Welcome to No Vehicles in the Park!
What This Space Will Be—And What It Will Not Be
First, the name: No Vehicles in the Park. Many lawyers will recognize this classic legal hypothetical often introduced in one’s first days at law school. What does “no vehicles in the park” mean? At first glance, it seems like a straightforward rule. But like most legal principles, its application is more complex than it appears. Does it prohibit a child’s toy car? What about an immobile military truck mounted as a war memorial? The hypo highlights the essence of legal reasoning—interpreting fixed rules against fluid realities. It also captures the essence of lawyering itself: applying judgment in a world of uncertainty.
The same uncertainty applies to this space. I don’t have a rigid blueprint for what No Vehicles in the Park will become. I don’t intend to use it to promote products or services, nor do I see it evolving into a full-fledged endeavor that overshadows my day-to-day work. However, after starting a personal Substack, I realized I wanted a separate space to explore my professional world—one that spans law, technology, and the evolving legal profession. And so, this blog was born.
A Bit About Me
After graduating from NYU Law, I clerked in the Southern District of New York and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals before entering BigLaw. I started at Simpson Thacher in New York before moving to Baker Botts in Houston, my hometown, as a litigator. For work-life balance, I transitioned in-house, joining a biotech company in San Diego alongside two former Simpson Thacher colleagues. Later, I left my position there as Deputy General Counsel to help the founder start a new technology company, where I now serve as Chief Legal & Ethics Officer—and per startup protocol, wear many hats.
My interest in law has always been paired with an equal fascination for technology. In my current role, I spend substantial time testing new LegalTech tools and exploring the legal implications of AI. My background in philosophy and computer science from Duke has come full circle as I engage deeply with emerging legal and technological frontiers.
Why This? Why Now?
My kids have grown, the pandemic has ended, and I’ve found myself emerging from my shell. Along the way, I’ve realized I have thoughts—a lot of them—about the intersection of law, technology, and the profession. I started another Substack, Please Revise, which leans more into personal philosophy, but I found myself wanting a clearer space for professional reflection. Of course, the line between the personal and the professional is never as clear-cut as we’d like. But then, such is life—and such is law. No Vehicles in the Park, right?
What to Expect
I'll be writing about how technology is reshaping the legal profession. My first substantive post, which will follow shortly, examines the engineering underlying AI-driven LegalTech tools, which have caused much excitement and anxiety among my colleagues. Too often, these tools are adopted without a real understanding of what’s happening under the hood. In this upcoming post, I hope to bridge that gap, demystifying the technology so that lawyers can make informed decisions.
Beyond that? We’ll see. I expect to write about law, technology, GC/CLO things, and professional judgment generally—and more broadly about the legal profession, its culture, and its future. The legal world is changing, and I want a space to explore where it’s headed.
So, if any of that sounds interesting, stick around. Let’s see where this goes.