Sasha F. | Leland

Sasha F.

5.0

(5)

Craft Your Law School Story—with a Harvard & Columbia Law Grad

25 followers

Studied at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School

Works at Nurimas Coaching

Available tomorrow at 2:30 PM UTC

Protected by the Leland Experience Guarantee

Available tomorrow at 2:30 PM UTC

Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.

Sasha's Coaching Offerings

Write a Powerful Personal Statement

Brainstorm, draft, and polish a standout personal statement

Starting at $712.505h+ of coaching

Final Law School Application Review

Finalize your law school application with expert guidance

Starting at $436.503h+ of coaching

Boost Your Law School Applications

Targeted support to help you elevate any part of your applications

Starting at $3002h+ of coaching

Custom hourly · $150/hr

Get help with Waitlist Strategy, School Selection, and .

Sasha also coaches for Leadership Coaching, Legal Practice, Life Coaching, and Executive Coaching. View all.

Sasha’s Law School Qualifications

Coaches professionally

60+ people coached for Law School

With 20+ years of professional experience across law, education, and leadership, I bring both firsthand experience and strategic insight to every stage of the law school journey. I earned my Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School and AB from Harvard University, scored in the 99th percentile on the LSAT, and was admitted to Harvard and Stanford Law before choosing Columbia—where I secured my Big Law offer as a 1L in Jones Day’s Paris office. As the founder of Nurimas Coaching, I’ve dedicated over 350 hours to supporting aspiring law students—first-gen, nontraditional, and transfer applicants alike—through LSAT preparation, application strategy, and career alignment. My specialty lies in helping candidates craft authentic, imaginative personal statements that reveal how they think and what drives them. Clients have written essays exploring a “third utopia” inspired by Indian science fiction, a Sherlock Holmes–style investigation into the heist of African languages as an introduction to how law can intentionally silence voices, and law as a language of displacement through its procedural rules—stories that marry creativity with intellectual rigor while remaining unmistakably personal. Beyond admissions, I help students study the law effectively, strengthen legal writing, and strategically position themselves for 1L and 2L opportunities. Whether your path leads to Big Law, public interest, or a federal clerkship, my coaching blends reflection with rigor—so you can approach law school with clarity, confidence, and a foundation for long-term success.

Sasha can help with:

Waitlist Strategy

School Selection

Application Strategy

Essays

Sasha also coaches for Leadership Coaching, Legal Practice, Life Coaching, and Executive Coaching. View all.

About Sasha

Hi, I’m Sasha Franklyn, a Harvard-trained biologist turned Columbia Law graduate and former Big Law attorney, where I worked on M&A and sovereign-wealth investments in U.S. energy infrastructure. Today, I coach first-generation and multicultural professionals to build careers and lives that feel purposeful, sustainable, and true to who they are. My path has taken me through science, law, and education, and that mix of rigor, creativity, and empathy shapes every coaching conversation. I’ve also led and managed teams across global organizations, giving me firsthand insight into the challenges of leadership, especially for those navigating diverse, high-pressure environments. Highlights • 20+ years of professional experience across law, education, and leadership development. • Global experience with organizations including Google, Amazon, Daimler, Carrefour, Biomérieux, IBM, Philip Morris, Crédit Agricole, and the OECD. • Legal focus: coach law school applicants, Big Law associates, and career-changing attorneys through admissions, clerkships, DOJ roles, recruiting, and transitions out of practice—with clarity and confidence. • Leadership & executive coaching: support managers and executives in developing emotional intelligence, leading multicultural teams, and communicating with clarity under pressure. • Scientific background: former National Cancer Institute research fellow; research experience at the World Health Organization and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. • Education innovator: designed global learning programs reaching more than a million learners, including collaborations with BTS × HYBE Edu. • Coaching approach: combines evidence-based tools (PQ, ACT, Bicultural Identity Integration) to help clients build confidence, reframe guilt, and create environments where they can thrive. • First-gen perspective: I know what it’s like to be “first”—to balance family duty with ambition—and I coach from that lived experience. Outside of coaching, I write speculative and silkpunk fiction, play the violin and gayageum, and spend time hiking Korean mountain trails that remind me how growth and stillness can coexist

Why do I coach?

I coach because clarity is power. When people understand what truly drives them, they stop chasing paths and start creating them. After years working in law, education, and leadership, I’ve seen how even the most capable people can lose their voice inside systems that reward performance over purpose. Coaching helps bring that voice back. I love helping clients slow down, see the bigger picture, and make deliberate choices about the life and career they actually want, not just the one that looked good on paper. My work centers on three pillars: • Clarity — finding what really matters and saying it out loud. • Confidence — turning self-doubt into grounded, consistent action. • Coherence — aligning goals and values so your success feels sustainable. I bring an ecosystems lens to growth, connecting the dots between culture, identity, and ambition. • For law school applicants, that means turning your lived experiences into personal statements and interview stories that feel real, confident, and memorable. • For lawyers, it means managing burnout, finding direction after Big Law, and building a legal career—or post-law path—that fits who you are now, not who you were in law school. • For executives and emerging leaders, it means leading with clarity and calm, communicating across cultures, and developing the emotional intelligence that turns authority into trust. My background in science, law, and education enables me to simplify complex problems and design practical strategies that clients can actually use. Coaching with me is straightforward and collaborative: we look honestly at what’s working, reframe what’s not, and build momentum step by step. At its heart, coaching is about clarity that compounds, confidence that lasts, and growth that remains steady when life takes a different course.

