial markets around the globe.

Listen as Heath discusses the intersection between law, finance, and public policy, the future of cryptocurrency, the value of humility, and much more.

Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-67

Topics:
Introduction: 0:00
Building a career around banking and financial markets: 8:53
Being picked to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission: 16:50
Advice to young people considering careers in politics and public service: 22:13
Breaking down CFTC regulation of cryptocurrencies: 30:17
Why the CFTC chose to engage with cryptocurrencies: 37:26
Why Heath joined Circle as Chief Legal Officer: 41:40
Should lawyers move beyond legal into business operator roles?: 47:15
Rapid-fire questions: 49:16
Book recommendations: 53:31
What Heath wishes he’d known as a young lawyer: 55:21

Connect with us:
Heath Tarbert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/heath-tarbert-b2140a15/
Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft

SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues.
Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.

What lessons from tennis can you apply to your day-to-day life? How do you build a career as a dealmaker working with high-profile talent? How has the entertainment industry, and what it needs from its lawyers, changed over the years?

Join Peter Steckelman, Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at the Tennis Channel, as he shares stories from his uniquely wide-ranging career in entertainment law, including working in-house work at Disney, Fox Entertainment, Warner Brothers, Mattel, and Konami.

Listen as Peter serves up stories about his lifelong love for tennis, negotiating with celebrity athletes, and the joys of working in film, television, video games, streaming, and more.

Read detailed summary:  https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-66

Topics:
Introduction: 0:00
Starting his career in-house at Disney: 9:59
How to work with creative people: 20:45
What role does creativity play in the legal field?: 24:31
Working as a studio executive at video game developer Konami: 28:44
Putting together talent agreements with celebrity athletes: 30:51
Leading legal at the Tennis Channel: 39:45
What playing tennis has taught Peter about being a lawyer: 44:49
Rapid-fire questions: 47:30
Book recommendations: 49:10
What Peter wishes he’d known as a young lawyer: 49:50

Connect with us:
Peter Steckelman - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-steckelman-entertainment-sports-professional/
Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft

SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues.

Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.