I have worked with many former lawyers in my career and my experience with them has always been fantastic.

The first former lawyer I worked with was Milt Pappas who, along with his partner Bliss McCrum, were my first bosses in venture capital and they taught me so much.

Milt told me that he believed that a legal education was a fantastic preparation for the business world. Milt had attended law school but never practiced law. He went right into a trust and estates department at a leading bank in Cleveland Ohio, where in the 1960s he became acquainted with private investments and that led him to doing deals with some of the earliest VCs. In 1970, he and Bliss started Euclid Partners and that's where I got my first job in venture capital. Milt taught me so much about being a minority investor, being a great board member, balancing responsibilities to our portfolio companies and our investors, and so much more.

Three of my partners at USV are former lawyers, John Buttrick, Andy Weissman, and Samson Mesele. They are great investors and great partners.

I have helped quite a few former lawyers move from legal careers to working in startups. I have found that they are often great business partners to early-stage founders. They can take on many roles, including finance, HR, business development, business operations, and, of course, legal. I am not entirely sure what it is about a legal education, but I feel that it prepares people to be effective across a range of activities.

I have run into business leaders who see a legal background on a resume and pause. They think it is a limiting background. I feel the opposite about it. I see it as a sign of range and capability. Particularly with people who left the practice of law early or mid career.

So if you need someone on your team who can take all of the administrative functions off your plate and run with them, consider a former lawyer. It is a bit of an unconventional move, but I think it is a strong one.

For many years, I took a multivitamin every morning and that was it. Then maybe five years ago, during my annual physical, my doctor told me I was "very vitamin B deficient." That led to a month or so of regular injections in my thigh and I've taken Vitamin B12 every day since.

Over time, I added Vitamin D3 to my daily routine. A friend on the golf course told me to try Glucosamine for my aching knees and so I added that. My dermatologist told me to add Niacinamide to my daily routine and so I did. My friend Gordon told me to start taking Omega 3s and that was added.

And now I've got a "supplement stack." I take six supplements every day and Zinc every other day. Here it is.

I have written a bit about our portfolio company Blackbird but in case you didn't read any of those posts, Blackbird is a loyalty and payment network for the hospitality sector. You earn Fly and you pay with Fly. The more you pay with Fly, the more Fly you earn. Pretty simple and pretty awesome. Blackbird is currently available in NYC, SF, and Charleston South Carolina. If you live in or visit these cities, you can download Blackbird here.

I was using the Blackbird app this week and took a look at the "Where to Blackbird" map in the app and saw this:

I have worked with many former lawyers in my career and my experience with them has always been fantastic.

The first former lawyer I worked with was Milt Pappas who, along with his partner Bliss McCrum, were my first bosses in venture capital and they taught me so much.

Milt told me that he believed that a legal education was a fantastic preparation for the business world. Milt had attended law school but never practiced law. He went right into a trust and estates department at a leading bank in Cleveland Ohio, where in the 1960s he became acquainted with private investments and that led him to doing deals with some of the earliest VCs. In 1970, he and Bliss started Euclid Partners and that's where I got my first job in venture capital. Milt taught me so much about being a minority investor, being a great board member, balancing responsibilities to our portfolio companies and our investors, and so much more.

Three of my partners at USV are former lawyers, John Buttrick, Andy Weissman, and Samson Mesele. They are great investors and great partners.

I have helped quite a few former lawyers move from legal careers to working in startups. I have found that they are often great business partners to early-stage founders. They can take on many roles, including finance, HR, business development, business operations, and, of course, legal. I am not entirely sure what it is about a legal education, but I feel that it prepares people to be effective across a range of activities.

I have run into business leaders who see a legal background on a resume and pause. They think it is a limiting background. I feel the opposite about it. I see it as a sign of range and capability. Particularly with people who left the practice of law early or mid career.

So if you need someone on your team who can take all of the administrative functions off your plate and run with them, consider a former lawyer. It is a bit of an unconventional move, but I think it is a strong one.

For many years, I took a multivitamin every morning and that was it. Then maybe five years ago, during my annual physical, my doctor told me I was "very vitamin B deficient." That led to a month or so of regular injections in my thigh and I've taken Vitamin B12 every day since.

Over time, I added Vitamin D3 to my daily routine. A friend on the golf course told me to try Glucosamine for my aching knees and so I added that. My dermatologist told me to add Niacinamide to my daily routine and so I did. My friend Gordon told me to start taking Omega 3s and that was added.

And now I've got a "supplement stack." I take six supplements every day and Zinc every other day. Here it is.

I have written a bit about our portfolio company Blackbird but in case you didn't read any of those posts, Blackbird is a loyalty and payment network for the hospitality sector. You earn Fly and you pay with Fly. The more you pay with Fly, the more Fly you earn. Pretty simple and pretty awesome. Blackbird is currently available in NYC, SF, and Charleston South Carolina. If you live in or visit these cities, you can download Blackbird here.

I was using the Blackbird app this week and took a look at the "Where to Blackbird" map in the app and saw this: