In June, the Silicon Valley Business Journal released a list of 100 Women of Influence, an annual list of area women leaders who are “doing extraordinary things in an extraordinary time,” according to the website. Among the honorees is Laura Lee Norris JD ‘97, associate clinical professor at Santa Clara Law. The award ceremony will be held virtually this year on June 30.
The Women of Influence award recognizes established, accomplished business leaders in this world-class region. “We’re looking for women with a strong record of innovation in their fields, outstanding performance in their businesses and a clear track record of meaningful community involvement. We’re looking for women from every industry and profession — women who have made a difference in their communities, blazed a trail for the rest of us, and are leaving a mark in Silicon Valley,” read the nomination form on their website. For more than 6 years, the magazine has honored Silicon Valley women leaders in a variety of fields including finance, government, nonprofit, healthcare, and manufacturing.
“Laura is so deserving of this recognition, and Santa Clara Law is fortunate to have her on our faculty,” said Anna Han, interim dean, Santa Clara Law. “Laura has a contagious energy, focus, enthusiasm, and curiosity that make her an outstanding teacher, mentor, networker, innovator, and leader.”
In addition to her role as associate clinical professor at Santa Clara Law, Norris is also co-director of the High Tech Law Institute, founding director of the Entrepreneurs’ Law Clinic, and founding director of the Tech Edge J.D. Program. Norris attended Santa Clara Law’s night program while still an engineer and patent agent at Intel. After law school, she first became an associate IP litigation attorney at Arnold White & Durkee, then later Cypress Semiconductor’s first vice president of legal affairs. In 2006, she opened a solo practice and represented more than 50 startups over seven years. She joined Santa Clara Law in 2013.
In 2014, Laura was one of only two academics named by the Recorder as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders in Tech Law. She is a mentor through the U.S. Department of State’s TechWomen program, a mentorship and exchange program for women leaders in STEM from Africa and the Middle East. Laura is a 2011 graduate of Leadership California’s “California Issues & Trends” program, a selective statewide women’s leadership program. In 2010, she was named as a Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Star. She is a board member of several for-profit and non-profit companies. In her spare time, Laura trains for triathlons and volunteers with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
