Legal Lady Boss- Roxanne Elings

Roxanne Elings

Roxanne Elings is a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine in their New York City office. She’s a force in the intellectual property world, but as you’ll read below, it wasn’t all planned out. While her career has been wildly impressive- Roxanne was the first to obtain orders that addressed the challenges resulting from online IP theft- none of it came without sheer hard work and persistence. Through her own personal journey she’s had to advocate for herself as a female in the workplace, which has led to her mentoring and sponsoring other women along the way. She says it best in that “you can’t pay it back, you can only pay it forward.” Cheers to her words of wisdom paying it forward to all of us.

Why did you decide to enter the legal field? What drew you to trademark law?  

The reason I entered the legal field is more a function of destiny. I knew I didn’t want to be on the traditional business track. Even though law is a business, I didn’t know that when I was 22. My parents would have said they knew I was destined for law from when I was young, because they claim I argued about everything! Entering trademark law was also destiny. My first IP position was with a boutique firm who handled all IP work for the Limited Company and I worked on the defense side almost exclusively. My next position was also with a boutique, but this time we were almost always on the brand’s side. I was fortunate to be involved in many cases that created new law, and of course, the subject matter is interesting.

You're on the leadership committee of Davis Wright Tremaine's Project W, tell us about the work Project W is doing.

Project W’s mission is to help female founders build great companies and to help women take their place in the C-suite and the boardroom. Through alliances forged with diverse groups around the country—including Springboard Enterprises, the Vinetta Project, and Black Women Talk Tech—Project W sponsors and organizes meetups, pitch sessions, and other events to help women entrepreneurs build their networks, access funding, and develop scalable and successful businesses. The project’s annual flagship program, the Women Entrepreneurs Boot Camp, has graduated more than 60 alumnae, many of whom have gone on to close seed rounds and join startup accelerators. In addition to its impact outside the firm, Project W provides opportunities and increased visibility for younger women partners and senior associates at Davis Wright Tremaine, many of whom help organize events, serve on expert panels, and further the project mission.

What is a project you've worked on that you're most proud of?

Assuming you are speaking about legal projects, I have had the fortunate opportunity of working on many cases that have resulted in industry leading decisions that are still relied on today. I am proud of being part of each of  those decisions. However, one of my proudest moments was when I was within my first year of practice, I had to help my father with a legal issue where I had to appear in court, in Iowa (where he lived). It was a breach of contract he had initiated against someone to whom he had provided services (he was in construction and the defendant was an attorney). My father’s prior attorney had settled the matter without consulting with my father. I moved to set aside the agreement, had to brief and argue the case, going up against a more senior attorney from a prominent firm in Des Moines, Iowa (who was confident he would win). Well, we won and my father was grateful and proud. The decision was handwritten on the old legal style paper and I still have that decision today!

Nonlegal, I am proud of my work on the Board of a non-profit school, Manhattan Country School, that has at its core, a commitment to diversity. It has a sliding scale tuition where everyone pays according to his/her needs thereby getting rid of the “scholarship kid” status and creating true diversity. Learning in a diverse environment though is beneficial to everyone involved, even Board members. Supporting sliding scale is not easy (otherwise more schools would undertake the mission), but the success of the outcome is beyond anything I have seen and/or experienced. I have heard so many stories where this primary/secondary school made the difference in the success of those who attended!

Tell us your thoughts on women supporting other women and mentorship in the legal industry.

I believe that supporting other women, including by way of mentorship and sponsorship, is not only paramount to the success of women in the legal industry, but will lead to one’s own success. You become successful by investing time and human capital in the people around you and by contributing to the success of the people with whom you work. Success, in my mind, is measured through integrity and being authentic in your daily interactions.

How have things changed for women since you started practicing?

Well, I have been practicing long enough, that many things have changed. For one thing, the practice of law wholly accepted a world constructed by men, and that if women were going to fit in, they had to integrate into the dominant male culture. While women made up about 20% of the profession at that time, they were shut out of opportunities and leadership positions because the culture was dominated by male gatekeepers. At the time, women thought the answer was to be a superwoman, to conform to and outpace the standards that had been set by the men, even if that meant remaining childless or getting back to work immediately after giving birth and never discussing their children. I refused to take that route, but I still succumbed to the culture. There are so many anecdotes. One I recall that is fit for print is one of my first times appearing for argument in Court. The opposing attorney (an older white male), joked with me that I was “prettier” than my boss (also a white male) and he patted me on the head as he also opened the door for me. After argument (it wasn’t particularly complicated), the Judge sided with me and my opponent, visibly upset about a woman winning, slammed the door in my face on the way out. Another is when I showed up in a preliminary hearing with my client (a man), and the judge (a woman) assumed I was the client and he was the attorney. Yet another was eliciting a response from a male judge who told me to shut up because I reminded him of his wife whining. We ultimately won that case, but the bias was clear!

You have a lot on your plate professionally and personally, what's been the key to managing it all?

It has been a journey, and continues to be so and I have not always gotten it right. Before kids, I thought I could do it all. My daughter had other plans and I acceded! I set boundaries and intentionally acted to put as much into raising my children as I did my work. Unfortunately, that meant that I did put myself last. That didn’t always work out and now I am able to better balance it all. Key to success is having friends with whom you can speak and understand the issues!

Looking back, what advice would you give to your first-year associate self?

Have confidence. Do not waste time dwelling on the “imposter syndrome”. Act with integrity, invest in yourself and others and you will be successful.