Leah Ko (Corporate, 2014–2016), product counsel at Google, practiced in the firm’s Corporate Department. Leah received her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Toronto, her J.D. from the University of Ottawa and her LL.M. from Columbia Law School.
1. What are the most rewarding and challenging aspects of your role as a product counsel at Google?
The most rewarding aspects of my role as product counsel at Google are: (1) impact on innovation – being able to work on disruptive technological innovations, from ideation to launch, that impact billions of people, while also being at the forefront of legal and AI. I get to advise on how our products evolve in this changing legal and regulatory landscape and help advance AI legal policy positions within Google; and (2) problem solving and strengthening my expertise across multiple areas of law - I love identifying legal risks during product development and collaborating with our cross-functional teams (product, privacy, engineering, marketing, partnerships) to develop creative strategies for tackling legal issues and solving complex and unique legal challenges.
The most rewarding aspects are also what makes this role so challenging: I need to stay ahead of the constantly evolving legal landscape and on the cutting edge of technology, particularly in AI. The balance between fostering innovation, mitigating legal risks and ensuring that the company’s products align with our values – particularly when it comes to ethical concerns like data privacy and transparency – can be tough. But it’s truly very fulfilling to play a key role in shaping the company’s values and driving success.
2. How did you get into the IT industry, and what drives you to continue this work?
Prior to Google, I was at Macy’s/Bloomingdales as in-house counsel. I was a Swiss army knife, working on a variety of legal matters, but I developed industry expertise in retail. When I was hired at Google, they were looking for someone with experience advising a retail company, as Google was trying to break into the consumer retail space with its first-party devices. The job at Google was a mix of technology and retail and a great way to break into the tech space. I’ve since moved on to YouTube and am lead counsel for our generative AI creation tools, which involves helping our product teams develop tools that put Google’s most advanced AI models into the hands of creators. This democratizes content creation by making gen-AI tools more accessible to all and helps foster self-expression. That mission, collaborating with my amazing team, and being at the forefront of the legal/AI frontier is what drives me to continue to do this work.
3. What advice would you give to a lawyer considering a transition to a tech-focused legal role?
Start by developing an understanding of the tech industry and the legal and regulatory landscape. Be curious. I’d also highly recommend networking, meeting people in the tech space and learning about their work and day to day. Eventually, you may find yourselves as peers, working together to share insights to navigate challenges specific to the tech space.
Finally, get comfortable with a shift in risk appetite; tech companies tend to have a higher risk tolerance and are focused on speed, growth and market disruption. You need to be comfortable counseling in ambiguity, as the legal landscape is ever evolving in the tech space, and there are lots of grey areas and novel regulatory issues that will arise. There won’t always be a right or straightforward answer, and that’s okay! That’s where your experience, reasoning and instinct will come into play. My experience at Paul, Weiss prepared me well for my work today, and I am thankful for the strong foundation it gave me.