Sterling Miller knew he wanted to be a lawyer when he pulled the lawyer card while playing Life.

That early realization turned into a remarkable legal career spanning private practice, in-house roles at American Airlines and Sabre, and ultimately General Counsel positions at Travelocity, Sabre, and Marketo. Today, he serves as COO, General Counsel, and Senior Counsel at Hilgers PLLC and is still very much in the game of life.

Fueled by black coffee and Diet Coke (alternating, unapologetically caffeinated), Sterling has become widely known for something beyond his GC titles: his writing. In 2014, he launched Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel after realizing there was little practical, digestible guidance written specifically for in-house lawyers. What began as advice shared with younger lawyers over drinks quickly evolved into one of the most followed and respected in-house resources in the profession.

The formula is straightforward and effective: take complex issues and distill them into ten things you actually need to know. That approach didn’t just build a following; it led to multiple books, including The Productive In-House Lawyer: Tips, Hacks, and the Art of Getting Things Done, where Sterling dives into time management, focus, and how to operate at a high level without burning out.

In this episode, Sterling talks about what it really takes to build a career with momentum. Not in a motivational-poster way — but in a practical, unglamorous, “raise your hand for the hard stuff” way. Want to be General Counsel? Volunteer for the budget work. Build the board deck. Learn how the business actually runs. Don’t just be technically strong. Be indispensable.

He also reflects on how in-house has evolved. What was once seen as a quieter alternative to law firm life is now a destination role. But he’s clear about the tradeoffs and the importance of real training early in your career. Being in-house isn’t easier. It’s different. And leadership requires more than legal acumen — it requires business judgment, credibility, and trust.

And because no career is one-dimensional, Sterling has also played in a band called Big Wheel (guitar, bass, harmonica, piano), writes cookbooks, devours history podcasts, and builds Halloween displays ambitious enough to require multiple storage units.

Through it all, one theme keeps surfacing: persistence.

If you know what you want, move toward it.
If someone helped you along the way, pay it back.
And if you’re going to do something — whether it’s writing a blog, leading a legal department, or learning a new instrument — commit to it.

👉 Listen now!

Find Sterling at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlinglmiller/

Check out his Blog: Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel at https://tenthings.blog/

Find links Sterling’s Books at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlinglmiller/details/publications/

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Explicit Rating is for the occasional use of colorful language.

Write Your Own Soundtrack - Sterling Miller