Based in Dallas, Carlos Lopez is a legal professional with experience spanning public service and the private sector. His most recent position as Senior Counsel and Head of Corporate and Government Investigations for the Americas at Ericsson focused on supervising a twelve-member team conduct legally compliant internal cross-border investigations on a variety of legal and regulatory issues and Ericsson’s Code of Business Ethics including anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Carlos has also served as a federal prosecutor, in two major cosmopolitan cities -Boston and Dallas- where he investigated and prosecuted violations of diverse federal criminal statutes by individuals and corporations including mail fraud, wire fraud, health care fraud, and money laundering. As a federal prosecutor, Carlos guided the efforts of staff, junior attorneys, and law enforcement agents in conducting lawful investigations and presented evidence at trial.
Carlos’s experience as commercial litigator at a prominent New York City law firm includes representing multi-national companies in diverse industries, including financial institutions, consumer electronics, insurance and reinsurance, securities class action, government enforcement, and complex commercial litigation matters.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I begin my day by caring for my 15-month-old daughter, spending time reading Bible verses or spiritual devotional, and exercising at the local YMCA or going for a two-mile run. After, I review my calendar to prepare for set meetings, and I create a task list of intended goals to accomplish and plan my day accordingly. At the end of the day, I go over what I completed from my task list and reset for the next day.
How do you bring ideas to life?
First, I create a list of professional and personal goals and ideas for the next three months and year. Next, I draft plans on how I will accomplish those goals or bring the ideas to life. For example, if I plan to run a half marathon, I create a workout plan. As another example, if I want to learn a new skill, I find online courses that I can complete. Finally, I execute the plan and incorporate any new skill into my professional and personal life.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I am excited about the use of artificial intelligence for personal use and professionally, as an attorney, to improve decision-making and identify patterns to better address issues confronted in personal life and professionally.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I fill-out my calendar for the week and determine the hours that are free to complete personal errands and professional projects and then begin completing tiny steps to get started. I also have a playlist of instrumental and nostalgic upbeat music playing in the background for concentration.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell myself to embrace failure to build experience and as a stepping stone to success, trust my instincts, prioritize self-acceptance rather than changing to please others, become comfortable with the uncomfortable by taking risks (betting on yourself is the best investment you can make), and build meaningful relationships by nurturing friendships through consistent check-ins and support.
Tell us something you believe that almost nobody agrees with you on.
I believe the US educational system should be reformed from the current school calendar year that allows for an approximate three-month or 12-week summer break to a year-round school calendar. The current school calendar is based on an agricultural calendar when children helped their parents during the summer months. Children should spend more time in school throughout the year with shorter school breaks, such as three-day or four-day weekends once every quarter. The school day should also be longer; instead of ending at 3 pm, it should end at 4:30 pm or 4:30 pm.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Take 10- to 15-minute breaks throughout the day and go for a walk to clear your mind and circulate blood flow. Taking short breaks between tasks or every two or three hours helps me recharge and refocus on completing my daily goals.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I usually try to find time to go for a jog or run in short sprints to relieve stress and feeling overwhelmed, which allows me to refocus and calm my thoughts.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
The strategy that has helped me the most is creating a list of projects and goals that I would like to accomplish to gain experience and hone my skills for each position and role that I have held. At the outset of my onboarding at a new employer, I determine the types of skills I’d like to gain and outline how to best achieve and gain the experience. I also determine how long I will give myself to gain the experience before I am ready to seek a new position within or outside the current employer.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I failed to disclose certain information, which led to a setback for a project. I became more meticulous and detail oriented to avoid the same issue from reoccurring. I learned that allocating time to go over my work product is helpful to the team I am working with and myself.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
In the legal services industry, one common dilemma that attorneys deal with is the recording of billable hours. This is an area in which an AI program and or an app can provide useful assistance and efficiency to attorneys who need to keep track of billable hours without needing to manually enter those hours every day or week.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Notetaking software helps with productivity, as it allows me to have clear and concise summaries of virtual and in-person meetings, which helps me plan and prioritize projects and deliverables to my team and business stakeholders.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
On a whim, I recently purchased tickets for $100 for my son and I to catch a live Major League Soccer game on the day of the match. The seats were in the nosebleed section, but what mattered was spending that time and experience with my son, who is 11 years old and is a soccer fanatic. We both enjoyed the game, the home team lost, but it will forever be one of the best times I had with him.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
My favourite book is “Siddhartha” because it is a story of a young man who leaves his home in search for enlightenment and attempts to find it through spiritual groups and later through material items. In the end, he understands that enlightenment cannot be taught or bough; rather, it comes from life experiences, which includes suffering and worldly pleasures and through acceptance and mindfulness. As for podcasts, my favourite is “Science of Success” because it explores evidence-based strategies for personal growth and self-improvement. This podcase has provided me with practical tools and actionable steps to improve personally and professionally.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I recently enjoyed “Peaky Blinders” because of its main fictional character, who uses his body language and tone of voice to hold his audience’s attention. He uses several practical tools when speaking, such as (1) slow and relaxed movement; (2) holding eye contact; (3) being nonreactive when threatened/bullied; (4) using his hands with large groups to cover space or closed body language one speaking with someone one-on-one; (5) demonstrating confidence when making decisions; (6) demonstrating conviction with his tone of voice; and (7) speaking slowly with pauses to pace conversations. As for the story, the main characters, the Shelby family, while antiheroes (they’re criminals) demonstrate resilience in working through adversity.
Key learnings
- Failure is an opportunity to learn how to succeed.
- Life experiences are more valuable than material objects.
- Hold yourself accountable and be transparent with friends and colleagues.
- Make plans but allow yourself to pivot when things don’t go as planned.
- Character is determined by how you come back after a setback.