MoForever Alumni News - Winter 2019

MoForever Winter 2019 | 8 is interpreting regulations. But we rely a lot on outside counsel who are subject-matter experts in this area. How do you make decisions concerning outside counsel? Well, that subject-matter expertise I just mentioned is a big factor. Having lawyers whom you can call with an issue and get prompt, practical advice from in complicated situations is critical. When I say “expert,” though, I don’t mean professorial! We want lawyers who can help us understand risks, and pros and cons, and help us puzzle through things. When I arrived at Jazz, I inherited several outside law firms who were already representing the company in pending litigation. A lot of those relationships have continued, because now those lawyers also really know the company. That is very helpful—it saves a lot of time up front if someone can jump into a matter knowing the way the company works and what’s important to us. But of course, you have to have lawyers you like well enough to want to call. Jazz tends to be very “hands on” as a client—many of the legal matters we work on are really important to the company and our outside lawyers have to be willing to work with us as members of a team. I try to remind law firms I’m working with that we both have clients. I make lots of decisions in litigation, but the ultimate decisions about whether to settle or how much to settle for or whether to take risks are made by the business. That’s something I didn’t always appreciate when I was an associate. And last but not least, when it comes to litigation matters, I look for lawyers who won’t freak out when I rewrite their briefs. Old habits die hard. What attracted you to Jazz Pharmaceuticals? I wasn’t actively looking for an in-house job, but I had spent some