Introduction: 0:00
- Exploring Lydia Cheuk’s background.
- Embracing career exploration according to your long-term and short-term goals, even if they change over time.
Making the jump from law firm to in-house life: 03:03
- Lydia’s journey from being a corporate associate to joining Blue Man Group as an in-house lawyer.
- Working in theater as an in-house lawyer.
- Taking risks, learning on the job, and shaping the role of a lawyer in a company.
Lydia’s journey at an entertainment studio start-up called First Look: 06:46
- The rarity and excitement of working at a start-up in the entertainment industry.
- The importance of thinking about planning to hire immediately as the first legal hire.
- Loving the chaotic and rewarding process of building a start-up from scratch.
Hiring at the right time and building a strong team: 09:09
- Why you should start thinking about hiring as soon as you can.
- The process of hiring and building the right team.
- Finding the right fit and evaluating soft skills in the hiring process.
- Evaluating cultural fit and compatibility.
Moving from media to the direct-to-consumer (DTC) sector: 11:25
- Moving from First Look to Away, and from entertainment to D2C.
- Coming into a growing D2C industry with media experience.
- Adapting to a new industry with ease.
Building relationships and trust with the executive team: 13:49
- Navigating evolving dynamics with the exec team and building relationships.
- Collaborating and having a say in executive decision-making.
- The long-tenured legal team's impact on stability and supporting transitions at Away.
Empowering your team and improving motivation and retention: 16:07
- Motivating and retaining great legal talent.
- Giving autonomy, showing trust, and empowering employees.
- Adapting to remote work, which is a retention lever and improves employee satisfaction.
- Providing growth opportunities and encouraging professional development.
Fostering a unified culture and goal within the legal team: 18:22
- Coaching your team and having a unified goal, which in Away’s case is showing up to the rest of the org.
- Being business-first and serving as thought partners.
Driving visibility into legal’s impact and improving legal’s brand: 19:39
- Marketing the legal team to the rest of the org, keeping your excellent work as a baseline.
- Building relationships with other functions and teams.
- Enhancing visibility and accessibility through office hours with the legal team.
- Leveraging tailored training to give context into legal advice to other teams.
- Taking initiative in policy development, working cross-functionally, data sharing, and branding your team.
Building a brand for your team and for yourself: 23:13
- Establishing a team brand and aligning the team members to work towards that brand.
- Branding your team as a "team of yes" and as a team that pushes business forward within the constraints of law.
- Branding yourself authentically through how you interact with the world.
- Balancing professional and personal interactions.
Lessons from Away's hypergrowth phase and pandemic challenges: 27:08
- Lydia’s journey at Away, starting from hypergrowth and brand expansion, taking on diverse responsibilities, and learning in a new industry.
- Meeting challenges head-on during the pandemic and supporting the company through tough times.
- The value of lawyers in both good times and in times of crisis.
Being on NYU Law’s venture fund jury: 30:13
- Fostering community around entrepreneurship within the law school.
- Offering grants and feedback to students and alums with start-up ideas.
Closing questions: 31:54
- A book that inspired Lydia – Shonda Rhimes, Year of Yes.
- Advice for young attorneys.
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