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Will Lawley
Associate at Kirkland & Ellis
Professional Background
Will Lawley is a distinguished legal professional who specializes in complex business transactions, primarily advising private equity firms and both public and private companies. His extensive experience spans domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, going-private transactions, equity and debt financing arrangements, and corporate restructurings. With a strategic focus on the intricacies of incentive equity arrangements and various corporate transactions, Will has cultivated a reputation for his adept legal advice and guidance.
As a part of his public company practice, Will has effectively defended numerous shareholder activism campaigns, showcasing his ability to manage complex corporate governance challenges. He has provided critical counsel to boards of directors on a wide range of issues, including the implementation of shareholder rights plans, commonly referred to as "poison pills." His work not only highlights his proficiency in legal strategy but also underscores his commitment to protecting the interests of his clients in the fast-paced and evolving corporate landscape.
Education and Achievements
Will Lawley began his academic journey at Princeton University, where he pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. During his time at Princeton, he immersed himself in the fields of cognitive neuropsychology and analytics, which laid a strong analytical foundation for his future endeavors in law. He graduated from Princeton in 2013, having developed a keen understanding of human behavior and decision-making processes—an invaluable asset when navigating the complexities of corporate law.
Following his undergraduate studies, Will attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.). At UVA, his leadership skills came to the forefront when he served as Executive Editor for the Virginia Law and Business Review and took on the role of President of the Virginia Law and Business Society. His active involvement in these organizations reflects his commitment to excellence and demonstrates his passion for the intersection of law and business.
Professional Experience
Will's legal career includes significant positions at renowned law firms, highlighting his expertise and versatility in the legal profession. He began his professional journey as a Legal Assistant at White & Case, where he gained foundational experience in legal operations. Will then progressed to become a Summer Associate and subsequently an Associate at Sidley Austin LLP, where he honed his skills in business transactions and corporate law.
Currently, Will is an Associate at Kirkland & Ellis, a premier law firm renowned for its commitment to delivering exceptional legal services in the areas of private equity and corporate law. Throughout his career, he has not only demonstrated impressive legal acumen but has also maintained a strong sense of social responsibility. Previously, he served as a PILI Fellow at the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, where he contributed to important civil rights initiatives and helped advance social justice.
Additionally, Will gained invaluable experience as a Judicial Intern at the Federal District Court, Southern District of Ohio, where he observed court proceedings and developed a deeper understanding of judicial processes. He also served as a Research Assistant and a McGraw Center Statistics and Data Analysis Tutor at Princeton University, enhancing his analytical and teaching skills.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Will's diverse experiences as a Varsity Swimmer on the Princeton University Swim and Dive Team and as an Orange Key Tour Guide demonstrate his ability to balance academic pursuits with extracurricular activities. His involvement in student life at Princeton reflects his leadership potential and his commitment to engaging with the broader community.
Conclusion
Will Lawley's impressive educational background, combined with his robust legal experience, positions him as a formidable asset in the field of corporate law and business transactions. His proficiency in navigating complex legal challenges and his dedication to serving his clients' best interests have earned him recognition among his peers. With a focus on innovative legal solutions and a deep understanding of corporate governance issues, Will continues to make a significant impact in the legal community. As he forges ahead in his career, Will remains committed to upholding legal excellence and advancing the interests of the firms and clients he represents.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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