5 Secrets to Thrive for Lawyers & Law Students | Brian Cabrera, Silicon Valley Senior Tech Executive
If you could go back and give advice to your younger self, what would you say? In his keynote speech at PracticePro's 10thΒ ...
SVice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, and CS, Quantum
Search every verified Brian Cabrera interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote β each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a September 2023 keynote speech at PracticePro's 10th anniversary, Brian Cabrera, a Silicon Valley senior tech executive, shared five pieces of advice for lawyers and law students. He stated that the legal profession "is not a race" and advised taking time for additional education or experiences. Cabrera said that at the executive level, content knowledge and hard work are assumed, and that "the differentiator is relationships." He described law firms as "my best friends and partners" and emphasized a symbiotic relationship between in-house counsel and outside firms. Cabrera also discussed personal attributes he considers strengths. He described having an 80% hearing loss in his right ear and said his mother taught him to overcome challenges by seeking accommodations. He called his sensitivity "my secret superpower," stating it helped him read rooms, detect dishonesty in negotiations, and become a better negotiator and HR leader. He defined integrity as "what you do when no one's watching" and said that as lawyers advance, they should focus on judgment rather than simply finding the law.
“Everything requires an attorney nowadays; you cannot do business without legal involvement. Whether at Nvidia, Synopsys, or taking companies public, every business decision involves legal counsel, and business people often want an attorney available by phone when they travel.”
“My law firms are my best friends and partners; it's not us against them. I look for ways to help them be successful because we have a symbiotic relationship. If you don't think that way, you're doing it all wrong.”
“At the executive level, you are assumed to know the content and be hardworking; the differentiator is relationships. The third leg of the stool is relationships, and they are crucial for getting help and advancing your career.”
“Integrity is what you do when no one's watching. It's about doing the right thing even if no one is paying attention, like picking up trash you didn't drop or cleaning up the place.”
If you could go back and give advice to your younger self, what would you say? In his keynote speech at PracticePro's 10thΒ ...
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