Alumni Spotlight: Kooshan Nayerahmadi

 

Name: Kooshan Nayerahmadi
Title: Associate Vice President of Compliance at Merck
Firm Background: Summer Associate, 2006; Associate 2007–2013; Commercial Litigation, Philadelphia

Can you tell us a little about your background?

I was born and raised in Philadelphia, and I’m the son of two immigrants from Iran who came to the United States in the 1970s. I went to Penn State University and earned my B.A. in philosophy in 2004. I then went to Duke University School of Law and earned my J.D. in 2007. I knew that I wanted to eventually start my career in my hometown, so during my first year of law school, I interviewed for summer associate positions with every Philadelphia-based firm that came to Duke’s campus. At that time, I had a very unsophisticated understanding of law firm dynamics, and I found it difficult to meaningfully differentiate between most firms. But when I interviewed with Gregg Melinson from Drinker Biddle, I remember being pleasantly surprised by his candor. During our interview, he highlighted a lot of great things about the firm, but he didn’t shy away from talking about areas where he felt the firm could improve. That stood out to me, and I eventually joined Drinker Biddle as a summer associate in 2006, after my 2L year.

In the fall of 2007, I returned to Drinker Biddle as an associate and joined the commercial litigation group. During that first year, I found myself working on a lot of pharma-related litigation — some product liability work, but mostly consumer protection litigation — and I really enjoyed the work. I was fortunate to continue working in that space throughout my tenure at the firm until I went in-house at Merck in 2013.

When did you first become interested in the legal profession as a career?

I’m the first lawyer in my family, so I didn’t grow up with a real sense of what the profession entails. But, as a kid, I was hooked on courtroom dramas and John Grisham novels, and I would have told you as a 12-year-old that I was going to be a lawyer when I grew up, even though I didn’t really know what that meant. I don’t think that I had a significantly more mature understanding of what a lawyer actually did until law school, when I finally realized that there was more to the practice of law than shouting in courtrooms.

Did you always envision yourself going in-house?

No, not at first. I expected that I would be a long-time litigator. But, at some point, I started to feel that even though I was interested in the subject matter, the litigation work I was doing didn’t play to my strengths as much as I had expected. So, I began to look for in-house opportunities that might be a better fit for me from a skills and personality perspective.

What skills or lessons did you learn during your tenure at Drinker Biddle that have proven particularly valuable in your career or in life?

I began developing a number of really important skills while I was at Drinker: how to prepare for meetings, how to write clearly and precisely, how to think through an issue from all angles, how to discuss issues in a way where everyone felt included. And I learned a lot of valuable lessons about the need to take ownership of your work and the importance of interpersonal skills at work. All of these skills and lessons were critical to my work when I went to Merck, and they made me a better in-house lawyer.

Another important lesson that I took away is how much luck can play a factor in your work experience. I consider myself very lucky to have found myself at Drinker working with talented lawyers, on issues that really interested me, and for clients who had important corporate missions. I was also lucky to have Joanne Lewers as a mentor, who was generous with her time and was invested in my development and success. None of those things were guaranteed to me when I was interviewing for summer associate positions back in 2005, and any number of things that I had no control over could have resulted in my having a very different law firm experience. I’m grateful that things worked out how they did.

Can you describe your current role and responsibilities?

I am currently an associate vice president in Compliance at Merck, where I lead the company’s Office of Ethics. I work with a team that is dedicated to supporting the company’s commitment to ethics and integrity through a number of activities. For example, our office serves as a channel for the receipt and potential investigation of ethics and compliance-related concerns; we maintain the company’s Code of Conduct and our global Speak Up program; and we work with stakeholders across the globe to promote ethics and compliance-related training.

Can you tell us about your career trajectory at Merck?

Before I joined the Compliance organization last year, I spent my first 9+ years in the company’s Office of General Counsel. For most of that time, I worked as a U.S.-based regulatory lawyer, where I provided legal support for the commercial and research organizations on a variety of regulatory matters. I also had the opportunity to move to Singapore to lead our Asia-Pacific legal and compliance team and support all divisions of the company in the Asia-Pacific region. Each role that I have taken has allowed me to expand my knowledge of the company and develop a broader skill set that would help me in future roles.

You worked in Singapore for two years. What was that experience like?

My experience in Singapore was fantastic; it really was one of the best things that I have done both personally and professionally. Before I had the opportunity to work abroad, I had a very U.S.-focused view of how our company operates; my role in Singapore allowed me to develop a much better understanding of the kinds of issues that we face outside of the U.S., and how those issues impact the way that our legal and compliance teams counsel their clients. From a personal standpoint, my wife and I loved living in another country, particularly one as beautiful as Singapore, and the opportunity it provided to learn about the different cultures of the people who live there. Even though most of our time in Singapore overlapped with the pandemic, we were both very grateful that we had the opportunity to move there for two years.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

I think lawyers generally are seen as people with answers, people who “know” things, and that can make it somewhat uncomfortable to be faced with situations where you aren’t an expert in the subject matter. In all of my roles since I moved in-house, I’ve been confronted with issues that weren’t necessarily in my wheelhouse and required me to dig in and learn something completely new. In some respects, that’s the best part of my job — getting the chance to constantly try new things — but that discomfort with “not knowing” is also one of the most challenging parts of it.

Do you have any advice for current attorneys who might be looking to transition in-house?

I remember looking at a lot of in-house job postings and thinking that, at least superficially, my law firm experience did not align with the skills needed for the in-house role. I thought that I needed to find something that fit exactly the kind of work that I had been doing at the firm. In reality, though, that was not the case. The skills that you develop working at a law firm — particularly the interpersonal skills and the instinct to be self-starting — will serve you well in any in-house context. I recommend focusing more on the way that you work instead of the subject matter; the subject matter will always change over time, but “skills” like being a personable colleague that people want to work with will always work to your advantage.

What hobbies, passions or adventures occupy your leisure time?

I love to cook and I love to travel. This year, I’ve made it a goal to learn how to make pasta entirely by hand — no electric mixers, no pasta machines; just flour, eggs and a rolling pin. And, for some inspiration, we took a trip to Italy recently, and the itinerary consisted mostly of eating pasta. I regret nothing.