AMS Early Career Profile: Virginia Pearcy

Virginia Pearcy Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Davis Position: Attorney Company: Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP Industry Sector: Legal Services

What she does:

• Virginia is an attorney with the international law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Virginia's practice focuses on the representation of public and private companies in negotiating complex commercial and technology transactions. In addition, Virginia counsels clients on the protection and utilization of intellectual property rights. Virginia has counseled clients on commercial law and matters relating to copyrights, licensing, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, patents, privacy, strategic alliances, trademarks and trade secrets. She has represented companies in various industries, including: consumer electronics, hardware, internet, media, semiconductor, services, software, telecommunications and wireless. Virginia also serves as a pro tem judge for the Sacramento County Small Claims Court.

Math on the job:

• Virginia's mathematics education has been an invaluable tool for her successful career in law. While she does not use mathematical equations per se in her practice, she uses the analytical, logical and deductive reasoning skills that she learned while studying mathematics. "The practice of law requires that an attorney thoroughly understand a client's needs or specific problem and that the attorney have the ability to develop a creative solution that not only meets the client's needs or solves the client's problem but also comports with applicable laws. In order to be successful at this, an attorney needs the ability to analyze situations logically and rationally. My mathematics education allowed me to develop and sharpen these skills."

Virginia's education:

• Virginia earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from UC Davis. Afterwards, she enrolled in law school and earned her Juris Doctorate degree from UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law. The math course that Virginia found most useful for developing and perfecting her analytical and logical reasoning skills is "Introduction to Abstract Mathematics." "This course not only helped me succeed in my subsequent upper division math courses, such as Advanced Calculus and Algebra, but also provided a strong foundation for my deductive reasoning skills."

Advice for students:

• "A mathematics education is a strong foundation for just about any professional career. It provides a challenging curriculum and helps one develop analytical reasoning skills that can be used in many different subject matter areas."