Lawyers News And Updates: How Lawyers Work: Somya Kaushik, Founder at EsqMe, Legal Tech Expert & Lawyer

In this week’s edition of How Lawyers Work, we hear from Somya Kaushik, the founder and CEO of EsqMe—the first online marketplace where lawyers can buy and sell their legal documents. Somya has first-hand experience in innovation, technology, and startups. She is passionate about helping startups and small businesses maneuver through the landscape of law, business, and capital financing.

You can follow Somya on Twitter and LinkedIn.

What’s your elevator pitch?

I’m a litigator turned legal tech entrepreneur who is inspired to advance the legal practice through efficiency platforms and technology like EsqMe, while speaking around the globe to empower young female founders and entrepreneurs to believe in themselves in their individual journey.

What apps or tools are essential to your daily workflow?

Slack, Trello and Calendly. These are great organization and communication tools that help keep your team on the same page, up-to-date on tasks, and ensures that you don’t miss deadlines or important meetings.

What does your workspace look like?

Our team works remotely so we all can essentially work from anywhere. I travel a lot to speak at conferences so my laptop is my real workspace. Otherwise, there are open spaces such as WeWork, where I’m around other entrepreneurs promoting innovation and creativity.

How do you keep track of your calendars and deadlines?

Aside from the apps I mentioned above, I keep a written calendar/planner (I constantly get made fun of for this!) on me all the time. I have to write things down to remember them!

What is your coffee service setup?

I like exploring new coffee shops in the area but my favorite is Blue Spoon near Wall St. Their coffee is great and the people are welcoming.

What is one thing that you listen to, read, or watch that everyone should?

I love reading The New Yorker, but I don’t find myself reading/listening/watching the same things every day. I like to get my news and information from different sources so I can make my own assessment.

What is your favorite local place to network or work solo?

Local Meet Ups are great to network in person. Local meet ups are informal groups that get together to network, share information, and learn from one another. Meet Up is a website that has thousands of groups, so it’s easy to find one that suits your interests and needs. For digital networking, I advise everyone to make full use of LinkedIn. LinkedIn has led to such great opportunities for EsqMe and myself on an individual level. A professional and humble message on LinkedIn can go a long way.

What are three things you do without fail every day?

Meditation & yoga, write a to-do list and debrief with my team on a call. I do these things—particularly in this order—so that I can 1.) have a clear mind to understand my work which 2.) allows me to write down the list of tasks that help get me to my vision and finally, 3.) meetings with my team get everyone on board to discuss short and long-term milestones.