Khurram's Quorum

Paven Malhotra is leading headline-making AI disputes for OpenAI and other tech companies. We discuss how an early bet on 3D-printing as a frontier dispute didn’t pan out, but laid the foundation for his early bet on AI. This episode breaks down the business development skills Paven began honing as a teenager cold-calling for roofing services to understand how lawyers should think about building a practice at the bleeding edge of technology disputes. Paven shares the principles he’s learned in successive cycles of technology disputes for the playbook for how frontier technology disputes unfold in courts. We discuss how to litigate tech disputes when the tech and industry is rapidly being formed.This episode explores how to build a practice and litigate disputes under uncertainty, and find meaning by taking action first and getting clarity later.

Matt Turetzky leads litigation at Kraken after four years at Coinbase, where he helped direct two cases that reached the Supreme Court.His story is about finding asymmetric bets. Matt explains how a question about pausing district-court litigation led him to a circuit split, why a seemingly strong Supreme Court argument ended in a 9–0 loss, and what both experiences taught him about uncertainty.We also explore how Matt acts as an “apex consumer” of legal services: building trust with outside counsel before a crisis, using fixed fees to compare value, and giving trusted lawyers enough autonomy to do their best work. He shares a practical system for decision-ready writing, including why the first sentence deserves most of an editor’s attention.The same logic shapes Matt’s career. He left a safe BigLaw path to become the first associate at a new litigation boutique, asking a question that reframed the choice: “Have you considered the risk of me staying?” That move led to tech litigation, Coinbase, and Kraken. It also reinforced his deeper bet on becoming a generalist who can solve unfamiliar problems at the frontier.If you liked this episode, here are 3 others you might like- 043: Priyanka Timblo on the strategy behind a $101 million verdict, being underestimated, and the benefits of being all-in Priyanka makes the case for deep specialization, offering a sharp counterpoint to Matt’s belief that a generalist can keep winning at the frontier.- 041: Rakesh Kilaru on decision-making tools honed at the White House, trial strategy through subtraction, and what it takes to build a high-stakes trial boutique Rakesh shows how trust, fixed fees, and a generalist trial model can turn the same ideas Matt uses as a client into a law firm’s edge.- 039: Ambika Kumar on defending free speech, building a tech-speech practice from Seattle, and litigating the TikTok ban Ambika’s leap into frontier tech litigation shows how eagerness, concise advice, and smart career bets create opportunities that a safe path rarely does.

Listening to this episode, you can't miss Samuel Levine's passion for consumer protection. It would be a mistake to look at his remarkable ascent from Harvard Law School to become Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the FTC as a strategic arc to power. Samuel's story illustrates why lawyers should get their hands dirty and find work you're passionate about.I've largely advocated for a more strategic approach to career, and Samuel's approach is a nice counterbalance. I enjoyed this conversation, I hope you will to.

Ryan McCarl is a founding partner at Rushing McCarl LLP and author of Elegant Legal Writing. I was intrigued by the practicality and the eclectic range of influences Ryan draws on for this latest contribution to the pantheon of legal writing books. Ryan pulls ideas from disciplines like graphic design and marketing and from authors in nonfiction and fiction alike. The result is clear guidance on how to write to be helpful, enjoyable, and original.

When I was introduced to Kenneth Anand, I was equal parts excited and anxious. I'm no more than a casual fan of Kanye's work and I've never been into streetwear. But how could I say no to meeting the ex-GC of Yeezy? Kenneth and I ended up having a sprawling conversation about his new book Sneaker Law and how it departs from traditional legal casebooks. We talked about his journey from producing hip hop to law and how after 15 years of practicing law he oriented himself back to his roots in streetwear. We talked about how the methods and culture around sneakers and streetwear is moving into other industries. And we talked about lessons learned from Kanye himself.

Kunal Patel and I something less of a conversation and more of a jam session. We explored his career as a creative and a lawyer to creatives and the multi-year grit it took to land the roles he took on. I don't know how many lawyers once drove for Uber or took a paralegal role to get a foot in the door at the right company. We also explored his ambitions for South Asian creatives and why representation in media really matters. One quote from Kunal has stayed with me: "there can't be a first unless there's a second and a third and a fourth." This interview was a first.

Sachin Shivaram is CEO of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry Co. I was fascinated with Sachin's journey that started with every credential imaginable and led him to running an aluminum foundry in Manitowoc, WI. We talked about the surprising revelation he had from reading Atlas Shrugged that led him to the steel industry, a panic moment when hosting Joe Biden, and what's special about Wisconsin.