An engineer by training, Kevin Keller realized in law school at NYU that his interest lay in how companies generate revenue with their technology. Alex Cohen, a Columbia Law student with similar interests, approached him and together they founded InSITE. Through InSITE, Kevin learned how to help companies develop compelling ways to describe their plans for monetizing growth, a skill that has helped to shape his career.

After graduation, he did tech deals at Wilson Sonsini in Palo Alto. From there, he left to work in-house—first at Micron, then for Microsoft and now as the lead in-house counsel for Lab126, the wholly owned subsidy of Amazon responsible for developing the Kindle.

What did you take away from your experience with InSITE?

A few things: First, if you can’t convince yourself that you, your ideas, or your business will be successful, you can’t convince anyone else. Whether it’s a job interview, a pitch to a VC, etc. you need to believe and tell a compelling story to others that gets them excited about you, your ideas and your opportunity for success. To do that, you need to be able to boil your ideas down to their essence, to describe them in a precise and succinct way. It doesn’t matter the business, it could be technology, law or selling shoes, you have to be able to tell a compelling story. Second, working to start InSITE and with our first groups of companies and sponsors, I learned that my interest lay in a more business-oriented area of the law, not in patent prosecution, corporate securities or M&A, but in helping companies as they crafted the deals that created technology and monetized it.

What was the difference between working for a law firm and working in-house at a company?

Law Firm

Working for a law firm allows you to represent many clients across many industries. At the law firm where I started (Wilson, Sonsini), I worked with companies across technologies from file-sharing to consumer electronics, biotech, semiconductor equipment, and semiconductor manufacturing (to name just a few). I also represented companies at various points in their lifecycle, from start-up through sale, IPO or even bankruptcy. However, as an attorney at a law firm you’re an expensive consultant, and rarely have the opportunity to spend the time to engage deeply with the business. Hours are also long and scheduling can be very unpredictable.

In-House

Working in-house allows you to engage deeply with all areas of one business. I don’t mean to suggest that working in-house is limited though. There are issues across the board to consider—environmental, software, export, FTC, licensing, regulatory—but the issues surround one device or category. The in-house opportunity probably gives you more opportunity to sink your teeth into the initial conception of an idea through putting that product into the customer’s hands.

There are significant differences between working in-house at a start-up and working in-house somewhere like Microsoft. Working in-house for a bigger company is more like a law firm since there are so many resources and people. It’s often good for someone more junior to start in-house at a larger company since it will be more structured. At a smaller company, you do a lot of the research yourself, you don’t have an assistant, you don’t have the resources to call in experts for every issue. It might mean more work, but you become more of an expert and become more involved in the various issues instead of passing them along.

What advice do you have for students looking to get into venture capital and/or entrepreneurship?

The best thing you can ever do is to try areas that you don’t have much experience in. I took a number of jobs that broadened my skill set. For example, I worked doing biotech deals for a year. If you’re at a law firm, I also think doing some M&A and bankruptcy work would be useful.

What advice do you have for law firm associates?

Keep your eye on deals coming down the pipeline. At Wilson Sonsini, there was a daily deal sheet showing the new clients and matters opened by partners across the firm. I would get to work really early and scour the upcoming deals. When I found something I was interested in, I would approach the partner on the deal and offer my help. I would suggest that you be as engaged as you can. You can go to work and push papers and get the hours that come your way, or you can take a step outside your office and find opportunities.

What is the best part of working at a start-up?

The best part of working at a start-up is that there are no established ways that things have to be done. The pace is quick and there are always interesting issues that may be similar to ones you’ve seen before, but are new twists that require you to think on your feet. It’s never boring.

As Chief Counsel for a start-up, how involved are you in business development?

Very. In-house counsel is usually involved from the conception of ideas to the eventual development of the product and beyond. The level of involvement depends a lot on the size of the company and the level of the attorney, but it’s generally much more involved than outside counsel.

What advice do you have for students and other young people beginning their career?

Treat people well, not just those that you think are in a position to help you enhance your career. While it’s not certain that this will lead to more career opportunities, it will lead to a much more fulfilling life.

– Colleen Honigsberg, AVP Communications 2009-2010