Work Experience

Corporate Trainer (Legal & Business) | Coach | Author

스피쿠스

August 2014 - Present

• Developed and delivered training that has reached over 1 million learners worldwide, strengthening global communication, leadership, and negotiation skills for professionals across industries. • Designed and delivered executive and professional development coaching for business leaders, lawyers, and corporate teams, focusing on resilience, intercultural communication, negotiation, and leadership presence. • Defined curriculum and authored 8 textbooks, 4 flagship business English courses, and 700+ learning assets on legal and business English, U.S. energy policy, and global current affairs, driving company revenue growth and expanding market share in Korea and abroad. • Trained early-career lawyers and executives in persuasive communication, cross-cultural leadership, and presentation strategy—many of whom have since become partners or senior leaders in their fields. • Researched and advised on converting learning assets into blended-learning course modules, improving engagement and scalability. • Organized and facilitated workshops on presentation, negotiation, and professional communication tailored to Korean corporate executives, attorneys, and global professionals. • Led webinars on leveraging AI tools and cultural intelligence to enhance workplace productivity, communication, and team cohesion. • Authored and trained professionals from leading organizations, including Bae, Kim, & Lee; Samsung; Hyundai; SK Telecom; and Lotte, strengthening global communication capacity within Korea’s corporate sector.

Founder & Coach

Nurimas Coaching

August 2013 - Present

• Drawing on 20+ years of professional experience across law, education, publishing, and energy, I help clients build clarity, confidence, and coherence across their academic, professional, and personal growth journeys. • Specialize in supporting first-generation, multicultural, and diverse professionals, integrating tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Positive Intelligence (PQ), and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to strengthen mindset, communication, and resilience. • Currently completing ICF-accredited PCC credential training and advanced certification in NLP and PQ, further deepening evidence-based and reflective coaching practices. • Conducted 300+ hours of career and leadership coaching for professionals navigating transitions across law, business, and education. • Guided attorneys through career pivots in labor & employment, intellectual property, M&A, and government roles, focusing on strategic positioning, confidence, and authentic career narratives. • Delivered 350+ hours of academic coaching for aspiring law students, including LSAT prep, law school admissions essays, transfer applications, and advising nontraditional candidates pursuing law later in life. • Improved executive presence skills, including negotiation skills and intercultural communication through customized leadership development training for professionals at Google (U.S. & Japan), Amazon, Daimler, Carrefour, Biomérieux, IBM, Philip Morris, Crédit Agricole, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). • Delivered 400+ hours of academic and career coaching beyond law-specific contexts, including study skills, accountability systems, and professional communication. • Facilitated 200+ hours of admissions coaching, including law school and graduate applications, personal statements, and scholarship essays. • Integrated identity, resilience, and purpose coaching to help clients align personal values with career goals in high-pressure environments. • Guided students and professionals in habit-building, emotional regulation, and self-advocacy, improving confidence, focus, and long-term performance.

Manager

Johns Hopkins University

May 2016 - August 2025

• Streamlined student evaluation workflows by implementing SharePoint and Power Automate, improving document delivery by 98% and freeing leadership time for coaching. • Built trust and retention across a remote team of 30+ instructors through goal-setting meetings and tailored course placement recommendations. • Fostered belonging among 100+ ELA instructors by hosting town halls, crafting newsletters, and leading transparent internal communications. • Mentored instructors in culturally responsive pedagogy and engagement strategies, improving instructional consistency across 18 online ELA courses. • Supervised curriculum development for grades 4–9 (1,000+ students annually), focusing on critical reading, vocabulary, and writing, guided by literacy research and student data. • Resolved 20+ parent/instructor escalations through restorative communication; reduced repeat academic integrity issues to under 10% per year. • Designed and delivered 100+ hours of professional development and onboarding for new and transitioning instructors, with coaching on feedback, rapport-building, and online methodology. • Led the creation of a centralized SharePoint curriculum hub, gaining stakeholder buy-in and training colleagues for cross-team collaboration. • Acted as change champion during departmental restructuring, leading town halls and sustaining team morale through clear, timely communication. • Recognized in all evaluation cycles for adaptive leadership, empathy, and responsiveness; consistently met 100% of performance benchmarks. • Instructed 8 courses (grades 2 to 9) in literary analysis, critical reading and thinking, creative and analytical writing, and publishing; met or exceeded parent and student satisfaction expectations in 25+ sessions.

Attorney: M&A and Sovereign Wealth Investments

Jones Day

August 2008 - June 2013

• Paris (1L summer) and New York (2L summer and Associate) offices • Spearheaded and supported transactional matters for sovereign wealth funds, public, and private companies in M&A and direct investments valued between $200 million and $2 billion, directly contributing to successful closings. • Drafted, reviewed, and negotiated a wide range of agreements, including merger, stock/asset purchase, co-investment, stockholder, escrow, and ancillary documents, ensuring compliance and alignment with deal strategy. • Coordinated due diligence, prepared detailed memoranda, and managed closing and post-closing processes, supervising junior associates and liaising with local counsel across jurisdictions. • Prepared SEC and NYSE filings—including proxy statements and Schedule 13D statements—and advised on tender-offer processes and securities-offering compliance, securing timely regulatory approvals. • Conducted legal research and drafted pleadings in connection with the Chrysler bankruptcy, contributing to high-visibility litigation efforts. • Mentored junior associates and co-led a mentorship program for 20+ underrepresented high-school students, introducing them to legal careers. • Provided pro bono representation in asylum cases and coordinated community service initiatives for the firm’s New York office.