Bar Number: 50085
I am a transactional attorney, with a focus on intellectual property, technology transactions, marketing, and general commercial engagements. I started my career in law firms in New York City and moved west for an in-house counsel position. I have been self-employed for many years, working for large corporations.
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Did you end up practicing in the area of law you expected? If not, where did you end up and why?
No. I thought I would be a litigator, but I quickly fell into being a transactional lawyer. My father was a successful creative director at large ad agencies in New York City. When I graduated from law school, he connected me with his attorney, a senior partner at an advertising law firm, to help me network. Within a couple of months, this lawyer passed my résumé onto a colleague at a firm that specializes in advertising law. I interviewed, got the job, and thus went my career.
What is the biggest regret of your career?
I would have loved to work as a federal prosecutor, but my career went in the direction of transactional work early on.
What is your biggest success?
My biggest success is that I have been self-employed as a solo practitioner for 13 years, which has given me the flexibility to be present for my three children. I have been actively engaged as a professional while being a role model for my children on how to balance having a career and family (albeit if that balance occasionally teeters precariously).
Have you had a pro bono or other volunteer experience that resonated with you? If so, please describe.
When I was at Latham & Watkins in New York, I did pro bono work under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to help women who were the victims of domestic violence apply to be lawful permanent residents of the United States. We had one client, from Poland, who had been separated from her daughter since her daughter was about three. After years of working on this client’s application, she and her daughter were finally reunited when the client became a lawful permanent resident. She emailed me to thank me and sent me pictures of her hugging her daughter. It is one of the most memorable moments of my career.
How you would you be earning a living if you weren’t a lawyer?
I would be a writer or an English professor, or an actress.
LIGHTNING ROUND
If you had to give a 10-minute presentation on one topic other than the law, what would it be and why? I would present on spiritual practices and the interconnectedness of religion, positive thinking, magic, and manifestation.
What is one thing from your childhood that you would bring back if you could? Life without cell phones. The internet is great, but having a portable laptop in your pocket is too distracting.
What is the most unusual job you’ve ever had? When I was 13, I worked in a butcher shop in Brooklyn. I cut up a lot of chicken.
Who is your favorite writer? Toni Morrison or Charles Baxter.
What’s your go-to karaoke song? “Heartache Tonight” by The Eagles.
What’s the best place you’ve ever traveled to? Italy.
What is the best movie you’ve ever seen? Probably The Wizard of Oz. Over 80 years later, it still holds up—the acting, the special effects, the music, and … the scariness of Margaret Hamilton!
What is one thing your colleagues may not know about you? I’m a published clue submitter for the New York Times Spelling Bee.
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