Craig M.
5.0
Break into tech & startup law — Stanford Law grad and startup operator
Studied at Stanford Law School
Works at Leland
Hiring Manager
Available Thursday at 1:00 PM UTC
Usually responds within 1 hour
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Craig’s Legal Practice Qualifications
Experience level: Associate
I'm a Stanford Law School grad working in-house in business operations at a startup. I previously advised startups at Goodwin Procter and developed product legal strategy at Microsoft. Before making the leap from law to business, I received summer associate offers from the top technology law firms, including Cooley, Fenwick & West, Gunderson Dettmer, and Wilson Sonsini. I also got offers from more traditional biglaw firms, like Skadden, Latham & Watkins, and Kirkland & Ellis. If you're a law student considering technology law, or a law student/lawyer thinking of pursuing a career in business instead, let me help! I can guide you through that decision and help you plan your next steps.
Craig can help with:
Interview Prep
Resume Review
Networking Strategy
About Craig
Hey! I'm Craig. For the last 4-5 years I've led business operations at early-stage startups. Prior to making the leap to startup operator, I was on track to become a startup lawyer instead — after an engineering undergrad, I studied law and management science at Stanford and spent time on tech-focused legal teams, both in private practice and in-house. I love the variety, challenge, and energy that comes with biz ops and the startup world, and I hope to share some of that excitement with you! I'm a native of upstate NY, where I currently live and work remotely. Ask me about trail running, the Adirondacks, or Tottenham Hotspur!
Why do I coach?
I owe most of my career and education to the mentors who have given me insight and confidence to chase after my goals. I try to pay it forward as much as I can.
Work Experience
Head of Business Operations
Leland
November 2024 - Present
Leland is a marketplace for ambitious people to access the coaching, classes, and content they need to reach career and educational goals. We're backed by top investors like Forerunner, GSV Ventures, Contrary, and more. Welcome!
Head of Business Strategy & Operations
Studio
October 2020 - Present
Hiring Manager
Studio is an online education startup backed by Floodgate, Human Capital, Forerunner Ventures, and more. Learn from the world's best at studio.com. - Drove cross-functional execution of strategic initiatives, including developing new products and optimizing company operations. - Managed teams of engineers, product managers, designers, and marketers to develop and launch new classes, growing core product by 8x. - Built business analytics & SQL tools to track company KPIs, measure product performance & drive strategy. - Created product roadmap, led user research, designed Figma prototypes, and planned go-to-market for launch of 150+ short-form classes. - Cut product deployment time by ~70% and marketing costs by 46% through process improvements and custom Python automations.
Venture Capital Fellow
Contrary
August 2020 - December 2022
Selected by Contrary Capital to join the inaugural cohort. The Contrary Fellowship "is a select, diverse community of the top early-career engineers, designers, and product minds working in technology."
Summer Associate
Goodwin Procter LLP
July 2020 - August 2020
- Advised tech startups and venture capital investors on venture financings and general corporate matters. - Drafted ancillary financing agreements for early venture financings (seed to Series A). - Interfaced directly with founders and startup executives on legal questions and investment diligence.
Corporate, External & Legal Affairs Intern
Microsoft
June 2019 - August 2019
- Provided legal and regulatory counsel for AI product teams in Microsoft's AI & Research division. - Created practical guidance for engineers on open source policies and pre-order payments. - Negotiated a source code license agreement. - Researched trends in ESG investing and corporate governance and contributed to Microsoft's 2019 proxy statement.
Senate Intern
United States Senate
May 2018 - August 2018
- Gave vote recommendations and contributed hearing questions for issues in antitrust, commerce, science, and transportation policy. - Drafted bill text for proposed commercial drone regulations and spectrum allocation. - Represented the senator to visiting lobbyists, policymakers, and constituents.
Craig was also given offers to work at
Skadden
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Covington & Burling
O'Melveny
Cooley
Fenwick & West
Morrison & Foerster
Gunderson Dettmer
DLA Piper
Education
Stanford University
MS, Management Science & Engineering
2019 - 2023
Emphasis in entrepreneurial management.
Stanford Law School
JD
2018 - 2023
- W. A. Franke Fellow in Global Business Law - Editor-in-Chief, Stanford Journal of Law, Business & Finance - Student Advisor, Rock Center for Corporate Governance - Co-President, J. Reuben Clark Law Society - Teaching Assistant, Venture Capital (Profs. Gordy Davidson and Michael Esquivel) - Teaching Assistant, Corporations (Prof. Robert Daines) - Naturalization Pro Bono Project
Brigham Young University
BS, Electrical Engineering
2012 - 2018
Minors in computer science and math. - National Merit Scholar - Tau Beta Pi Scholar - Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society - Engineering & Technology Leadership Council - Program Director, Y-Serve Tutoring - Author, BYU Prelaw Review - Seeds of Success child mentoring
1 Review
Overall Rating
5.0
Knowledge
5.0
Value
5.0
Responsiveness
5.0
Supportiveness
5.0
Craig has helped Leland clients get into Atasoy Law