Founder's Story
Michael Tamvakologos Reveals What Every Business Owner Needs to Know About AI and the Future of Law | S2 Ep. 163
27 Dec 2024
In this episode, host Daniel Robbins sits down with Michael Tamvakologos, partner at Seyfarth Shaw, a distinguished employment lawyer featured in Forbes and Vanity Fair. Michael has been an awarded Australian employment lawyer for eight years and was voted by Best Lawyers as the Employee Benefits Lawyer of the Year in 2023. Michael shares his career journey, lessons from working with leading global companies, and how technology shapes the future of law and business.Episode Highlights:Michael’s Legal JourneyOver 20 years of legal experience representing top public and private companies.The value of learning from clients and building long-term professional relationships.Lessons for EntrepreneursLong-term strategic thinking is critical for sustainable business growth.Effective communication tailored to diverse stakeholders is essential, especially when working with large organizations.The Role of Technology in LawHow AI is transforming document management and streamlining legal processes.Why human connection and ethical considerations remain key despite technological advancements.Teamwork as a Key to SuccessMichael compares legal practice to a football team, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and preparation in achieving successful outcomes.Michael’s Book RecommendationShoe Dog by Phil Knight, an inspiring story of Nike’s growth, filled with lessons about perseverance, teamwork, and overcoming challenges.Key Takeaways:Strategic foresight and long-term planning are vital for both legal and business success.While technology can enhance efficiency, the human element remains irreplaceable in building trust and navigating complexities.Teamwork and alignment among all contributors are essential for tackling large-scale legal and business challenges.Our Sponsors:* Check out Indeed: https://indeed.com/FOUNDERSSTORY* Check out Northwest Registered Agent and use my code FOUNDERS for a great deal: https://northwestregisteredagent.com* Check out Plus500: https://plus500.com* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com
Full Episode
Hey everyone, welcome back to Founders Story. Today we have Michael Tam-Vaculagas, partner at SayFarth Shaw. Michael, you've been featured in Forbes, Vanity Fair, rated by peers as a preeminent Australian employment lawyer for eight years running. You've even been voted by Best Lawyers as the Employee Benefits Lawyer of the Year 2023.
And you've been representing many of the world's most successful private and public companies. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much, Dan. Real pleasure to be with you. You've navigated both the legal and business worlds. Tell me about that and share your story of how you became successful as an attorney.
Well, thank you. Thank you very much for that introduction. I've been very fortunate in my career to work with many of the leading companies in Australia and some globally and to learn from a lot of really great people that I have interviewed.
interacted with along the way, whether that's inside my own law firm or just very intelligent and hardworking clients and business people who I've represented along the way.
I really like how you're saying you're learning from your clients in different ways. I think we don't always look at it in terms of, you know, I'm helping this person, but also what this person can help for me. What is one or two learnings that you've had that every entrepreneur or every person who wants to be an entrepreneur needs to know?
I think one of the key insights when working with leading business people is their ability to look behind the immediate issue that is confronting them. They really have a very deep sense of where they want the business to go, not only in the next week or the next month, but the next five or 10 years. They are typically long-term thinkers and
And all of their legal strategies, all of their commercial planning is geared around those long-term strategies. And that's something that over 20 years of legal practice has really, I think, also become part of my DNA.
to always look behind the immediate legal question that you've been asked, to look beyond the dispute that you're looking to resolve in a particular case, whether it's a dispute that has reached the court stage or it's at some earlier stage. You're always really thinking about the deeper business implications of what you're doing. And I think that's something that clients see and appreciate.
As you've continued to grow your business and you start working with bigger and bigger clients, what is something that you've learned in terms of when you go from smaller company, small clients to then transitioning to a bigger company with bigger clients?
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