Diana J. Stern, legal innovation designer, BakerHostetler. Photo courtesy of Stern. Diana J. Stern, legal innovation designer, BakerHostetler. Photo courtesy of Stern.

 

There's a shortage of women in science, technology, engineering and math. And there's still a 17 percent gender gap in pay—across the board—in all of legal (18 percent at Big Law). But within the legal technology community are many women with thriving careers. Monica Bay recently interviewed attorney Diana Stern, 29, who has been a legal innovation designer on BakerHostetler's national research & development (R&D) team IncuBaker for almost two years. Her home base is New York City.

Education: Universite Paris IV La Sorbonne, 2011. Johns Hopkins University, B.A. in Writing Seminars and French, Phi Beta Kappa, 2012. University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, J.D. with Entertainment, Media and Intellectual Property Law Specialization, 2016.

Admitted to California, 2016, pending in New York (passed N.Y. Bar exam 2018). Study abroad at the Master of Laws (LLM) Program at Queen Mary University of London Centre for Commercial Law Studies, 2015.

Current job: For almost two years I've been a legal innovation designer on BakerHostetler's national R&D team, IncuBaker. I recently led a team in developing and bringing to market blockchain-based smart legal contracts for the first time. My day can involve everything from structuring complex collaboration agreements with our partners and negotiating contracts with vendors, to writing marketing copy, to making strategic recommendations and managerial accounting presentations to the C-Suite. In addition, I participate in a range of efforts related to the firm's role as a founding steward for the Sovrin Foundation.

In your education did you consider a career in science, technology, engineering or math? At first, I wanted to be was a paleontologist, but at 10, I decided I wanted to be a writer. I always did and loved it. Lately I've been working on a science fiction story about a decentralized autonomous organization that takes over the world, and one research lab's effort's to stop it.

Your first paid job? I worked for a kids' fashion line and a designer linen company, both were women-owned businesses. Those women were a great influence on me.

First seat at the table? On one hand, I get to pave my own way. But on the other, it can be difficult to decide where to go next and how to define the career milestones. Talking with mentors helps me to navigate the ambiguity. In fact, I think recognizing when things are ambiguous and working to provide some structure and measurable outcomes has become an asset in my day-to­day work.

Most flagrant sexism you personally encountered and how did you address it? A senior colleague used to point at me inappropriately and say strange things, then told me I could help a client by having a talk with her about her romantic relationship. After a while, I didn't know how to handle his behavior anymore. When I sought advice from another colleague, the situation eventually made its way up to human resources (HR), which was not what I intended. After talking with HR, I walked away feeling like I hadn't done something I should have, and they said that they couldn't address the issue while keeping me anonymous, so I asked them not to address it.

I was worried that the senior colleague would react. I later found out I was not the only one that had experienced his behavior. It even extended to someone we worked with, who no longer brought certain business opportunities with women executives to us. This experience was painful, but it taught me some important realities about the corporate world and even more significantly, it showed me the costs of sexual harassment.

Secret to your success: Being a pragmatic optimist, and listening to skeptics, but knowing (or intuiting) when to do what I believe in anyways. When I landed my first creative legal tech job as a technical advisor on the HBO series Silicon Valley in 2014, I remember an attorney saying, "Well, you won't get to do anything that fun when you're a lawyer." I took it in, but I knew I was going to keep shooting for what I believed was possible. I think it's safe to say I've achieved it so far. On a more tactical level, I work hard and take breaks—even if it is five minutes.

Tips re: "managing up": To me, it means communicating in a polite but direct manner to your boss about what you need in order to achieve a team goal or positive client outcome. It is also important to be proactive so that you are seen as an asset rather than a "time suck" when you push things up the chain. Simply asking a manager what to do does not cut it. If I need help, I work on figuring out a solution or several options first, then ask. It's become a habit, and I enjoy working that way.

Five favorite technology tools:

  1. Google Discover (news items customized to your searches and interests that update throughout the day) and Routine (Google assistant that can be linked with your alarm clock to tell you the weather, traffic, news, upcoming meetings, etc.).
  2. ClassPass: Most efficient way to try different workouts, and is available even when I'm traveling.
  3. Twitter. "CryptoTwitter" helps me stay updated on some of the latest developments and points of view in crypto—plus, grab your popcorn, it's entertaining. You can follow me @LawxTechxArt.
  4. Bravebrowser
  5. JLab Cush Fin headphones. Normal earbuds never stay in my ears.

Book that inspired you? "Change Agent" by Daniel Suarez inspired me. It provided a detailed and all-too-realistic representation of a future where genetic editing has become a capitalist—and sometimes criminal—endeavor. It sparked my imagination about what kinds of legal protections could prevent the more dystopian outcomes, and what may just be inevitable (dun dun dun!).

Favorite vacation venue: Some place in Nevada. When you know, you know.

Favorite quote: "The free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." – John Steinbeck.

 

Monica Bay is a Fellow at CodeX: The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics. She is a columnist for Legaltech News and a freelance journalist (Alchemizing Law LLC). She is a member of the California Bar. In 2015, she retired from ALM (Editor-in-Chief at Law Technology News). She lives in Connecticut but can get to Yankee Stadium in two hours.