Jeff Hyman

I started my career as a litigator at Cooley, one of the premier Silicon Valley firms. For six years, I handled commercial contract disputes, trade secret theft cases, trademark anti-counterfeiting investigations and prosecutions, and more. I loved the work and enjoyed winning in court; but my passion was guiding businesses forward rather than focusing on past conflicts.

In my first corporate legal role, I supported Intel’s foray into the era of “mobility” computing (i.e. thinner/lighter laptops with WiFi and longer battery life) and later was promoted to Chief Counsel for all of Intel’s wireless and handheld computing products. I found my calling as a business lawyer.

I joined Apple’s legal team in 2008, for a master course on how great products are designed, engineered, and manufactured. Leading the legal team supporting Apple’s Industrial Design, Device and Technology Engineering, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing organizations, I worked with some of the best-known and impressive business leaders in the world. My team and I worked on the largest and most complex deals of that era, paving the way for new technologies, manufacturing processes, factories, and partnerships … helping Apple become the world’s most impactful hardware company.

In 2014, I joined Pebble, the smartwatch pioneer, as General Counsel and Head of HR. I loved everything about startup-land – from building the company’s Legal and HR functions, to guiding Pebble through the risks, challenges, and opportunities that emerging tech companies face.

In 2017, I joined Google’s consumer hardware group as a business executive – the first time in my career that I was not practicing law. I built and led the Strategic Relationships and Deals team that forged critical technology deals and partnerships that made the Google Pixel phone and its custom Tensor processor chip possible.

Over my years as a corporate lawyer, I have worked at the intersection of business and law, including leading hundreds of tech deals. I always love when my colleagues describe me as a “business person who happens to be a lawyer.”

And so, in 2019, I created LWD Advisors, and have been doing this work I love ever since.