Finding Your Voice In Big Law

Where You Can Listen

Description

In this episode of the Power Forward Pod, host Ruvin Levavi sits down with Jamie Lee, Antitrust Counsel at K&L Gates. Jamie shares her journey growing up in an immigrant family, overcoming a physical disability, and building a high-profile litigation career.

From her pre-courtroom rituals to handling cutting-edge antitrust cases involving algorithmic pricing, Jamie breaks down the grit required to navigate Big Law. She also offers listeners a candid look into the mindset of high-earning litigators, explaining how maintaining personal financial discipline helps avoid lifestyle creep, while reflecting on Ruvin's insight that "relationships are currency" in building a lasting legal practice.

What's Inside this Episode

1. Courtroom Mindset: How Jamie uses walk-on music and room orientation to build confidence before opening statements.
2. Overcoming Adversity: Navigating cerebral palsy and using a physical disability as fuel to advocate fiercely for clients.
3. Boutique vs. Big Law: Why starting at a boutique litigation firm provided immediate trial experience that accelerated her lateral move into Big Law.
4. The Power of Relationships: Why nurturing professional connections over decades creates genuine career equity and how staying connected with past colleagues opens unexpected doors.
5. Cutting-Edge Antitrust: Fighting at the forefront of AI enforcement, algorithmic pricing disputes, and labor market regulations.
6. Financial Discipline: How growing up in an immigrant household shaped her disciplined approach to saving and avoiding lifestyle creep despite Big Law earnings.
7. The Limits of AI: Why technology can automate research, but can never replace emotional intelligence and 2:00 AM attorney-client judgment

About Our Guest

Jamie Lee is counsel and a member of the Antitrust, Competition, and Trade Regulation practice group. She is an experienced litigator with a demonstrated history of success in all phases of litigation for antitrust cases in state and federal courts across the country. She represents clients in class action suits and multidistrict litigation involving a wide range of antitrust issues, including price-fixing, market allocation, monopolization, and vertical and horizontal agreements. She also helps clients navigate merger review and investigations before the Federal Trade Commission and United States Department of Justice.

Prior to joining the firm, she worked as a litigation associate at another international law firm and served as a White House Intern with the Obama Administration.

Time Stamps

00:00 – Courtroom Walk-On Music & Pre-Trial Rituals
02:23 – Free Thinking & The Immigrant Work Ethic
04:47 – Overcoming Disability & Finding Motivation
07:25 – Why Litigation Beats Transactional Law
10:41 – The Third Grade Turning Point
12:06 – Starting at a Boutique Firm vs. Big Law
15:45 – Lateraling to Big Law & Expanding the Platform
18:20 – "Relationship is Currency" & Long-Term Networking
21:08 – Why Move Firms? Joining K&L Gates
23:18 – Cutting-Edge Antitrust: AI & Algorithmic Pricing
25:12 – Financial Lessons: Living Below Your Means in Big Law
26:36 – Why AI Will Never Replace Human Judgment
28:00 – Episode Wrap-Up & Giving Back

Disclosure

For education use only- not to be relied upon as financial advice. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advise or a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any product or security. Investing includes risk, as well as the potential loss of the money you invest. Insurance and other financial products and services could be subject to certain terms, eligibility requirements, conditions and costs, and may not be right for everyone.
 
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Referenced indices are unmanaged and do not reflect sales charges; it is not possible to invest directly in an index.
 
Securities and investment advisory services offered through Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC (HTK), Registered Investment Adviser, Member FINRA/SIPC, 800-873-7637, www.htk.com. Power Forward Group is unaffiliated with HTK.9112694DH_AUG28