Krish began by addressing the unexpected effects of the transition to working from home. Dell has been working for several years to enable a flexible work environment, including the digital transformation necessary for people to work remotely. This eased the transition to WFH earlier this year but still required adjustments. For example, video calls have provided more opportunities to see remote team members, but the image of yourself on the screen can be a distraction. Thus, it can take more focus and effort to take a video rather than an in-person meeting. A company culture that is flexible and understanding of the challenges employees face at home, ranging from “Zoom fatigue” to lack of child care to multiple people working from home in the same household and more, allows the company and its employees to support each other in this difficult time.

Krish was very appreciative of how quickly Dell’s outside counsel have adapted to the present environment. They have helped Dell not only keep track but take advantage of the different measures patent offices around the world have implemented to extend deadlines and waive fees. On the litigation side, outside counsel have also helped Dell adjust budgets and postpone decisions and spending as trials are delayed. As the pandemic goes on, outside counsel are now thinking about trial preparation questions – how to produce witnesses who may not be able to travel or who have health concerns and how to prepare them without in-person meetings.

In response to a question about how law departments can promote diversity, Krish noted a culture of equality at Dell that has been pushed by its founder and namesake Michael Dell since the early days of the company. The Dell law department has standing committees for Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) and for pro bono work, and Dell lawyers around the country participate in pro bono practice. Dell sponsors a D&I award for its outside law firms and most of their firms apply each year, describing how they fulfill criteria such as how many diverse members of their firms are doing work and making appearances on behalf of Dell. In response to a question from Mary Lou Wakimura, co-chair of the BPLA ad hoc committee on Diversity and Inclusion, he encouraged the BPLA to reach out to corporate diversity programs and corresponding committees at the Association for Corporate Counsel and other organizations to pool resources, for example, to prepare a tool kit for clients and firms to promote diversity and inclusion.

Krish also provided some advice for lawyers looking to advance their careers – get involved with professional organizations!  For example, in house lawyers can become very insular working only with their own team. Professional organizations can help lawyers build a network with peers at law firms and other companies.  That network is available to answer questions and give advice on unfamiliar issues that come up in daily law practice.

The BPLA sincerely thanks Krish for his time and for his support of the BPLA.

In-House Committee co-chairs: Cristin Berkey, TCR2 Therapeutics, Inc. Valarie Rosen, Cabot Corporation Computer Law Committee co-chairs: Meenakshy Chakravorty, Signify Inc. Emily Gardel, Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, PC Patent Law Committee co-chairs: Stephen Chow, Hsuanyeh Law Group, PC Urszula Nowak, Foley Hoag LLP