Alumnus Christopher Mitchell ’00, currently the general counsel at Kickstarter, was interviewed by Law360 regarding his work experience and career path. Kickstarter is a global crowdfunding platform for creative projects.
Chris Mitchell, the general counsel of Kickstarter whose resume also includes serving as the top lawyer at both Tumblr and littleBits, said he breaks down the responsibilities of the role into four C’s: compliance, counsel, catalyst and conscience.
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What kind of legal issues do you deal with as the general counsel of a public benefit corporation?
You’re dealing with a lot of the same issues — transactional, [intellectual property, human resources], tax, product work — like any technology startup. But at the same time, we’re also considering things in the vein of our charter to make sure we’re aligned with it. We also are a very politically and socially active corporation. I spend a lot of my time looking at issues and finding where it makes the most sense for Kickstarter to make a public statement.
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When did you know you wanted to become a lawyer?
I had a sense in high school. I’ve always surrounded myself with creative people — artists, musicians, writers — and I’ve always enjoyed helping creative people accomplish their goals, while being only marginally creative myself. I knew early on I liked helping people and bringing structure to people who don’t love structure in a very non-invasive kind of way. That led me to the law, that led me into the entertainment business, that led me into technology and, ultimately, that led me to Kickstarter.