Sarita Venkat, who was recently named director of IP transactions at Apple, co-created and co-hosts the "Heels of Justice" podcast, which celebrates other trailblazing women in law. Venkat's work on the podcast earned her a spot as one of 21 Women Leaders in Tech Law as part of The Recorder's California Leaders in Tech Law and Innovation Awards. She recently shared her thoughts on the podcast's launch and her advice for women looking to enter the field.

The Recorder: What's your proudest professional achievement of the past year and why?

Venkat: My proudest professional and personal achievement this past year is co-creating the "Heels of Justice" podcast with my diversity-partner-in-crime, Katherine Minarik. We have both had significant career transitions in the past year, but the personal time we dedicated to creating this podcast was so meaningful to both of us. It literally gave a voice to the incredible women in our profession, whose stories had us in giggles and tears. It has been so gratifying to have so many enthusiastic fellow lawyers—women and men—listening to the podcast and cheering us on from all over the world!

What's one piece of advice you'd give to a woman starting out in tech law?

Find your community. A place where you feel like you belong in our profession. For me, it was ChIPs and the South Asian Bar Association. Both helped me find mentors, friends and my champions. I think connecting with others is the key to successfully navigating your career and will also be your source of strength and joy.

What concrete steps could be made to increase the number of women in tech law?

One concrete step we can take to increase the number of women in tech law is to focus on the pipeline: pre-law students, law students and those early in their legal careers. They need guidance and encouragement to not only enter the profession, but to stay in it through all of the challenges women must balance professionally and personally. There is such a need to serve this demographic that we actually created a stand-alone ChIPs Next Gen Summit this year, dedicated to women in the first 10 years of practice. Enabling the pipeline with real focus and mentorship is one of the ways in which we can make a real difference in increasing the number of women in tech law.