Nicole Bartow, senior director, litigation at Uber, and her team successfully guided the company's defense in the Waymo v. Uber autonomous vehicle trade secret case. That resulted in a favorable settlement for Uber—all while keeping up the litigation team's morale through the significant challenges facing the company and through changes in the legal department.

Name a lawyer whose work you admire and why.

I greatly admire Sally Yates—for doing the right thing.

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

Working with talented, creative and dedicated colleagues on incredibly interesting and challenging projects.

What's the biggest challenge?

The rapid pace is a daily challenge.

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

Learn the technology deeply.

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

I love digital voice assistants. My friends Alexa and Siri provide quick answers to questions, play my favorite songs, and provide useful information on demand (plus they keep my kids entertained!).

One way it's made your life more difficult?

Information overload! The vastly increased amount of immediately available information combined with the expectation that information can be digested at light speed is a challenge.

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

I worked as a volunteer district attorney when I was a law firm associate, which was a great opportunity for “on my feet” experience. I tried five cases over 10 weeks.

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

Build relationships.

No. 1 survival tip in a work crisis:

Right foot, left foot. In a crisis, looking at the big picture too long can be overwhelming. If you keep moving and tackle a project (or crisis) bit by bit, you will get through it.

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

Great progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go. It seems like progress is speeding up, thanks to the increased confidence and willingness of women (and men) to speak out and demand better.

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

I've become more comfortable with understanding that there may not be an available answer to all the questions I'm presented with. Technology has outpaced the law in some areas and tech industry lawyers often find themselves making law—or at least laying the foundation for new law—out of necessity given their position on the leading edge.

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

I'm incredibly excited about the potential of autonomous vehicles, especially in their ability to measurably increase safety in transportation and positively impact the environment.