Dominique Shelton Leipzig, a Mayer Brown partner, is being recognized as one of 20 Women Leaders in Tech Law as part of The Recorder’s California Legal Awards.
The Los Angeles-based regulatory attorney—who is also the lead for global data innovation and as tech privacy and data at the firm— shapes privacy law through her work on behalf of The California Chamber of Commerce and guides Meta Platforms Inc. and Microsoft Corp. through the changing data privacy landscape.
Leipzig recently shared with The Recorder her accomplishments over the last year and advice for women starting out in tech.
What’s your proudest professional achievement of the past year and why?
I was thrilled to join Mayer Brown and the cybersecurity and data privacy team led by my partner Rajesh De. I am also proud to lead the firm’s global data innovation team that is focused on providing C-Level and board-level advice on data issues that matter, such as data privacy, cybersecurity and algorithmic fairness.
Along those lines, I was honored to join NASDAQ’s Insights Council on Risk & Cybersecurity that is focused on creating board education on cyber and data privacy.
It has once again been an honor to represent the California Chamber of Commerce in providing their comments on the groundbreaking regulations associated with the California Privacy Rights Act, which goes into effect in 2023. It’s exciting to play a role in shaping privacy-related legislation.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a woman starting out in tech law?
Be persistent. Focus on your vision and goals for yourself.
What is a group or tool that has helped you grow in your career or contributes to the development of pipelines for women leaders in tech law?
During the pandemic, I co-founded a non-profit organization called NxtWork with two other senior women of color.
We started the organization because, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, we heard the call from many companies that they wished to diversify their boards and leadership teams. While most businesses made pledges to diversify their C-Suite and boardrooms, many struggle with achieving diversity in their leadership ranks. We brought together our contacts to create the next level of networking to introduce corporate leaders to our pre-vetted group of high achieving diverse women who are board ready.
The business of creating and fully embracing a diverse leadership culture can be achieved quickly with speed and scale, when companies meaningfully engage with diverse leaders. NxtWork has developed a seven-step process for meaningful engagement, derived from our members’ experience building and leading diverse teams in organizations with market cap of over 2 trillion that is listed on our website.
Do you have a memorable women-helping-women moment in your career during the pandemic?
Yes. As I have been building my work in the boardroom, advising leaders on privacy and cyber and introducing them to my colleagues at Mayer Brown and NxtWork, I have had many wonderful conversations with women leaders. Christine Heckart, CEO of Xapa and a seasoned CEO and board member, has been very supportive. Similarly, Robin Washington on the Alphabet Inc. Board, Agnes Bundy Scanlan on the Truist Board and Jan Babiak on the Walgreens Board have each taken so much time to discuss my aspirations to help companies grapple with the big issues surrounding data privacy, cyber and diversity! I am so grateful for them.
In terms of giving back, I was so honored to be the keynote speaker for this year’s inaugural HackHER conference for middle school and high school aged diverse girls who are interested in tech. Encouraging their passion and enthusiasm for the field was a true honor.
Reprinted with permission from the November 2 edition of The Recorder © 2022 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited.
