Dawn Belt, Fenwick & West

Dawn Belt co-authored Fenwick & West's influential Gender Diversity Survey of Silicon Valley and represented medical equipment company ResMed in a joint venture with Verily, Alphabet's life sciences arm, to help potentially reach millions of untreated sleep apnea sufferers. Belt is among the 21 lawyers chosen by The Recorder as Women Leaders in Tech Law as part of this year's California Leaders in Tech Law and Innovation Awards.

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

Dawn Belt: This was a breakthrough year for me in a few ways. As co-chair of Fenwick & West's hiring committee, I was really pleased to see the strides we've made in terms of the diversity of our hires—and to see the firm recognized for diversity by Euromoney, The American Lawyer and others. I also co-authored Fenwick's biannual Gender Diversity Survey, which has become a benchmark for metrics on women's participation at senior levels of public technology and life sciences companies. Also, my practice moved into a higher gear, with new clients and projects that exceeded my own expectations. You lay the groundwork for years, but you never know when everything will click into place. I'm grateful that it's been that kind of year for me.

What's your proudest personal achievement of the past year and why?

I've somehow found time to spend with my family and even try a few new hobbies (including playing Hacky Sack, of all things).

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

Challenge yourself, and don't let fear get in the way of trying new things. Also, don't sell yourself short: Don't assume that everyone knows more about tech than you do, is smarter than you are or has all the answers. If you're curious and creative, and if you're enthusiastic about the work, you have a good chance of doing well.

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

Having spoken to students at Stanford, I think it's important for women who've succeeded in tech law to literally show up for women who are starting out—to let them know there's a path to success and make it clear that you don't have to be a unicorn of some kind to learn about how the tech world works. Also, when law firms think about staffing projects and when tech companies think about how to hire, it's pretty clear that keeping diversity in mind simply makes good business sense.