March 2018 - Meet My Network: Yev Muchnik
* Meet My Network is a monthly blog series where Alyce highlights outstanding individuals within her network to share their professional and personal accomplishments *
Yev and I met nearly 20 years ago as two teenage girls attending a youth group event. I remember thinking that Yev was kind, smart and fun to be around. She wasn’t overly talkative or in your face, but as a teenager I have distinct memories of her as someone who stood out, was unique and was certainly going to do big things with her life. I’m glad to say my predictions for her were right.
Today, Yev is a super accomplished attorney, mom of two boys, wife, regularly volunteers her time and resources. As if that wasn’t enough six months ago she opened Denver’s first and only coworking space that specializes in bringing together legal and technology professionals in the heart of RINO, called ESQLEGAL.
Before we dive into Yev’s day to day let me share the quick and dirty on her educational accomplishments:
• International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford
• BSc, International Business, Marketing & Economics from the University of Colorado
• LLB Law + Honours from the University of Birmingham, UK
• LLM, Law from the University of George Washington University Law School
Wow, right? I mean, if you’re looking for someone who is well educated and cares about the law, then clearly this is the attorney for you!
Not only is Yev highly educated but her professional experience is what truly sets her apart. She began her professional journey as a Summer Associate (which is a fancy term for a highly coveted legal internship) at Allen & Overly; Clifford Chance in London. After that she was moved to Moscow and Washington, D.C. and worked for Squire Patton Boggs as an corporate, M&A and private equity associate for 3 years. Did I mention she’s fluent in 3 languages? (English, Russian, & French)
Next she worked as an Anti-Corruption & Bribery consultant for King & Spalding; Paul Hastings in Washington D.C., and after that became General Counsel to a publicly traded technology company and then moved to Boca Raton, FL where she worked for JetSmarter as General Counsel. She then founded Launch Legal, her solo legal practice which concentrates on startups, tech companies and small and growing businesses.
With all of this experience Yev wasn’t fulfilled and knew she wanted to create something different from any of the traditional law firms or in house positions where she had worked. Enter ESQLEGAL. “For legal consumers, we are striving to break the traditional barriers to legal access by encouraging pricing models and retail accessibility to attorneys.” I can say with 100% confidence that this space feels and looks different from any other coworking space I’ve ever seen. It’s a boutique feeling space with tons of natural light, beautiful art, and an overall feeling of polished professionalism without any ego or attitude, pretty refreshing, right?
There are so many aspects that differentiate ESQLEGAL from other coworking spaces, even coworking spaces that have a legal focus. Perhaps one factor that you can’t see or read about on ESQLEGAL’s website is Yev’s unwavering commitment to provide an environment in Denver for true collaboration and mentoring while her family is back in Boca Raton, FL. Yes, you read that correctly.
Yev decided that her passion and dream to create ESQLEGAL was equally as important to being a mom and wife and she has figured out a way to do both. As a woman I find this to be extremely inspiring and applaud Yev for her courage and dedication to not let traditional barriers and cultural norms limit her aspirations. Yev is truly redefining what it looks like to be a kick ass professional woman while also being an incredibly loyal and devoted mother and wife.
Whether you currently work in Denver or are in the market to have an office in Colorado, particularly in the amazingly diverse and burgeoning location of RiNO I can’t recommend this space enough. Perhaps, you’re working at big firm and your firm is looking to expand into the Denver market but doesn’t want to commit to full lease at a traditional (and probably pretty ugly) building? This is the space for you!
Or if you’re a service provider in the legal and tech industries then this might be the space for you to consider. Trust me, once you see the space you’ll be hooked and Yev will ensure that you’re well taken care of and she’ll do anything she can to help your business thrive!
Yev, congrats to you on all of your successes. On a personal note, thanks for coming back to Denver, it’s been great to reconnect and I can’t wait to see what you do next!
Stay Connected,
Alyce
#NetworkingWorks #inspired5280