LAWYER BLAZING A TRAIL FOR WOMEN IN STEM

Based in the heart of Silicon Valley, Tamara Fraizer helps her clients assess intellectual property (IP) related issues, leverage and enforce IP rights, and defend against IP claims. Her legal experience spans a variety of industries including life sciences, medical device, electronics, pharmaceuticals, healthcare related consumer products, and software.

The challenges and barriers for women to rise to the highest levels of the elite firms within the legal profession are well-documented. Not only has Fraizer overcome those obstacles, but her deep STEM background puts her in a small class of women in the industry. This experience and background make her an asset to clients and a mentor to young women seeking to blaze a trail in the industry.

With expertise in patent litigation, she has litigated for and advised mid-sized private businesses as well as some of the largest public corporations. She also counsels entrepreneurs and startups. Fraizer is particularly interested in developing technologies in digital health, personalized medicine, and bioinformatics, areas where she has advanced degrees.

In the words of Tamara Fraizer:

How can the world increase diversity in STEM fields?
“We need to improve educational opportunities in STEM for children of all ages and all cultures. Then we need to harness that skill without any preconceived or subconscious bias. Education is empowering, and education in STEM all the more so given its importance in our modern world.”

What barriers are in the way to closing the gender gap in STEM?
“Cultural biases. We need to expect more of our girls, and then respect them for it. Many girls learn that being smart is not attractive, that being disciplined in their learning is not necessary, and that STEM is really for boys. We need to teach them being smart is being capable, that being disciplined in their learning is a responsibility, and that STEM girls and STEM women – just like STEM boys and STEM men – are awesome!”

How is the world changing with respect to STEM?
“STEM is elitist, and becoming more so, as clearly indicated by the statistics for college degrees. In all areas of STEM, the percentage of women getting college degrees has decreased over the last 10 years in the United States. Minorities, especially Hispanics, continue to be less likely to earn a college degree than Caucasians, but for those who succeed in getting a degree, their success in STEM areas is not as skewed, compared to Caucasians, as when we compare women to men.”

Words I live by:
“Give yourself a chance. Be open to the possibility, and let yourself fall down a few times, but don’t give up before you try. Then give others a chance.”