Tammy Albarran, Deputy General Counsel, Uber Technologies (Photo: Courtesy photo)

Prior to joining Uber as deputy general counsel, Tammy Albarrán co-authored a report with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, which included concrete recommendations that Uber has and continues to implement for investigating and addressing workplace culture issues.

Name a lawyer whose work you admire.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

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

The complexity and novelty of the legal issues.

What's the biggest challenge?

Advising a client that operates in an unregulated space or within a regulatory framework that has not kept pace with technological innovation.

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

Make sure you are comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment, and build your stamina.

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

I don't have to worry about missing my flight because my ride to the airport did not show up.

One way it's made your life more difficult?

I have to stay up to date on the latest social media craze so my kids don't get ahead of me.

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

I had amazing mentors who were generous with their time and gave me many learning opportunities to develop critical skills early on in my career. When I was asked to take a deposition as a junior associate, I said yes despite the fact that I had never taken a deposition before!

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

You won't always be the smartest lawyer in the room, but you can make sure you are the best prepared. —David Bayless

Number-one survival tip in a work crisis:

Resist the temptation to overreact.

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

There seems to be an opportunity to do a lot better here.

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?

It's not just about understanding the legal issue. I have had to invest more time in understanding my client's business, mission, business strategy and vision to give better and more practical legal advice.

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

Autonomous vehicle technology because of the potential it has to be a safer means of transportation.