2024
Partner
ASIAN
AWARD
Li Zhu
Education (degrees & institutions): JD, University of Minnesota Law School; University of California, San Diego (Bioengineering Pre-Medical) Company Name: Robins Kaplan LLP Industry: Law Company CEO: N/A Company Headquarters Location: Minneapolis, MN Number of Employees: 600+ Your Location (if different from above): Silicon Valley, CA Words you live by: “Be curious, not judgmental.” – Ted Lasso Who is your personal hero? The person that I want to be for my kids What book are you reading? Based on a True Story, Dune (guilty pleasure), The Sorcerer’s Stone (for our son). What was your first job? Volunteering at the San Jose Public Library and putting books away. Favorite charity: Silicon Valley Urban Debate League (join us at SVUDL.org)! Interests/Hobbies: Family time, exercise, music, reading, and travel. Family: I have a wonderful wife (Lici), a 3-year-old son (Link), and an 11-month-old daughter (Lily).
His legal career is a love letter to his dedicated mentors It’s impossible to talk about my practice today without crediting the great mentors I’ve met along the way. Two amazing people in particular – Michaela and Seth Northrop – have helped shape every stage of my life, starting from when I was a high school policy debater to becoming a law firm partner. Michaela was my high school teacher and debate coach, and her husband, Seth, volunteered to coach the school’s policy debate program. When we first met, I was a socially awkward teenager who was scared of public speaking (I was only participating in debate for the mandatory class credit). But as the months passed – and with Michaela and Seth’s constant encouragement – one debate tournament became three, then five, then ten. Each experience helped me gradually develop confidence until I eventually overcame my deep-rooted fear of public speaking. Through debate, I learned leadership and critical thinking skills that have proved invaluable decades later. In sum, I had transformed into a slightly less socially
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awkward teenager who loved debate. Law school should have been an easy choice on paper, but it remained an abstract concept until a memorable conversation with Seth where he shared his own law school experiences. Both Seth and Michaela encouraged me to apply to law school – they believed I would succeed where I doubted myself (yet again). After being accepted to, and graduating from, law school, Seth encouraged me to apply to the firm where he worked (Robins Kaplan) because of their commitment to developing trial lawyers. I did, and we would go on to work on a number of cases together and go to trial together. I would advance to partner less than a decade later, on the back of Seth’s constant mentorship and staunch sponsorship. Mentorship means meeting a person where they are and fully understanding their diverse background, their unique experiences, and their goals, in order to properly support their career path. I’ve come
to appreciate Michaela and Seth’s mentorship even more while working with younger attorneys in my practice. I’ve also had an opportunity to see other great mentors in action while being involved with the Silicon Valley Urban Debate League (SVUDL) – an organization committed to empowering students from low-income communities with meaningful access to speech and debate programs. I’ve seen firsthand how good mentors play a crucial role in inspiring the next generation of mentors. I can only aspire to someday be as supportive as Michaela and Seth. I’ll conclude with an invitation: If you’re interested in mentoring the next generation of young leaders (and especially if you’re a former debater), I would highly recommend getting involved with your local Urban Debate League (UDL) at https://urbandebate. org/get-involved/volunteeropportunities/. For those in the Bay Area, please support SVUDL: https://www.svudl.org/volunteer.
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