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Articles by Doug
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Even though I wish the timing was better, I have joined Withers as Partner and Global Head of the Founder Practice. Why Withers and why now...
Even though I wish the timing was better, I have joined Withers as Partner and Global Head of the Founder Practice. Why Withers and why now...
Twenty years ago, I founded the Mandell Law Group, PC. After years practicing at two large law firms and being GC of a…
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Doug Mandell reacted on thisDoug Mandell reacted on thisAre you confident your company is prepared for the scrutiny that comes with diligence, financing events, or a major transaction? Join EisnerAmper, Blick Rothenberg, and Osborne Clarke during #SFTechWeek on October 6th for a practical discussion on the issues that often create risk, delays, and surprises for growing technology companies. I'm looking forward to moderating a panel featuring: • Doug Mandell, General Counsel, Inflection AI • Matthew Gallatin, CFO, Inflection AI • Ray Berg, Partner, Osborne Clarke • Simon Gleeson, Partner, Blick Rothenberg If you're a CFO, General Counsel, or finance/legal leader navigating growth, financing, or strategic transactions, you'll want to be a part of this conversation. ➡️ Space is limited, so register here to attend: https://lnkd.in/gpiyQZKc
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Doug Mandell shared thisImplementing an AI legal strategy is one of the hottest topics for GCs right now — but how do you actually do it for your team? Join us for a discussion on how to do this for both small and large in-house legal teams. Looking forward to this one with my good friend Dina Segal, Chief Legal Officer Gusto, moderated by Tommie Tavares-Ferreira of Lawtrades. Thanks to The L Suite (TechGC) for organizing The Practical AI Series. Tuesday, September 8, 1:00pm ET. https://lnkd.in/gYNF9Bh5
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Doug Mandell shared thisThe biggest strategic risk from AI isn't moving too fast. It's not moving at all. In the technology world, agility is a given. We talk constantly about how quickly transformation happens and how important it is to keep up. Most law firms and most businesses don't talk that way, and that's the risk. If AI feels overwhelming, if your business doesn't seem to benefit, if you've been doing the same work the same way for years, push yourself anyway. Take one small step this week. The pace of change isn't slowing down, and resistance is the risk. This video is part of From Answer to Advisor, the AI series I created with DJ Patil. The full series is here: https://lnkd.in/e8Xh_UtN #AI #AIinLaw #LegalTech #GeneralCounsel #FutureOfLaw
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Doug Mandell shared thisTools like Legora and Harvey have attracted serious adoption in legal, but using AI is not the same as having an AI strategy. The two get conflated constantly, including in some pretty senior conversations. That distinction is one of the through-lines of From Answer to Advisor, the new video series DJ Patil and I made on how AI is changing what makes lawyers (and any professional) valuable. Today's video, Video 7, gets into what an actual AI strategy looks like, and why adopting a tool isn't the same as having a plan. Full series is here: https://lnkd.in/gnScziWq #AI #AIinLaw #LegalTech #GeneralCounsel #FutureOfLaw
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Doug Mandell shared thisWhat I was not great at as a junior lawyer (research, doc review, discovery responses) AI does brilliantly. What I was great at as a senior partner (judgment, advising clients, reading rooms) AI can't really do. That asymmetry is what From Answer to Advisor is about: a video series DJ Patil and I made on how AI is changing what makes lawyers (and other knowledge workers) valuable. Today's video, Video 6, is about your personal AI strategy: figuring out where your actual value lives, then pushing the rest to AI. Full Series Here: https://lnkd.in/g8DYKbm6 #AI #AIandLegal #GeneralCounsel
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Doug Mandell shared thisVideo 1 of From Answer to Advisor is live. DJ Patil and I open the series with the question that started the whole project: when AI can do the information work, what’s left for lawyers? It’s where the series starts and the theme it keeps returning to.
