In many ways, the personality of Paragon Legal reflects that of its founder. And Mae O'Malley lets nothing stand in the way of getting the job done, whether it's managing a rapidly expanding business, handling urgent client requests, or racing her three young sons down black diamond ski runs in Tahoe. She is a devoted mother who loves spending QT with her boys, and her determination to successfully balance all of life's important aspects is what inspired her to establish Paragon Legal in 2006. The objective: build a firm that could give senior attorneys greater professional flexibility and control, combined with opportunities to work on meaningful, challenging legal projects.
While friends say her gift for culinary creativity led them to envision Mae at the helm of a catering business, epicurean exploits will have to wait. Because with sterling credentials and more than a decade of legal experience specializing in IP and technology transactions—not to mention a team of 60+ seasoned attorneys—she also has all the ingredients to turn an innovative legal model into a winning recipe. Mae began her career at the top San Francisco firm Morrison & Foerster before working in-house at several growing technology companies. She served as corporate counsel for Evolve Software and Escalate, Inc., then joined Sygate Technologies as director of legal affairs. She led the legal side of Sygate's acquisition by Symantec Corporation in 2005, and then worked as senior corporate counsel for Symantec until early 2006. Following Symantec, she joined Google as a contract attorney, working on complex content licensing including the StreetViews deal, while simultaneously founding Paragon Legal. Mae received her J.D. from U.C. Berkeley's Boalt School of Law and her A.B. with honors in Political Science from Stanford University. She was named a Legal Rebel by the American Bar Association Journal in 2009.
What makes Tam T. T. Pham an exceptional recruiter is her natural ability to connect with people. Her years as an attorney and business entrepreneur, and an extraordinary family background have nurtured a uniquely open and sophisticated perspective that makes it easy for anyone to relate to her. Passionate about forging strong, prolific bonds between our clients and attorneys, Tam gets to know candidates personally to understand their goals, priorities, and individual specialties.
Since fleeing from Vietnam with her family at a very young age—twice they were captured and her parents jailed—Tam has always been interested in learning more about Vietnam and the plight of people in developing countries. After studying International Relations at Stanford, Tam earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School and set her sights on helping developing countries through global project finance. That led her to Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in New York City, where she worked on international infrastructure and energy projects. She also got her first taste of recruiting there, as a member of the associate recruiting committee, before ultimately going on to lead talent recruiting efforts as managing director at Major, Lindsey & Africa. A creative at heart, Tam is an accomplished ceramics artist who fashions purposeful pottery. Combining her keen aesthetic sensibilities with tremendous legal and business acumen, Tam has also served as business manager for design consultancy Workreative and designer footwear label Ryan Rowe. In the summer, you can find Tam and her family exploring the hills in Marin; in the winter, skiing down the slopes at Squaw.
Helping people achieve their full potential is what drives Jennifer Chou-Green. A human catalyst, she thrives on enabling others to become their best selves and eliminating obstacles to success for Paragon’s attorneys—through comprehensive human resources support that includes benefits, onboarding, and compliance issues. Her lifelong fascination with the biology of the brain and its relationship to behavior led her to pursue her education in neuroscience, and her research has been published in several peer-reviewed scientific journals. This experience, along with her professional work as a writer and editor, shaped the tremendous analytical abilities and exceptional communication skills she brings to our team.
Yet, it's Jennifer's character that sets her apart. She's perpetually seeking new ways to contribute to something bigger than herself and assist others in fulfilling their visions. That's why she went on to the non-profit sector, where she shaped mentoring programs for young scientists and engineers at MentorNet. It's also the inspiration for her consulting practice, through which she continues to serve the scientific community as an editor of academic manuscripts and communications. Jennifer sees Paragon as a dream come true because it feeds these same ambitions while promoting a work-life balance untenable as a scientist. Her appetite for excellence extends beyond work as well. A self-confessed foodie, she's at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market every Saturday at 8 a.m. sharp to beat the crowds to the best local produce. She holds a B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at UCSF.
