Sasha Rao, Partner, Chair, IP Practice, Maynard Cooper & Gale

Sasha Rao, chair of Maynard Cooper & Gale's IP group, serves as chief outside counsel for A³ by Airbus, a company whose work to develop self-piloted personal air vehicles—flying cars—marks it a lead player in revolutionizing urban travel.

What's one way you've had to change your thinking toward practicing law to succeed with tech industry clients or in-house at a technology company?

I've learned to keep my answers shorter.

Name an important opportunity you got early in your career and what you did with it?

When I became a lawyer in 1996 IP was in its heyday. In my first two years at Fish & Neave, I handled six lawsuits — arguing a major motion, putting on witnesses, handling depositions on my own. I'm not sure associates get the same opportunities today.

What's the best piece of career advice anyone ever gave you?

It came as a revelation to me that that there was a lot of posturing going on inside and outside the courtroom, and that opponents were trying to get me off balance by playing on my emotions. I'm passionate about the practice of law, but it's better for your client when you can take the emotion out of it.

No. 1 survival tip in a work crisis:

Although instinct says to stop when there's a crisis, I've found it best to keep moving forward and doing the job at hand. In an ambush, your best chance for survival is often to continue pushing ahead.

In 50 words or less, how far has the tech industry gone toward tackling its gender gap since you started practicing?

It's missing the point to blame the industry. The gap will only be closed if we encourage girls in STEM. My personal experience has been that learning math and science from a young age provided a great foundation for me in tech.

Name a lawyer whose work you admire and why?

I first met Ed Bailey when I joined Fish & Neave as an associate in the 1990s. We worked on complex patent cases together and I have always admired his uncanny ability to get quickly to the heart of each matter.

What's the best part about working in the tech sector?

I love being in the middle of new and interesting issues — helping to find solutions for legal issues posed by game-changing technology.

What's the biggest challenge?

The law lags behind advances in technology and clients can get frustrated with the uncertainty that comes with that disconnect — they want answers that will allow them to run their businesses.

What piece of advice do you give to lawyers considering a career in tech law?

I tell young lawyers that they need to understand a company's underlying technology before they can be helpful as a lawyer.

What's one way technology has made your life easier?

For me, as for most people, it's hugely liberating to be able to work anywhere and no longer be tied to an office.

One way it's made your life more difficult?

But the flip side of being able to work anywhere is that it becomes very hard to unplug. I have friends with health problems related to the stress of always being online.

What's one area of technology that you're most excited about and why?

I'm most excited about the possibility of autonomous vehicles changing our transportation systems on the ground and in the air, which will open up employment, travel and mobility opportunities for everyone.