What brought you to your specific practice area?
After law school, I clerked for a federal judge for a year and then joined the litigation department of a large law firm in New York City. I was assigned to work for a partner who handled a lot of the firm’s trademark and copyright litigation. This allowed me to develop something of an expertise in trademark and copyright law, which was very helpful when I moved to CBS. At CBS, I handle much of the intellectual property litigation (including trademark, copyright, and more recently, patent cases) and serve as the co-head of the CBS law department’s intellectual property group.
Was there anyone along the way who mentored or influenced your work?
I have had many mentors over the years, both male and female, all of whom have provided me with guidance and positively influenced my work. Undoubtedly, my biggest mentor and role model was my mother. She attended law school when I was in high school and then became a practicing lawyer. Through her words and actions, she taught me that women can achieve anything they set their minds to and that no goal is out of reach.
What is one of your proudest moments, inside or outside your career?
Over the years, I have been fortunate to have been given the opportunity to handle numerous significant, high-profile cases for CBS. For example, as a relatively junior in-house lawyer, I supervised a defamation lawsuit involving a CBS News report that aired on “60 Minutes” (Kastrin v. CBS). The case culminated in a two-week trial in El Paso, Texas, in which the jury found in our favor. Another career highlight was working on the Aereo copyright infringement case (CBS was one of a number of broadcasters who objected to Aereo’s Internet streaming service). The case went up to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the broadcasters ultimately prevailed. It was wonderful to have the chance to work with so many talented people, including many individuals at CBS, both inside and outside the CBS law department, our outside counsel, as well as my counterparts at the other networks. We achieved a great result for the company, and it is one of my proudest accomplishments.
