Joyce Chen | Attorney

Having served as in-house counsel at then-startup (and now publicly traded company) Ryan Specialty Group, a niche brokerage and underwriting firm, Joyce joined goodcounsel with experience in providing young businesses with responsive and effective advice across a range of practice areas. She also collaborated with the in-house legal team at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, on secondment from Baker & McKenzie, where she worked as a corporate associate for three years. Joyce thrives on developing relationships with clients and learning about their businesses, which is essential at goodcounsel, as it serves as de facto general counsel for many startups.

Since 2018, Joyce has lived on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, after spending 14 years in Chicago. She earned her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Chicago and was the pianist in the university orchestra.

Big Picture

• Baker & McKenzie, Ryan Specialty Group, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics
• University of Chicago Law School, University of Chicago
• Piano and tennis

Key Metrics

• Legal superpower: bending space-time to work at lightning speed
• Lifetime hours spent practicing piano: Approximately 6,513
• Favorite composer: Brahms

A conversation with Joyce

Tell us what you do at goodcounsel.

Most of the time, I provide legal advice to clients on a broad range of topics, working on formation and equity documents, and drafting and negotiating commercial contracts that keep businesses running. One perk of working at goodcounsel is that no one is forced into a niche, so I get to be a polymath here.

goodcounsel is unlike any law firm I’ve heard of or worked at before, thanks to Ken. Ken is entrepreneurial in ways that most lawyers are not, pushing the envelope in technology and leadership. For example, effective contract automation is just now something Silicon Valley companies are offering, but Ken was far ahead. He’s also created a firm culture that strives for excellence while remaining kind and understanding. For instance, we are expected to be open about our challenges and weaknesses, which results in an environment of transparency and allows for greater improvement because we’re not trying to cover up what we don’t know (which is what people at most other workplaces spend a lot of time doing).

You’ve worked at a corporate law firm, and then in-house for startups. What made you decide to join a law firm for startups?

I realized that I enjoy being more of a generalist. In a big firm, associates specialize early on and because the hourly rates are so expensive the firm is usually only brought in for discrete complicated matters. So, unless you’re the partner with the client relationship, you often don’t see what led up to the legal action and what happens as a result.  Working at goodcounsel is similar to being in-house. We have a lot of communication with our clients, and over time we build a relationship and a thorough understanding of the business. We see how our work impacts the business and vice versa. At some larger companies, the disadvantage of being in-house counsel might be having to work on repetitive tasks, but goodcounsel gets the best of both worlds; startups can’t afford to over-document, so we work on the crucial matters they need to get their businesses going. It is inspiring for me to enable entrepreneurs to create products, services, and jobs. They are the engine of a healthy economy.  

So what makes Joyce, Joyce?

I don’t know, what’s special about me? I play piano, primarily chamber music, and I recently took up cello – so challenging!. I accompany fellow parents (who are professional musicians) for school fundraisers and at local nursing homes. As you can imagine, it is very rewarding to make music at a high level for a good cause, or for audiences that might not otherwise be able to access live music.

Why chamber music?

It’s interactive, social, and much more enjoyable than playing alone. I enjoy listening to and learning from the musicians I play with. Chamber music feels like a conversation with friends.

In what ways is playing piano like practicing law?

Both require skill in supporting and guiding others while anticipating what comes next. As a pianist, I may need to do any of the following based on what the music requires and what the other players need from me: maintain or change the tempo or dynamics, shape a phrase, emphasize certain notes, or lead into the next musical concept. As a transactional lawyer, I provide clients with legal advice and suggest language or next steps.

You’ve gone from playing in a large orchestra to small ensembles, and from a large law firm to a boutique environment—any insights you can draw from that?

Perhaps I find smaller environments to be more rewarding on some level. What I didn’t expect about moving from Chicago to New York in 2018 is that, ironically, the density of New York leads to more localization and smaller, tighter-knit communities. For example, we have many close friends in the apartment building where we live.

Final question: What would your theme music be at goodcounsel?

Maybe a Brahms piano trio—subtle, collaborative, expressive, and just a little bit intense.

Interview by Patty Chang Anker.