b'Featured Profile: Alumna Avisheh Aviniof Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG)Youve obviously seen a lot and learned a lot.Does anything still surprise you?Constantly. In this new role, for example, I knew I had to be a generalist and therefore would be looking things up and practicing in areas I never had practiced in before. What I hadnt anticipated is how much my personality In September, Member and Alumni Program Chairwould grow along with my brain. In my previous jobs I had Narges Kakalia and Member Charlotte Edelman spokedealt almost exclusively with other lawyers or with to alumna Avisheh Avini about her wide-ranging career,lawyer-adjacent business people. Everyone spoke and Mintz memories, extracurricular priorities, and a few ofunderstood the same jargon and I knew which arguments the lessons shes learned on her professional andwould resonate in a negotiation and which would not. But personal path.as a general counsel of a consortium of restaurants and consulting, catering, and venue hospitality businesses as Youve had such a varied and diverse legal career. well as a private equity division, Ive had to learn entirely Tell us about it.new ways of communication and persuasion because Im no longer dealing with lawyers and bankers. In fact, I work I have. I started out doing international commercialin and represent a business that prioritizes exuding arbitration and litigation and maritime law. I moved on towarmth and hospitality. The entire enterprise is about vessel financingyou know, buying and selling ships, etc.valuing good food and wine and creating the best, mostand then reinvented myself as an M&A and VCmemorable experience. There is no room here for desk-financing associate at MoFo. After a while, I went backpounding or aggressive negotiations. Also no road map in-house to a shipping company. There I met an outsidefor how to conduct myself. So Ive had to learn new ways counsel named Ken Koch. You know what happened next.of negotiating and persuading. While I still negotiate the And after a pretty long stint at Mintz, I went back in- best deal for my internal clients, I do it very differently house, this time to USHG.than I would have for my Mintz clients. So youve navigated literally everything, from ships toAnd speaking of Mintz, any favorite memories? kitchen sinks. Greatest lessons learned? I was in-house at the shipping company working on the Know your audience. A shipping magnate will respond toacquisition of Navios with Ken Koch as our outside very different incentives in a negotiation than a chef. Andcounsel when Ken happened to go on vacation right at a dont just provide abstract legal advice, give your clientcrucial moment in the deal. Joel substituted for him. I met something practical that can actually be implemented. Joel outside the conference room and then entered the 4'