Larry Braverman
BEFORE AXIOM: MEDEFINANCE; HYPERION SOLUTIONS
Larry Braverman has his special spot in a paradise of his own making. With his favorite chair placed just so, he can relax with his first cup of coffee in the morning. As he watches the sun come up, he surveys the fruits—make that herbs and vegetables—of his labors: a wonderful backyard garden. Over the years, he has planted things he could use or simply that he likes: oregano, sage, tomatoes. When he first bought the house, it was a different story: “It was all fennel and blackberries, sort of like when Snow White falls asleep.”
As Larry will tell you, he likes projects, and the garden is a place where he can get creative but at the same time have a beginning and an end. “I throw them in there and see if they work. It’s really like a controlled science experiment.” he says. “I’m never really sure how they’re going to do.” For Larry, figuring out “what works where” is part of the creativity.
In college, Larry was a French major. He had taken French since the fourth grade, so by the time he got to college he was “halfway to a French degree already.” He enjoyed the language, even spending his sophomore year in Paris. Upon graduation, “Everyone said to go to law school—‘You can do anything with a law degree!’.” Larry says. The reality is “When you go to law school, you become a lawyer.”
When Larry began his career, he worked in mergers and acquisitions and securities, eventually as an in-house lawyer at Lotus. As he moved into a general counsel role, he had to become more of a generalist. “I’m a corporate lawyer who does business transactions, but I also do litigation management, intellectual property and licensing, and mergers and acquisitions.” He enjoys corporate law, he says, because he likes the process of meeting people and solving client problems before they become lawsuits.
“Most people don’t have any idea of what corporate lawyers do. They mostly relate to litigation and to law suits, that’s really how they see the law. So, when you explain to them that you review contracts most of the day, negotiate with people and try to solve problems, they are a bit surprised. It’s a much more process-oriented type of work.”
As Larry progressed, he realized that he preferred the general counsel experience over being “owned” by one firm, but he missed working with a diverse range of clients. He had heard of Axiom, and was interested, “I thought Axiom would give me the opportunity to do a similar type of work, but with more variety… the best of both worlds.” And he says, “I like the people.”
Working for Axiom has given Larry the time to work on many projects—not just the garden, but renovating his house and even getting into cross-country skiiing. “There’s a lot of things I’m surprised that I’m doing now,” he muses. “I like a start, middle and end. That’s why I renovate houses, that’s why I work in the garden, and that’s why I love law. In the end, I think they’re all related.”