Molly Siems is the Director of Business Development at Justworks. But five years ago, she was practicing mergers and acquisitions law at a major New York firm. Her transition from law to BD is one of the most interesting career pivots I've come across — and it's more common than you might think.
After five years in M&A, Siems felt something was missing. "I had the education, the credentials, the trajectory," she told me. "But I wasn't fulfilled. I wanted to be closer to the business itself, not just the legal scaffolding around it."
The transition
She moved in-house as Legal Director at NewsCred, a tech startup, which gave her a much broader view of company operations. She sat in on product meetings, worked closely with the sales team, and started to understand the business from the inside.
When the BD lead departed, the CEO invited Siems to take the role. It made sense: she had three years of contract negotiation experience, deep knowledge of the product, and relationships across the organization.
"It took some getting used to," Siems admitted. "As in-house counsel, I spent the majority of my time on defense. BD is offense. You're creating opportunities rather than protecting against risk."
Where law helps
Her legal background proved invaluable in unexpected ways. She could spot deal risks that other BD professionals might miss. She understood contract structures intuitively. And her negotiation skills — honed in high-stakes M&A transactions — translated directly to partnership discussions.
"The difference is that in law, your job is to find problems. In BD, your job is to solve them. But knowing where the problems are gives you a huge advantage in crafting solutions."
Three tips for lawyers considering BD
Focus on people. Business centers on relationships and understanding others' needs, which is fundamentally different from the academic, precedent-driven nature of legal work. Lean into that shift.
Build internal relationships. Trust with colleagues is essential for gaining the cooperation and support you'll need. In law, you can work somewhat independently. In BD, you can't do anything alone.
Balance creativity with pragmatism. Lawyers are trained to be risk-averse. BD requires creative thinking — but your legal instincts help you evaluate which creative ideas will actually survive contact with reality.
Originally published March 2018