58. Going in Different Directions Is Not Failure with Nick Brown

Nick Brown is the General Counsel of Airtree Ventures, one of Australia's most prominent venture capital firms, and the first lawyer to set up a legal function inside two separate businesses. He spent 15 years as an M&A lawyer before making the move in-house, and this conversation covers the full arc of how that shift actually happened and what it taught him. We get into the psychology of leaving private practice when you have been told partnership is the only acceptable destination, what the first 90 days looks like when you are building a legal function from scratch, why plain English is a mark of sophistication not simplicity, how AI is reshaping what he does without replacing what matters, and why the lawyers who struggle most in venture capital deals are the ones who bring the wrong energy to the table. You will leave this conversation with a more honest picture of how legal careers actually unfold and a clearer sense of what it means to add value as a lawyer when the people around you do not care about the law itself. ~ Download the New to In-House Survival Guide: https://www.counselpodcast.com/store/p/newtoinhouse (use code BigSisEnergy for a special discount) All of Mel's Big Sis Briefings can be found here: https://www.counselpodcast.com/big-sis-briefings Connect with Mel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melstorey Counsel Podcast Page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/67479008/admin/feed/posts/ Instagram & TikTok: @careerbigsis Subscribe to the Counsel Podcast so you don't miss upcoming conversations with leaders who are redefining what it means to be an in house lawyer today!