Boston Partner Anita Varma may only have been at the Firm since 2017, but she has already made a mark.

She became global head of our Intellectual Property (IP) practice in 2019 – the same year she was named among the Top 250 Women in IP by Managing Intellectual Property.

She says: “Moving to White & Case was a significant change for me, because I’d been at my previous firm, Ropes & Gray LLP, for 15 years. Looking back, I’m amazed at how my career has progressed since I joined. It has exposed me to so many international opportunities. I absolutely love it here.”

Anita’s career in IP law may never have happened. She studied biochemistry at university, but decided not to pursue a career in the sciences because she realized that lab work was not for her.

Her first exposure to the legal profession happened when she worked as a summer intern summarizing articles from chemical journals for a law firm. Anita then took a job as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

She says: “I was introduced to patent law and learned how to prosecute patent applications from the government’s perspective. I really enjoyed the job and realized that I enjoyed the legal aspects even more than the scientific aspects.”

Anita pursued a law degree at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., before moving to Boston to start her career in the IP practice of Foley Hoag LLP.

She explains: “Boston is a hub for the tech and biotech industry, so I also got the chance to work with clients on the cutting edge of science, helping them protect their products, while helping Foley Hoag build it’s IP practice, which was extremely satisfying.”

Anita then moved to Ropes and Gray, before she transitioned to White & Case in 2017.

She says: “White & Case was attractive because it was known as having a strong IP litigation practice, a strong Antitrust practice, and a global footprint.  The global footprint was the real draw, because I wanted to do more cross-border work.”

Anita’s move to White & Case went smoothly despite the challenges of moving several ongoing client matters with her. Several team members from Ropes also joined in the months that followed.

She says: “The Firm enabled a seamless transition, and we soon had the infrastructure and team in place to help us hit the ground running.”

Anita was asked to take over leadership of the global IP practice in 2019.

“It felt daunting at first,” she says, “because my predecessor had been in the role for 20 years. Of course, it was also very exciting. The IP practice at Ropes had been very U.S.-centric, so taking a global leadership role was a different and exciting challenge.”

Anita was very impressed with the level of support and training offered by the Firm when taking on the new leadership role.

She says: “Law school trains you to be a good lawyer, but not necessarily to be a good leader, so I was really appreciative of the training White & Case provided. I found it really insightful to learn what the Executive Committee expects from its leaders.

“The Firm has a philosophy of ‘servant leaders’, which really resonates with me. This approach flips traditional notions of leadership and emphasizes people over power. It challenges leaders to bring out the best from your team.

“That’s important, because it means recognizing that everyone brings something different to the table and nurturing that strength.”

Since Anita took the global leadership position in June of 2019, she has laid out her vision for the global IP practice.

She says: “One of the first things I did was to develop my business plan. To support that process, I spoke to as many colleagues across the practice as possible. IP covers a broad spectrum of specialities, so it was vital to see how we all linked together. Over the coming years, I want to see us capitalize on our global network to the point where we’re the ‘go-to’ practice for large, cross-border IP matters.”

Anita is excited about the future for the IP practice and continues to be invigorated by the projects she works on. She says: “Maybe I’m biased, but I see IP as one of the most interesting areas of law because it’s constantly evolving.

“We’re experiencing a fourth industrial revolution with the advent of digital technology and artificial intelligence. These advances call into question fundamental concepts of patent law such as ownership, inventorship, and prior art. The law must evolve to keep pace with the advances in technology.”

This pace of change has not slowed during the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the biotech and pharma industries.

For example, one pro bono client Anita is working with has filed eight patent applications in the past three months.

She says: “I am privy to large volumes of data being generated by some of the best minds in the world combatting this virus – their efforts are truly inspiring and make me optimistic that we will have viable treatment options very soon.

“We’re also continuing to see deals go through during the pandemic. In fact, we’re just wrapping up a deal for a private equity client that took place entirely during the lockdown. The client says it’s the first deal they’ve ever done where they’d never met company management face to face.”

Leading the IP practice during the global pandemic has had its challenges, particularly because the IP practice is spread across numerous offices.

Anita says: “Maintaining a joined-up approach is important and communication has been vital. My role did involve spending time in London as well as the United States, so that part has changed, but we’ve adapted well.

“While working from home isn’t always easy and has impacted those with young families even more, we’ve shown our ability to be flexible and to stay in touch over technology.”

Anita says she is humbled by the recognition she received being listed in Managing Intellectual Property’s Top 250 Women in IP and by the faith the Firm has put in her since she joined in 2017.

She says: “I hope that any awards or accolades I’ve received send a positive message to women, particularly women of color, that you can succeed in the legal profession and rise through the ranks.

“I hope it signals that, although we have a long way to go, the legal profession is changing and is becoming more inclusive. Most of us face ups and downs in our career and have to deal with setbacks, but my advice is to be resilient, move on, learn what you can, but don’t dwell on the negatives. Focus on the positives, and never be afraid to ask for help.”