Spotlighting H 16 CHANGE FROM
WITHIN Tristan E. Higgins BY PATRICK FOLLIARD
It was a bad motorcycle accident that first prompted Tristan Higgins to consider a career in a law. She was 21 and seeking a fair settlement, so she looked to her parents’ family attorney for counsel. “He proved to be a regular knight in shining armor,” says Higgins, now a director in Sony Electronics’ law department. “The experience showed me how much a lawyer can impact your life. He said I argued well and was a good negotiator—I’d negotiated his rate—and suggested that I consider a career in law.”
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
iggins was working on her theater degree from the University of California, San Diego, and wanted to direct, but the idea of law school followed by a dependable, well-paying job became increasingly more attractive. Te young Higgins imagined entertainment law as a good way of marrying
her extant theatrical experience and newfound legal interests. “I thought that if I wasn’t willing to take the risks of becoming a working, and frequently unem- ployed, director, I could perhaps represent those that were willing to take that risk, and become an entertain- ment lawyer.” She adds: “Te theatrical aspects of my undergraduate education have served me well, especially as a trial lawyer early in my career. I was always able to keep juries and judges’ attention.” Higgins, who describes herself as “an out and proud
lesbian,” joined Sony Electronics in 2008. Initially she was brought in to handle the digital cinema business. Five years ago Sony started upgrading existing movie theaters with digital projectors. “Tey needed a lawyer with both technology and entertainment experience, and, luckily, I fit the bill,” she says. “First I handled that business nation- ally, dealing with the Hollywood studios and theater exhibitors across the country, and later internationally.” Today, she advises Sony’s components business in
Silicon Valley in licensing, sales, development, and manufacturing deals for image sensors, batteries, audio products, and semiconductors. Sony sells components (such as batteries, image sensors, and cameras for smart phones, tablets, and laptops) to many electronics manu- facturers and automotive makers, requiring Higgins to deal with everyday contracts, sales, negotiations, and development deals. She describes her position as the clas- sic in-house attorney gig. “I love my job. I’m like a Silicon Valley attorney. I
have relationships with my in-house clients who value my legal expertise and my business thoughts. But I don’t push. Typically, I wait until I’m asked for my opinion,” says Higgins, who splits her time between San Diego and San Jose. “Lawyers often have good business minds. We may not naturally understand profit and loss but because legal is removed from the pressure of sales, we can offer some objectivity because we have the ability to ask the business side ‘Are you making a quick sale or increasing the value of the company?’” When asked about working at Sony given the difficulty facing the consumer electronics industry in
MCCA.COM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52