In Non-Compliant Podcast Episode 45, Host Jay Edelson, nationally recognized plaintiff’s attorney and founder of Edelson PC, and Guest Jonathan Pollard, a high stakes competition lawyer and founder of Pollard PLLC, discuss Elon Musk’s tweet about building an in-house legal team of “hard-core streetfighters".

Jay and Jonathan start the show by giving their initial reactions to Musk’s tweet, discussing how the hiring paradigm that large corporations such as Tesla use make it difficult, if not impossible, for Musk to assemble the legal team he wants (3:15). Pollard explains that “elite” Big Law firms create risk-adverse, “paint-by-numbers” players.

Later in the show, Jay and Jonathan discuss in-house positions more generally (10:45).

The discussion then turns to possible solutions not only for the challenge Musk faces in assembling his legal team, but also to the challenges corporate in-house teams face more generally (16:45). Jay suggests Musk incentivize firms on the project by offering money for big wins rather than an hourly bill rate to address issues of motivation and passion for the work. Jonathan highlights the need for companies to seek out small firms that are subject-matter experts, rather than using huge firms who may perform poorly in the areas where they lack expertise.

After this, Jay and Jonathan shift to their personal experiences with “streetfighter” lawyers (23:21), the dynamic of audacity and success, and Musk’s crusade against Twitter’s plague of fake accounts (32:35).

Finally, Jay asks Jonathan what advice he might give law students considering various career paths, to which Jonathan answers: do your due diligence to avoid a miserable experience, know that you can be successful beyond the “triangle” of Big Law, Big Corporate, and Big Government, and seek out firms that care about mentorship (39:11).

Connect with Jon:
Pollard PLLC Profile: https://pollardllc.com/jonathan-pollard/

Connect with Jay:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayedelson
Edelson PC Profile: https://edelson.com/team/jay-edelson/


Connect with us:
Website: https://www.edelsoncreative.com/#podcast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edelsonlaw
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EdelsonCreative
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edelson-pc


Recent Non-Compliant Podcast Episodes:
Non-Compliant Podcast Episode 44: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/non-compliant-podcast-episode-44-the-one-with/id1491233296?i=1000561633377
Non-Compliant Podcast Episode 43: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/non-compliant-podcast-episode-43-the-one-with/id1491233296?i=1000551417114
Non-Compliant Podcast Episode 42: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/non-compliant-podcast-episode-42-the-one-with-iapp/id1491233296?i=1000548376684