#141: Kyle Robisch - Big Law Litigator Turned Flex Legal Talent Leader

Welcome back to another episode of the ⁠How I Lawyer Podcast⁠, where ⁠Professor Jonah Perlin⁠ interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is ⁠Kyle Robisch⁠, a Partner at ⁠Latitude Legal⁠, a premier flexible legal talent company providing top-notch legal professionals on a temporary or project basis. Before joining Latitude a year ago, Kyle was a litigation partner at ⁠Bradley⁠, an associate at ⁠Venable⁠, and a law clerk in the Middle District of Florida. He's a graduate of the ⁠University of Florida⁠ and ⁠Vanderbilt Law School⁠ and lives in Tampa with his wife and two children.

In this episode, Kyle shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🎤⚖️ How his high school policy debate experience put him on a 12-year path to becoming a lawyer, teaching him to argue both sides of an issue and work within established rules [2:00]

🎓💰 How his desire to attend a top law school influenced his undergraduate decision, choosing the University of Florida to maintain financial flexibility for future law school options [4:54]

👨‍⚖️📝 How clerking for a federal judge provided invaluable experience that accelerated his career development, allowing him to function at a higher level when he entered private practice [11:00]

🌎🏠 How his decision to leave DC for Florida initially felt like a career downgrade but ultimately accelerated his path to partnership and broadened his practice areas [13:47]

🔄🧠 How he realized litigation wasn't the right fit for him despite external success, leading to his career pivot into the flexible legal talent space [18:00]

👥🤝 How his current role at Latitude Legal allows him to help both law firms/companies needing talent and lawyers seeking flexible work arrangements, creating a people-centric career that leaves him energized [23:24]

🚪🔑 How increasing your "surface area for serendipity" by saying yes to opportunities and meeting new people opens more doors in your legal career [39:00]

🤖⚖️ How AI will transform legal practice but won't eliminate lawyer jobs—instead creating new opportunities for those willing to adapt [33:55]

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦⏰ How intentionality is the key to balancing legal work with family life, including practical strategies like putting your phone on airplane mode during family time [45:46]

🛣️🔄 How it's never too late to change career paths, even after achieving traditional markers of success like making partner [50:00]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by ⁠⁠LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys⁠⁠.