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Doug Mandell shared thisHonored to be back at The L Suite (TechGC) Legal AI Conference in New York which starts this afternoon. This time I’m co-leading a roundtable with Scott Kosnoff on Board Accountability and AI Risk Governance. It’s exactly the territory the video series DJ Patil and I just launched is exploring, but from the board’s seat. Tomorrow I’m releasing Video 6, on building your own personal AI strategy. One of my favorites in the series. More then. #AI #TechGC #AIinLaw #GeneralCounsel #AIGovernance
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Doug Mandell shared thisFor most of my career, a lawyer's value came from knowing the answer. AI is changing that faster than most of us are ready for. When information becomes nearly free, what sets a great lawyer apart isn't what they know. It's judgment, trust, and knowing what to do with all of it. The most human parts of the job are becoming the most valuable. That's the throughline of a new video series I've spent the last several months working on. It grew out of the questions GCs, law firm partners, and new lawyers were asking me: what an "AI strategy" really means, and why adoption is so much harder than it looks. After developing the series, I asked my close friend, former colleague, and client DJ Patil (the first U.S. Chief Data Scientist) to interview me. The focus is legal, but the principles apply to any industry. Today I'm releasing the trailer here, with more videos to follow over the next couple of weeks. The full series is on YouTube (https://lnkd.in/g7TfYbnm). Thanks to DJ Patil, to Danny Kaplan and Content Engine Studios for bringing this series to life, to April Dewart for her thoughtful feedback, and to Erica Jostedt and the team at Inflection AI for making this possible. #AI #AIinLaw #LegalTech #GeneralCounsel #FutureOfLaw
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Doug Mandell shared thisThis Thursday, I'll be moderating a conversation hosted by The L Suite (TechGC) I've wanted to have for a long time. The GC role is one of the hardest in any company — not because of the legal complexity, but because of the relationship complexity. With the CEO. With the board. With outside counsel who may have been there long before you arrived. We're going to name the things most panels won't: the red flags to spot before you take the role, how to earn a CEO's trust — and how to recognize when you never will — and how to know when it's time to go. I'm joined by people who have genuinely lived this: Michael Glaser (Morrison Foerster) is one of the finest ECVC lawyers I know — someone I've worked alongside both as company counsel and as counsel to founders. He'll bring the outside counsel perspective that GCs rarely get to hear directly. Beth Stevens (CLO, Sword Health) has been a GC and CLO across multiple companies — from Opendoor to Sword Health. She brings a candor that makes her one of the most valuable voices in any room she's in. Amy Sennett (GC & Corporate Secretary, micro1) teaches the GC role at Columbia Law and has built legal functions at scaling startups from the ground up. As she put it perfectly this morning — the real work of the GC is about judgment, trust, and communication. Over 500 GCs and in-house lawyers have already registered! Hope you can join us. #GeneralCounsel #InHouseLegal #LegalLeadership #GC #TechGC
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Doug Mandell liked thisDoug Mandell liked thisLatham again ranks #1 globally across M&A, capital markets, and banking in Bloomberg’s Q3 2026 league tables, extending our market-leading performance through the third quarter. These results underscore the firm's position as the world's leading transactional platform and the unrivaled strength of its fully integrated global corporate and finance capabilities. https://lw.link/73xpMf
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Doug Mandell liked thisDoug Mandell liked thisOn the launch day of the FDA-approved test with Abbott: reflections on a dozen years of the build of FRNM.A momentous day for Freenome's mission for cancer patients, that began a dozen years ago.A momentous day for Freenome's mission for cancer patients, that began a dozen years ago.
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Doug Mandell liked thisDoug Mandell liked thisI read research for a living. So when I read for myself, I’m looking for an idea that changes how I think. Three books did that for me this summer. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟱 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 by Sahil Bloom asks a bigger question than how much money we accumulate: what actually makes a life rich? 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 by Anne-Laure Le Cunff, PhD appealed to the investor in me. Not every decision needs to be permanent. Sometimes the better approach is to test, learn and adjust. And 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 by Allen Levi, which I’m holding here, made me think differently about generosity, connection and the impact we can have on other people. I’m starting to share more about what I’m reading, especially the books that change the way I think about a decision. What was the best book you read this summer?
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Doug Mandell liked thisDoug Mandell liked thisBeing an accidental tourist in my own city this week, as I move between meetings in a truly multimodal way - on foot, on a cable car, in an autonomous car, and now: On a ferry. I just haven’t learned anything about B2B sales yet. Am I doing this right?
