EP 36: From Employment Lawyer to CLO of Eventbrite - Leading Through IPO, Pandemic, and $500M Exit

Lisa Gorman is one of the most accomplished legal executives in tech. She spent nearly nine years at Eventbrite, rising from employment counsel to General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer. During her tenure, she helped lead Eventbrite's legal strategy through its IPO, global expansion, the pandemic's devastation of the live events industry, and ultimately a $500 million acquisition by Bending Spoons.In this episode, we discuss her unconventional path from English literature major to tech CLO, how she transitioned from law firm partner to in-house counsel by organically becoming part of her client's team, and what it takes to expand beyond your core expertise. Lisa shares how she went from employment law to leading litigation, content moderation, product, privacy, regulatory, and the entire legal function. We explore the value of building trust and tenure at a single company, the role of legal AI tools like GCAI in modern practice, and her experience leading Eventbrite's content moderation program and DSA compliance. Lisa also addresses what the future holds for junior lawyers in an AI-driven world and reflects on her biggest career highlight of leading the $500M sale to Bending Spoons.Lisa offers candid advice for law students and early-career lawyers about finding work that doesn't feel like a grind, the value of staying when you find the right fit, and keeping an open mind about where your legal career might take you.#Eventbrite #ContentModeration #TrustAndSafety #DSACompliance #LegalTechnology #GCAI #LegalOperations #MergersAndAcquisitions #BerkeleyLaw #LawSchool