So, You Want To Be a Lawyer Entrepreneur?

Lawyers have a pretty good track record when it comes to starting companies, at least compared to the general population.

There are many reasons for this, but the bottom line is that a JD is not just a law degree. A JD is a degree in complex-problem solving. And if there is one thing every startup encounters it is complex problems. Often many.

We’ve assembled a panel of 3 successful JD founders along with our moderator, who also has a success under his belt to talk about what it takes to launch a company, and then build that company.

Since there is so much to discuss in 60 minutes, we thought it would be most valuable to have each founder speak to these two specific questions:

What three things do you believe are fundamental to being successful as a JD founder?

What are three things you wish you had done differently?

We don’t know exactly what they are each going to say, but these are some of the topics we expect to come up:

• Are you passionate about an idea, or making money? Does it matter?
• If you like to bake, don’t start a bakery. Is that right?
• “I think I’ve got a great idea. How do I share it for feedback without someone stealing my idea?”
• Pluses and minuses of having co-founders
• Do investors expect founders to also put in money?
• The paradox of innovation: being right too early often feels indistinguishable from being wrong. How can you tell the difference?
• What is the number one reason startups of any kind fail?
• When trying to raise money, do I need to have a Business Plan in addition to a pitch deck?