The Perspective Of A Female Technology Transaction Attorney In Silicon Valley
If you’re unfamiliar with our project, Diving Into the Bay Area Work Culture, read our intro here
Meet Marcela
Title: Counsel at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.
Background: Worked as an attorney in Bogota, Palo Alto, London, and New York
3 words that describe you:
Disciplined, Nurturing & Loving
What advice would you give millennials?
You learn from everything, so keep exploring with an open mind! Be interested in new things and meeting new people.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP opened an office in Silicon Valley over 15 years ago, because their clients wanted to invest in companies there. They work in Private Equity and Marcela works specifically with mergers and acquisitions and IPO’s, among others.
Innovation Challenges
Privacy policies can become a challenge, if companies don’t adhere to them. Marcela told us that one way companies are trying to deal with the challenge is by using Privacy by Design, a way of bringing the question of privacy into the product development from the beginning.
Now startups and other companies hire attorneys as product counsels, as a help to navigate regulations, to make sure they understand the legal risks and don’t break the rules. And it goes in hand with Marcela’s belief that attorney’s should add value to the process — not a road block.
Talking about privacy regulations Marcela think’s we will move towards an opt-in or opt-out situation for data. And privacy is the hot topic in Silicon Valley right now because of the data breaches that have happened.
Work Culture
Having worked in both the New York and Silicon Valley office Marcela sees a difference. In Silicon Valley it’s a younger crowd. And having done due diligence on startups and bigger Silicon Valley companies Marcela highlighted that some companies have their things in order, but a lot lack legal structure. And as an attorney doing due diligence, Marcela can almost become advisory to the startup, because she will be pointing out all the legal issues holding back a merger or acquisition.
When we asked about startup culture, she talked about a culture of having to be quick and work hard. That there is pride in working all-nighters and in face-time at the office. You have to show your commitment to your work — and that it might not always be about your actual work efforts.
Equality and Work
We also got talking about equality at work and more specifically maternity/paternity leave. By law in the US a mother will have 2 weeks of paid family leave if 1) the company employs more than 50 people and 2) if she(he) has worked there for 1+ years.
Luckily many companies now offer m(p)aternity leave as a benefit — it’s been a hot topic the last year with companies like Spotify, Facebook and more. But since the cost of having a day care or a nanny is so high, many mothers choose to stay at home instead, because going back to work doesn’t make sense financially. Marcela even shared the concern that if men take a leave, which some can now, it’s considered as lack of commitment to your work.
Co-written with Paula Vivas-Avila
Thank you Marcela for sharing your perspective and knowledge.
