Legal Intelligencer Runs Rubén Muñoz ‘Distinguished Leader’ Profile

The Legal Intelligencer has run a profile of Akin Gump Philadelphia partner in charge and intellectual property partner Rubén Muñoz, whom the publication selected among the Distinguished Leaders in its 2022 Professional Excellence Awards (learn more here).

In its profile, the Intelligencer covered Mr. Muñoz’s career, clients and a big recent win for client Janssen, then featured a Q&A with him, from which the following highlights are drawn:

• Crisis advice: “Unless you’re stranded on a deserted island, remember that you are not alone. When crises hit, we sometimes instinctively turn inwardly, but crises are rarely solved by one person acting alone…If the situation allows it, surround yourself with people that not only have your trust but that are also not afraid to challenge you and give you candid feedback.”
• Best advice: “As a lawyer and advocate, one of the best pieces of advice that I received early in my career was that effective advocacy (whether written or oral) requires more than just airtight logical arguments. It requires a visceral connection with the audience through genuine human emotion.”
• Alternate career: “Before becoming a lawyer, I was an engineer in the auto industry. My job was to design vehicle powertrains and then put them to the test on the proving grounds. It was truly an engineer’s dream job.”
• Preparing the next generation of lawyers: “As a profession, we need to become attuned to the drives and motivations of the next generation, which are not necessarily the same as those of previous generations. We also need to keep a close watch on issues of mental health because although the pressures on the profession have always been present, they have evolved and in some ways have magnified over time.”