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Doug Mandell liked thisDoug Mandell liked thisIt's an exciting time to be working in robotics and physical AI! Progress in this field can feel slow. Hardware is hard, and the things that look effortless in a video take years of unglamorous work to get right. Building a robot that people genuinely want to spend time with is harder than it looks. But what keeps me energized is that the impact isn't waiting for some future milestone. Abi is already in senior living communities, spending time with residents and giving staff more capacity to do what only people can do. Some residents call her a friend - they take pictures with her, give her hugs when they see her and talk to their family and friends about her. Thank you to Edward Ludlow, Arielle Schwartz and the Bloomberg team for including Andromeda Robotics in this look at how technology can support our aging population. And thank you to our team of Andromedans who work on this every day. The future of robotics is here and only getting better! Story link in comments. #robotics #agetech #physicalAI #andromedarobotics Grace Brown Bryan Balin Brian McCarthy Carina Parisella Yan Chen
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Doug Mandell liked thisDoug Mandell liked thisSterlington advised the management team of DigitalBridge on its approximately US$3.1 billion acquisition by SoftBank Group. Our work covered all aspects of the transaction for management, including go-forward compensation and equity arrangements for the leadership team. Executive Compensation partners Jeremy Goldstein and Jake A. Ebers led the team alongside Corporate partners Christopher S. Harrison and Evan Coren. Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/dhyv9PiU #ExecutiveCompensation #MergersAndAcquisitions #DigitalInfrastructure
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Doug Mandell liked thisDoug Mandell liked thisToday, we closed an employee tender offer at a 22B valuation. It’s an important milestone that reflects years of tireless work by the very people who were able to participate in it. We’ll briefly honor this moment, but the journey has just begun - and we’re not the kind of team that celebrates getting out of the Group Stage! Only the beginning and there’s never been a better time to get on board. We’ve got hundreds of open roles here: https://lnkd.in/dKdEj4jb
Experience & Education
Volunteer Experience
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Board Member
Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties
- 3 years
Civil Rights and Social Action
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Photo Accessions Committee Member
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- 2 years 1 month
Arts and Culture
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Member
Full Circle Fund
- 1 year 1 month
Environment
I was a member of the Full Circle Fund and part of the Environment Circle.
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Mentor & Endeavor Entrepreneur International Selection Panelist
Endeavor
- Present 15 years 10 months
Economic Empowerment
I serve as a mentor to Endeavor Entrepreneurs from around the world. I also serve as a panelist in selecting the next class of Endeavor Entrepreneurs. In 2011, I was on the ISP International Selection Panel) in Uruguay to select the Endeavor Entrepreneurs from the Latin American Region. This year I will be serving on the ISP in December 2012 in Miami.
Honors & Awards
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Selected for Best Lawyers in America 2014
Best Lawyers
Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. I was selected for this honor in 2014: http://www.bestlawyers.com/lawyers/douglas-d-mandell/160256/.
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AV® rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell
Martindale-Hubbell
Recognized in 2007 by as an AV® rated attorney, the highest such rating available to any individual lawyer. “An AV ® Rating signifies that the lawyer has reached the heights of professional excellence. He or she has usually practiced law for a number of years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of bar members and the judiciary, and attest to the individual lawyer's legal ability and adherence to accepted professional…
Recognized in 2007 by as an AV® rated attorney, the highest such rating available to any individual lawyer. “An AV ® Rating signifies that the lawyer has reached the heights of professional excellence. He or she has usually practiced law for a number of years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of bar members and the judiciary, and attest to the individual lawyer's legal ability and adherence to accepted professional standards of ethics.” Martindale-Hubbell (http://www.martindale.com/ratings_explanation).
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Selected as a Northern Califoria SuperLawyer
SuperLawyers
Selected as a Northern California Super Lawyer for the last nine years. Super Lawyers (www.superlawyers.com) are limited to the top 5% of all lawyers in Northern California as selected by their peers and an independent panel. I was one of the youngest attorneys in Northern California to receive this honor.
Organizations
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Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO)
Member
- PresentMember of this global Entrepreneurship Organization. Membership is limited to founders of businesses with revenues in excess of $1 million. I am a member of the San Francisco Chapter. I have also been involved internationally, attending conferences in: Singapore; Tokyo; Barcelona; Morocco; Montreal and China. I have also spoken to other EO Chapters in China and in the US.
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Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Global Board
Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee
-I chaired the Corporate Governance Committee of the EO Global Board for two years.
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Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO)
Board Member of the San Francisco EO Chapter
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Salil Deshpande
As AI workloads eat up global computing supply, DRAM prices are surging like never before—creating major challenges for teams trying to plan out their data center spend. One of my portfolio companies, Mext, is addressing the largest cost component in the datacenter: server memory (DRAM). From being on the board of Redis for the last twelve years, I’ve learned a lot about the various aspects of this problem and approaches to solving them. Mext found a breakthrough, using new AI techniques, for dramatically reducing the amount of server-DRAM required to run applications, all while maintaining performance. It intelligently manages the server’s memory, keeping hot pages (i.e., those in use by applications) in fast DRAM and offloading cold pages (i.e., those less used) to a much less expensive memory tier (e.g., NVMe Flash). Key to the approach is ensuring cold memory pages that are about to be accessed by an application are back in DRAM before the application needs them or notices that they were gone. This is done without modifications to the application or the OS – so it can run in the cloud or on-premise. Mext thus allows applications to either run using less DRAM or keep their DRAM footprint but do more with it. They're hosting a webinar along with Fred Weber (former CTO of AMD) on Jan 22nd at 10am pacific time. You can register here: https://lnkd.in/gXe9GCeE
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