BY VIVEK JAYARAM, FOUNDER
Friends, we have some news—big news. We’ve hired a CEO! Noah Ornstein joined the firm in June, and we could not be happier. Noah hails from Montreal, and—after immigrating to the United States and obtaining a JD/MBA at Columbia Law School/Business School in NYC—he landed in Chicago, where he eventually made partner at Kirkland & Ellis before pursuing a life of entrepreneurship. Since leaving Big Law some 7 years ago, Noah has led two tech companies, obtained nearly two dozen patents, and raised three energetic children with his partner Marisa.
Questions, questions—ok, questions! Why a CEO? At Jayaram Law, we don’t just want to be in the practice of law; we want to be leaders in the way lawyers practice in the future. That goal needs to be strategized and led by someone who has relevant expertise, understands the full landscape of the field, and who is also not managing a full roster of clients.
Noah’s that guy.
For example, while getting his MBA, Noah formed a startup that endeavored to transform the way law could be practiced by using technology to automate a number of functions. This was in 2004. Twitter didn’t even come along until 2006! Noah is a trailblazer who has been committed to changing this industry for longer than the firm has even existed. And he will only have one client to think about in this role: Jayaram Law.
But what does a law firm CEO do? We want our client experience to be seamless, unique, and innovative. This is an interdisciplinary lift: hiring the most inclusive workforce in the industry; implementing billing models based on value added to a client’s matter; delivering thoughtful guidance in the most accessible, effective way; and implementing new kinds of resources for clients not historically provided in or by the legal industry.
This effort coordination, management, and drive, are exactly the skills that Noah’s been developing for a long time. We are so grateful to have him aboard.
So what’s next? All good things! Noah will be working closely with our community to see what you would like to see us do better or different in the future, and we’ll be working collaboratively as a team to do what we’ve always done best: enabling the most original ideas on the planet, as created by our clients. You’ll all enjoy meeting him: he has boundless energy, communicates with a deep sense of kindness, and is an extraordinarily good listener.
Finally, I’m excited for each of you to read this issue of The Innovator! It’s packed as usual with all the good stuff. The team interviews the aforementioned Noah; Danny O’Neill is fast-becoming an NFT music industry titan, and he writes about the topic here. We have a very cool chat with our friend and client Rengan Rajaratnam about his important work with The Innocence Project and his own career; a dose of Warhol and fair use; Nina Moore, our Office Manager in Chicago, shares a deliciously secret recipe, and—my eternal favorite—an intro to our newest team members!!
Issue 09 is comin’ for ya!
Summerteeth, Summer Babe, Summertime to you all.