What happens when a former child actor, ERISA lawyer, and Fortune 500 in-house counsel walks into a coffee shop?

In this case, she orders a lavender chai latte* and starts reimagining what a legal career can look like.

*served best in an actual coffee mug, preferably with fancy foam art and enjoyed while sitting in a coffee shop

In this episode of Counsel Brew, we sit down with Misty Leon, who at the time of recording was serving as in-house counsel at Texas Instruments. Misty's career has taken her from private practice to the corporate legal department to founder and principal of the freshly launched Practical Counsel Advisors, with a few unexpected stops along the way, including a bread commercial, starring as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and surviving meetings that involved more conversations with a dog named Mr. Barkey than actual legal work.

Because every legal career deserves at least one story that makes everyone ask, "Wait...what?"

We explore Misty's journey from aspiring child actor and ruby-slipper-wearing Dorothy to respected legal leader and in-house counsel. We talk about intentionally choosing a niche legal practice, navigating major career pivots, and the coaching and self-reflection that helped her discover what she wanted next. Misty shares insights on building meaningful professional relationships, overcoming the hesitation that often keeps talented people from pursuing new opportunities, and embracing growth even when it feels uncomfortable. We also dive into the future of AI and legal operations, the value of staying curious throughout your career, and why having a friend who occasionally tells you to "just do the thing" might be one of the most underrated professional advantages out there.

One of the themes we love exploring on Counsel Brew is that successful careers are built through a series of small decisions that often don't seem significant at the time.

Attending a bar association event.

Following up with someone you genuinely enjoy.

Trying something that feels uncomfortable.

Volunteering for the panel even when you'd rather hide behind the podium.

Misty's career is proof that those moments add up.

Also, if you ever find yourself sitting through a two-hour meeting while someone discusses dog treats with their pet, remember: someday it may become podcast content.

Listen now:

Find Misty at https://www.linkedin.com/in/misty-a-leon/

Learn more about Practical Counsel Advisors at https://www.practicalcounseladvisors.com/

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Explicit Rating is for the occasional use of colorful language.

Professor C. Paul Rogers III has spent more than four decades shaping lawyers, preserving baseball history, mentoring students, navigating college athletics, and collecting stories that somehow sound too good to be true — except they are. In this episode of Counsel Brew, Nicola and Shereen sit down with one of the most beloved and legendary figures from SMU Dedman School of Law just as he prepares to retire at the end of the semester after an extraordinary career.

Both Nicola and Shereen recently attended Professor Rogers’ final lecture at SMU, making this episode especially meaningful for two former students who were lucky enough to learn from him firsthand.

Professor Rogers’ formative years stretched from Wyoming and West Texas to the East Coast before he eventually landed at the University of Texas at Austin during the chaos and culture shifts of the late 1960s. He shares the unlikely path that led him into law, academia, and eventually into becoming one of the defining figures in SMU law school history. Along the way, he reflects on lessons learned working the graveyard shift in Vegas, realizing small-town life was not for him, and how a letter to a professor opened the door to a life-changing opportunity at Columbia Law School that launched his academic career and ultimately brought him to Dallas.

The conversation is packed with hilarious stories and classic Professor Rogers moments — including the infamous Playboy Bunny classroom interruption, students arriving to class in full costume presentations, bad margaritas at the AAC, and the reality that some of the best career advice boils down to one simple lesson: if you want something, you actually have to do something.

But beneath the humor is the story of a professor who genuinely loves teaching, deeply values his students, and never stopped learning. In this episode, Professor Rogers reflects on the evolution of legal education over the decades and the importance of mentorship and relationships in the practice of law. Along the way, the conversation wanders through baseball history, vintage baseball cards, West Texas sports culture, and the continuing importance of a properly made margarita.

An accomplished scholar, former dean, NCAA leader, baseball historian, published author, and mentor to generations of lawyers, Professor Rogers leaves behind an extraordinary legacy at SMU Dedman School of Law — though after hearing this episode, “retirement” sounds a lot more like a new chapter than a final inning.

Grab your favorite brew and join us for a conversation full of wisdom, humor, and unforgettable stories with the incomparable Professor C. Paul Rogers III.

Listen now:

Find Professor C. Paul Rogers at https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-paul-rogers-iii-5936ab45/

Find Professor Rogers last lecture at https://youtu.be/jM1vt-btYv8?si=e6UL2d88weJUEsNj

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Explicit Rating is for the occasional use of colorful language.

This conversation covers a lot of ground. From exploding matcha to stepping into leadership before you feel ready, Gabe keeps it real about what it looks like to operate under pressure.

In this episode of Counsel Brew, we sit down with Gabe Vazquez, Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Vistra Corp., to talk less about titles and more about how he works. His approach is simple on the surface. Gather. Organize. Optimize. Build the system. Trust the system. Then know when it’s time to throw it out. And yes, there’s a checklist or two in the mix.

Gabe guides us through how he thinks about productivity, including his very real commitment to the to-do list. If it’s on the list, it’s getting done. If it’s not, it’s probably getting added just so it can be checked off. And yes, that includes a running list of F/U reminders. Follow-up, technically.

Stepping into leadership early. Managing people with more experience. Navigating situations where there is no clean answer and no time to overthink it. No playbook. Just judgment, trust, and a willingness to move. When things go sideways, whether it’s a major weather event or an operational crisis, the focus shifts quickly. Not perfect answers. The right people in the room. Clear heads. Forward movement. As Gabe puts it, it’s go time.

What makes the conversation work is the balance. Discipline, but flexibility. Structure, but self-awareness. And just enough humor to admit that even the best systems don’t always survive contact with real life.

There’s also the matcha. Gabe is fully committed and does his best to convince us we’d like it if we just gave it a real shot. We remain unconvinced.

Listen now.

Find Gabe at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabevazquez/

Message us at hello@counselbrew.com

Visit us at http://www.counselbrew.com

And Follow us

@counselbrew

https://www.linkedin.com/company/counsel-brew/

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Explicit Rating is for the occasional use of colorful language.