The Recorder has named Keker, Van Nest & Peters partner Jennifer Huber among 30 Women Leaders in Tech Law. "These lawyers, through their work in courtrooms, boardrooms and classrooms, are helping the law and the legal profession address novel issues raised by technological advances," the publication wrote.
Jen represented Google in an arbitration alleging Anthony Levandowski and the co-founder of his autonomous vehicle venture violated their obligations to Google when they solicited employees and then promptly sold that company to Uber at a publicly reported value of about $680 million. For her profile, she was asked:
In 50 words or less, how far has the tech industry gone toward tackling its gender gap since you started practicing?
I grew up in Silicon Valley. My mom was a marketing executive at Apple and Intel, so the gender gap in the tech industry is something that I’ve been hearing and thinking about for as long as I can remember—well before I started practicing law. Surely, there have been some advances. Companies don’t look the same way as they did during my mom’s era. But the progress is frustratingly slow and incremental.
Name a lawyer whose work you admire and why?
I can’t pick just one. One of the greatest joys of practicing at KVP is being surrounded by many extraordinary lawyers and people. Growing up in this firm has allowed me to observe many different styles and approaches, try them out and adopt what feels right for me.
What piece of advice do you give to lawyers considering a career in tech law?
Be curious and be agile. Curiosity will make you a better lawyer, and it will help you find joy and intellectual fulfillment. Agility is just a necessary survival skill.
Name an important opportunity you got early in your career and what you did with it.
As a second-year associate, I took on a pro bono case on the eve of trial. A fellow associate and I tried the case before a jury in federal court—just the two of us. It was an incredible experience, and it gave me the confidence to know that I could take on something like that. I took that experience, and I used it to show I that I could and should be doing things like examining witnesses or arguing in court in our paying cases, even as an associate.
What’s the best piece of career advice anyone ever gave you?
I have two favorite pieces of advice. First, be authentic. Second, think about where you want to be in five or 10 years and make a plan.
Read the full profile here.