Barbara Borden, Partner, co-chair of M&A practice, Cooley

Barbara Borden, co-chair of Cooley's global M&A practice, whose partner bench is notably half-female, personally advised clients on acquisitions worth more than $7 billion this past year.

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

Challenging transactions.

What's the biggest challenge?

Establishing credibility on the phone with a board of directors who has never met you before for a high stakes transaction.

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

The ability to work remotely from the office has made it possible to provide the kind of 24/7 pace sometimes required for transactions and fulfill responsibilities at home.

One way it's made your life more difficult?

Clients and others involved think that every email or text deserve an instant response and have little regard for competing demands from other clients.

No. 1 survival tip in a work crisis:

Drink a lot of water and make sure to move around every hour and, if possible, continue normal exercise regime. Exercise and sleep are the best ways to counteract stress, but sleep usually goes out as an option during a work crisis.

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

There are more women involved but the C-suite, and boardrooms are still dominated by men. Closing the gender gap starts at the top.

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

Technology developments that advance health care and help reduce health care costs for patients, including technology that can drive down administrative costs and improve patient outcomes by providing better information to providers.