How I Lawyer Podcast with Jonah Perlin #149: Jonathan Z. Cohen - Associate General Counsel, Former Prosecutor, Speaker on Resilience and Mindset
Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.
Today's guest is Jonathan Z. Cohen, Associate General Counsel for PNY Technologies and Business Development lead for North America. Beyond his corporate role, Jonathan educates lawyers on wellbeing, stress management, and mental fitness through CLEs, keynotes, and workshops. His professional background includes serving as an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx. Jonathan holds degrees from Muhlenberg College and Touro University Law and School of Business.
In this episode, Jonathan shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:
π§ πͺ How his journey from struggling student to accomplished attorney shaped his understanding of personal potential and the power of overcoming limiting narratives [02:01]
πβοΈ How taking time off before college transformed his discipline, structure, and approach to challenges [03:54]
ππ How he became one of the first graduates of Touro Law's JD/MBA joint degree program, transitioning from academic struggles to graduating in the top of his class [06:43]
βοΈπ¨ββοΈ How his experience as a Bronx prosecutor provided invaluable courtroom experience while teaching him to learn from more seasoned attorneys [12:17]
π’π» How he transitioned from criminal law to the technology sector, joining PNY Technologies and its partnership with NVIDIA before AI became mainstream [19:35]
ππ§ββοΈ How the shift from high-stakes prosecution to corporate law allowed his nervous system to "calm down a thousand degrees" while still maintaining professional challenge [23:21]
ππ§ How awareness is the foundation of all personal and professional development, especially for managing burnout in the legal profession [32:20]
ππ― How creating an "evidence frame" list of your credentials and preparation can combat imposter syndrome in high-pressure situations [34:25]
πββοΈπ How setting ambitious physical challenges creates structure that positively impacts all areas of life, including professional performance [40:02]
πβοΈ Why new lawyers should ignore negative narratives about the profession and recognize that legal training provides skills that can be applied in countless ways [44:54]
This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.