A Law Firm for Founders with Agatha Kluk and Sonia Farber, Co-Founders of Kluk Farber Law, Now Part of Perkins Coie (Bonus Year End Episode)
In this special year-end episode of The Room Podcast, we sit down with Agatha Kluk and Sonia Farber, the co-founders of Kluk Farber Law (now part of Perkins Coie), a specialized law firm dedicated to supporting innovative founders and startups. Their firm focuses on providing strategic legal guidance to entrepreneurs navigating the complex landscape of building and scaling companies.
This candid conversation takes us through the evolution of their practice, from its founding in 2017 to their eventual partnership with Perkins Coie. Throughout our conversation, we explore the intersection of law and entrepreneurship, highlighting how the right legal partnership can empower founders to achieve their vision. At its core, Kluk Farber Law provides comprehensive legal services tailored specifically for startups and emerging companies.
Key topics in this episode include charting an untraditional founder path, an entrepreneur’s hidden super power (having a great lawyer), a market perspective on AI regulation.
Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
T1: Charting an untraditional founder path
Agatha Kluk and Sonia Farber’s paths to entrepreneurship challenged the traditional legal career trajectory. Kluk, raised by immigrant parents, followed the expected route through NYU Law, clerking for a judge, and working at the Manhattan DA before landing in corporate law. After thriving in big law for seven years, she made the bold choice to leave, diving into New York’s emerging venture ecosystem. What started as helping a former colleague with their startup laid the groundwork for something bigger.
Farber’s journey took her to Berkeley Law, where Silicon Valley’s innovative spirit left a lasting impression. Though she built a successful career in litigation, the traditional partner track felt constraining. Her desire to work with mission-driven founders, combined with Kluk’s proven success in the venture space, led her to join forces with her former colleague.
Together, they founded Kluk Farber Law, operating from a fifth-floor walkup — a deliberate choice that set them apart from traditional, less approachable corporate firms. Their shared experience as entrepreneurs building their own business resonated deeply with clients, creating authentic connections within the startup community. Their unique approach proved so successful that Perkins Coie acquired the firm in 2022, validating their vision of a different kind of legal practice.
T2: An entrepreneurs hidden super power (having a great lawyer)
As lawyers with deep roots in the startup ecosystem, Agatha and Sonia bring an invaluable superpower to their founder clients. Their trained eyes for negotiation, coupled with comprehensive knowledge of market trends and industry standards, allows them to spot opportunities and challenges that others might miss. By staying closely attuned to emerging technologies, they help founders navigate the complex intersection of innovation and legal compliance.
Their position as independent counsel, rather than in-house lawyers, gives them a broader perspective on the market — they see patterns across multiple companies and sectors that individual founders might not recognize. This vantage point proves especially valuable when helping clients liek founders avoid common pitfalls that can derail young companies, such as problematic earn-out structures, restrictive non-compete clauses, and challenging integration policies.
What truly sets them apart is their understanding of the deeply personal nature of building a business. They recognize that legal decisions made in the early stages can have profound long-term impacts on both the company and its founders. By combining technical legal expertise with entrepreneurial empathy, they help founders make informed decisions that protect both their business interests and personal aspirations. This comprehensive approach to legal counsel becomes a critical advantage for founders during the crucial building phases of their companies.
T3: A market perspective on AI regulation
As pioneers at the intersection of law and technology, Agatha and Sonia offer a nuanced perspective on AI’s impact on legal services. They see tools like Carta, HarveyAI, and CaseText not as threats, but as enablers that will free lawyers to focus on high-value activities like strategic counseling and thought partnership. This shift could lead to more meaningful client relationships while potentially reducing billable hours.
When it comes to regulation, they emphasize a pragmatic view: existing legal frameworks will continue to govern AI outputs, even as the technology evolves. Rather than fearing a regulatory vacuum, they’re enthusiastic about applying established principles to these new technological dimensions.
Their advice to AI developers is grounded in practical experience: while comprehensive regulation of large language models may be years away, founders should prioritize transparency in data handling and privacy practices now. They emphasize the importance of clear communication about how client data is collected, stored, and protected — creating trust through proactive compliance rather than waiting for regulatory mandates.
This balanced approach, combining excitement for AI’s potential with pragmatic legal wisdom, reflects their unique position as both legal experts and forward-thinking entrepreneurs in the tech ecosystem.
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Thank you to our community for joining us in the room for 2024! These conversations are built with your learning and growth aspirations in mind and we wouldn’t be here without you. Happy Holidays and we look forward to opening more doors together in 2025 and beyond!
