In a phone interview with Laura Ashley Harris ChIPs asked our first ever scholarship recipient about her passion for IP and post law school plans.
Ever since she was a child, Laura Ashley Harris knew she was interested in a career in law. While she can’t recall what sparked her interest (since she had no lawyers in her family), she does recall drawing a picture of herself as a judge. What Laura hadn’t always pictured, however, was her passion for IP law and privacy and cybersecurity issues.
After Laura received her MS in Engineering from California Polytechnic State University she spent three years as a Human Resources software consultant for Deloitte Consulting. “I absolutely loved my job at Deloitte – it was a wonderful company to work for and there were a lot of growth opportunities,” she says.
Yet she found herself sitting at her desk one day contemplating the idea of going to law school. “I thought, ‘If I don’t go to law school now, it’s never going to happen’.” Currently in her third year at Georgetown University Law Center, Laura first went into law wanting to explore different options, but was quickly drawn to IP. As a Summer Associate at Sidley Austin LLP in Washington DC and San Francisco, Laura discovered her passion for IP law in addition to cybersecurity and privacy. “With technology constantly moving, it inherently takes times for people to figure out how to appropriately regulate that. Catching up to the speed that technology is moving is a huge challenge.” Laura says.
Laura is Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Law Technology Review. The July edition of the publication delved into internet platform regulation, exploring the topic from different perspectives.
Laura is committed to community activities that advance women in the STEM fields. She spent 9 years volunteering with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and served as the President of the Cal Poly Collegiate section. Laura views the time she spent working with SWE as an instrumental part of her college experience. “Besides supporting the K-12, SWE also heavily supported women in the college, giving them the opportunity to learn skills you don’t just learn in class, such as management and leadership skills through planning these events.” After college, Laura continued to work with her regional SWE chapter as the Treasurer.
Laura’s commitment to pursuing IP law as well as her work towards the advancement of young women in STEM would make Rachel proud. We are therefore thrilled to offer Laura the first ever scholarship in honor of the woman who dedicated herself to the advancing women in tech, law and policy. Congratulations Laura!