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Claudia Bhatt can see her future clearly. When she pictures herself then, she sees a head in-house labor and employment counsel that partners with a business on legal strategy, creates a great working environment for a strong team, and is respected for what she brings to the organization.
Bhatt is already well on her way. The labor and employment counsel at sweetgreen helps the health-conscious fast casual restaurant chain navigate employment matters as she drafts policies and stays on top of issues that arise in the seventeen US states where the brand operates.
Although sweetgreen had no in-house legal team when she joined in 2019, Bhatt developed a reputation for doing top-level work. That, combined with her background, made her a natural fit to step in as the company’s very first in-house employment counsel. She now leads several projects that positively impact teams across the organization as sweetgreen pursues continued expansion.
Bhatt grew up in small town Wisconsin, where she learned how to be grounded and pursue the best version of herself. Collegiate athletics added work ethic, mental toughness, and teamwork to that solid foundation. Bhatt played Division 1 softball at Tennessee Technological University. That’s where a mental conditioning coach named Brian Cain shared some wisdom that Bhatt has carried into her career and personal life. “You can’t control what happens around you. You can’t control what happens to you. You can only control how you respond to it,” he told her.
With this lesson in mind, Bhatt provides sound advice and balances legitimate legal concerns with the need to stay solution oriented as in-house for a mission-driven company.
