Erick Rabin ’16, General Counsel, JOKR US
What made you decide to pursue a career in entrepreneurship/venture capital/startups after NYU Law?
While I was at NYU pursuing my JD/MBA, I co-founded a podcast advertising technology company, which was accepted into the inaugural Techstars Music accelerator program and later acquired. I went to a big firm after graduation, where I worked primarily for large institutional clients, but by that point I had already caught “the bug” for working in the ecosystem of emerging companies and venture capital funds. To me, startups are the vanguard of new ideas, where theory and practice meet to form the future of society.
How did NYU Law prepare you for this career?
NYU Law gave me a classical education in black-letter law as well as access to exceptional hybrid classes at the intersection of law and business. I was able to learn directly from some of the most brilliant living theoreticians in contracts, torts, and jurisprudence, as well as experienced practitioners in fields like M&A, finance and real estate.
Why do you think lawyers find success in this career path?
Lawyers tend to have a structured, analytical approach to uncertainty and good instincts for issue spotting and risk mitigation, all of which are crucial to taking a startup from “zero to one.”
What was the biggest challenge you faced as a lawyer in this career path?
As an in-house attorney, it can be challenging to work with business people to ensure that legal policies are actually being implemented. Drafting is only part of the job; putting analysis into practice is fundamentally a team sport.
What is the most important thing students should do while they are still in law school to prepare themselves for a career in entrepreneurship, in venture capital, or at a startup?
My advice would be to maintain your interests outside of law, even as you are working hard in law school. Read expansively about the industries that naturally appeal to you, experiment with your own ideas for starting something new, and be bold about reaching out to entrepreneurs and investors— nothing ventured, nothing gained!
What was the most important lesson you learned in your career thus far? I think the best “unlock” for advancing your career is to be generous with your time, effort, and energy, not just with existing clients or attorneys at your firm, but with friends and new acquaintances as well. If others matter more to you, you will matter more to others.