Michael Stein, Live Ventures
An early desire to move in-house proved the catalyst for Michael Stein to enjoy a diverse career portfolio. Now with Live Ventures, he discusses what drew him in-house the first time – and subsequently – the second.
I graduated law school during the dotcom boom and quickly determined that I wanted to be part of that excitement. But by the time I got to Silicon Valley, it was 2001 and the bubble was crashing. I landed on my feet in 2005 at DLA Piper, where I spent almost half of my career, culminating in a partnership in the corporate group. While at DLA, my practice focused primarily on representing public companies in SEC reporting and corporate governance matters, and M&A and capital markets transactions.
Early on, I had a sense of wanting to go in-house: I viewed an in-house role as being more than a transactional lawyer; you delved deeper into the business and the position required you to become more practical and solutions-oriented, more of a decision-maker, in my mind. I secured my first in-house position at Caesars Entertainment, which was the perfect transition for me. Caesars’ global legal department was comprised of many lawyers from large law firms and had a general counsel with a strong presence and sense of team and practicality. While at Caesars, I practiced primarily in areas in which I was most comfortable, including SEC reporting, corporate governance, and capital markets (equity and debt) and M&A transactions. I worked closely with the finance and treasury departments, advising them on legal issues relating to Caesars’ more than $20bn of debt, and advised Caesars Interactive Entertainment on various corporate matters and acquisitions. At the same time, I was able to learn how in-house practice differs from that of a law firm.
