Meet Corey Gerson | Business-Focused Attorney and Co-Founder of G2L Law

We had the good fortune of connecting with Corey Gerson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Corey, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I launched a law firm called G2L Law in 2023. Before that, I worked at a big international law firm called Kirkland & Ellis in New York City, and then in-house within fast-growing tech companies like Databricks. I definitely took a risk with starting G2L, but after a lot of thought I felt comfortable with the decision. I think that’s because I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone in other areas of my life.

For example, I’ve driven taxi cabs, and I bought a one-way ticket to Malaysia in my 20s where I had the opportunity to teach kids in Kuala Lumpur. I spent much of that year traveling alone through Southeast Asia, Australia, and Europe, and I’ve since also spent a bunch of time traveling solo across South America. One day I was waiting for a bus on the side of a dirt road while making my way through the Borneo jungle. A random traveler happened to walk up and tell me about his job exploring for uranium in the Australian Outback. I had no idea what that even meant, but next thing I knew I was on a flight to the middle of nowhere in Australia where I spent months walking ten or more miles a day across some pretty uninviting terrain with a heavy spectrometer on my back. I didn’t see many people during this time. In fact, my main company basically consisted of Jurassic-looking snakes and spiders, giant feral camels, and of course kangaroos.

To be honest, a lot of this whole experience wasn’t all that much fun. It was hard and at times even depressing. But I’m happy I did it. One of the reasons why is because since then taking a risk doesn’t seem all that scary. Maybe that’s why I try to step out of my comfort zone whenever I’m presented with a new opportunity to do so. I think about the worst thing that could happen and, if it’s not so bad, and if I’m excited about the risk, then why not? That was definitely my thought process when I quit a cushy job at a thriving company to start G2L. Worst case scenario, I’m sure there’s someone out there who will pay me to wander around the Outback again.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m about to sound like a fake Oscar winner, but there’s no way I’d be where I am if it weren’t for the support of an entire village of people. Since graduating from CU Boulder in 2010, and aside from all the travel, I lived in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, and New York again before (once more) settling in Boulder back in 2020. I received so much support in every one of these places.

For one, my law firm partner Jane has been fantastic. We randomly talked on the phone in 2018 through a family connection. I had no idea then that we’d both move to Boulder a couple years later and that we’d work at Databricks together. We were both considering launching a law firm last year, and so given our history it made sense to take the jump as a team. I am eternally grateful to be working with someone who is so smart and that I trust. I think our clients would agree.

On the personal side, it of course all starts with my parents, who had the most amicable divorce in history when I was younger. Everyone gets along great, and one of the byproducts of that amazing outcome is that they truly were able to focus on my brother and me and encourage us to follow our interests. My girlfriend Genevieve also didn’t skip a beat when I told her that I was leaving my stable job to start a business. All support, all the time.

It’s not just immediate family. I wouldn’t be living in Boulder today if my friend Matt hadn’t let me crash on his couch during the early days of Covid. It turns out that June in Colorado is pretty nice, and I moved out here from Brooklyn right after that trip. My aunt’s boyfriend Danny – who is a saint – once even let me stay at his place for months while I took time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I have so many similar examples.

The same goes for former colleagues who have become close friends. I sought advice from plenty of people before starting G2L. I expected some of them to tell me I was making a mistake. Instead, only the opposite happened, which gave me a ton of confidence and meant a whole lot. In fact, it continues to mean a lot every time they pick up their phone to offer me advice and so much more.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
It’s a great question. Up to this point, I kind of took a traditional career path but in a non-traditional way. Like a lot of other attorneys, I worked for a big law firm after law school before transitioning in-house. But I’ve also taken some detours that provided a diverse set of experiences. For example, I’ve lived in all these places (Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, and now Boulder again) since graduating from CU Boulder. Also, in addition to the travel and international work I mentioned earlier, I spent about a year away from practicing law. The goal was to figure out what I actually wanted to do with my career, and I put a tremendous amount of energy into shadowing entrepreneurs in tech, real estate, and other industries. It was a lot of fun, and more than anything else it brought me to the realization that, at the end of the day, I really just enjoy being a commercial lawyer.

That’s why I started G2L. I loved my most recent job at Databricks. The company was growing like crazy, and every day was filled with something new. It was great to be part of a whip-smart legal team that worked so closely with crucial areas of a scaling business. But through G2L, I now get to leverage all my experience to support even more founders and growing companies that all happen to be doing some really cool things. It’s been a blast so far, and I wake up every morning excited to work with our clients and grow alongside them.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Whatever you’re looking for, Colorado probably has it. To me, the best part of living in Boulder is how I’m always looking forward to the next season. Winter, spring, summer, fall, it doesn’t matter. There’s no bad time of year. If a friend visits in winter, there’s world-class skiing all over the state. Arapahoe Basin, Vail, and even Silverton are super different from one another, but they’re all great. No one is going to complain about a wintertime hot spring in Buena Vista either. If another friend visits in summer, we can find incredible camping (or backpacking, or rafting, or insert activity here) in every direction. And what’s amazing is that no matter how much I explore, there’s always more out there.

I also think about how much Colorado has developed since I graduated from CU Boulder. Denver has exploded with energy, A+ food, and things to do. Taking advantage of the easy drive from Boulder to Denver for dinner – Safta and Hop Alley come to mind – is always a winner. If I’m looking to keep it local, it’s hard to miss with Efrains or Basta in Boulder, and I think Crosscut’s pizza in Nederland is as good as anything on the East Coast.

I keep harping on it, but I made traveling a huge priority in my life. Still, the truth is that since moving back to Colorado I just don’t feel the same desire to get on a plane. Everything I need is just a car ride away, and so I guess my friends will just have to visit me now.

Website: www.g2l-law.com

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/corey-gerson