Parental Guilt, Legal Considerations For Parents, and Career Change | David Lat (father of 2, lawyer, writer)

Startup Dad

David Lat is a lawyer turned legal writer who created Above The Law and his current, legal newsletter and podcast Original Jurisdiction, which is now his full-time job. Prior to writing he was a practicing attorney and worked as a federal prosecutor in the Department of Justice under Chris Christie. David is a husband and the father of two kids. In today's conversation we discussed:

• The transition from an in-house legal career to the world of writing and podcasting and what that has done for his family
• Surrogacy
• Important legal considerations for parents
• Navigating feelings of parental guilt
• How to talk to your kids about different family types and configurations
• The fallacy of making logical appeals to children
• His approach to interviewing for childcare

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Where to find David Lat

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlat/

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidLat

- Original Jurisdiction: https://davidlat.substack.com/

Where to find Adam Fishman

- FishmanAF Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/

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In this episode, we cover

[1:47] Welcome

[2:04] Professional background

[2:53] The decision to go from practicing law to writing about law

[5:02] David's family now

[5:37] Their decision to start a family

[7:21] Surrogacy

[9:37] Family/work balance

[12:34] Was career choice influenced by becoming a dad?

[14:54] Legal considerations for parents

[17:32] What is a pre-birth order?

[19:11] Earliest memory of becoming a dad

[20:57] What emotions came up when you realized it was “real”?

[22:57] Most surprising thing about becoming a dad?

[25:15] Advice for younger self

[28:40] His interview approach for childcare

[30:17] Parental guilt

[34:56] Parenting Frameworks

[36:27] How has your parenting style changed over time?

[38:10] Area where David and his partner don’t align

[40:30] Logical appeals vs. children

[41:59] How do you recharge your batteries?

[43:38] What is a mistake you made as a dad?

[45:02] Talking to son about same-sex parenting

[48:27] Follow along

[49:23] Rapid fire

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Show references:

Clueless: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112697/

Carly Aroldi, Good Enough Parenting: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-enough-parenting/id1708282417

Creative Family Connections: https://www.creativefamilyconnections.com/

Chris Christie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Christie

Chris Christie on David's Podcast: https://davidlat.substack.com/p/chris-christie-podcast-interview-with-david-lat

Above The Law: https://abovethelaw.com/

BabyConnect: https://en.babyconnect.com/

My Two Dads and Me by Michael Joosten: https://www.amazon.com/My-Two-Dads-Michael-Joosten/dp/0525580107

Snoo: https://www.amazon.com/SNOO-Smart-Sleeper-Happiest-Baby/dp/B0716KN18Z

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For sponsorship inquiries email: [e-mail].

For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/