Profiles in Practice highlights some of the many ways that alumni put their degrees to use in a single field, niche area, or geographic location. In this edition, we put a spotlight on alumni who live and work in the state of Texas.

Anthony Bégon ’12, Head of Litigation and Compliance, McAfee Enterprise (Dallas–Fort Worth)

How I describe my job:

Risk management. I have a unique opportunity to interact with many aspects of the business and advise leadership on how to manage and mitigate risk across the globe, from commercial, employment and IP disputes, global data privacy concerns, and ethics and compliance.

What a typical day entails:

Every day has its own set of unique and interesting problems to solve. Each day I advise clients on how to accomplish a particular goal while minimizing legal exposure. To do that, however, I try to structure my day to continue learning about the rapid developments and threats in cybersecurity and how they impact our legal and compliance obligations across the globe. 

An interesting job experience I’ve had:

Over this past year, I was able to work through certain legal and regulatory challenges of becoming a public company and shortly after divesting the enterprise business to private equity. Taking a global company public—then a portion of that company back to private in a matter of months—was an amazing (and busy) experience. 

What I like about living/working in Texas:

After growing up in Massachusetts and living in Minnesota for six years, I really enjoy the mild winters in Dallas. Texas barbecue is also a big draw.

Advice to someone entering my field:

There are so many opportunities in the legal profession. Although it’s great to specialize, continue learning new areas of the law, and don’t be afraid to take on new opportunities.

My favorite inspirational quote:

I have two: “Debate. Decide. Do.” and “Bloom where you are planted.”

How I spend my free time:

If I’m not spending time with my wife and two children, I love to cycle outdoors, which I can practically do year-round in Dallas. 

Syed K. Fareed ’08, Partner, IP Trial Lawyer, Baker Botts (Austin)

How I describe my job:

I help companies develop strategies to protect their intellectual property assets, as well as defend against IP threats. Oftentimes it involves litigation, which can be challenging and fun in its own ways.

What a typical day entails:

There is no typical day in this field, which makes things interesting. But my days revolve around preparing for depositions, conducting strategy sessions, court hearings, etc.

An interesting job experience I’ve had:

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to work in-house at a professional sports league and manage their IP issues. That was a very rewarding experience as I got to apply my skills in an area that is quite different from the typical technical fields we see in IP litigation.

Something I wish I knew in law school:

A lot of my time these days is spent teaching and mentoring junior attorneys as they learn the ropes in IP law. It is a quite rewarding task, and certainly something that I didn’t appreciate before I started in this profession.

What I like about living/working in Texas:

Austin has been a great place to live for many reasons. It’s got a lively culture, and the tech industry here has expanded quite significantly, which has been a boon for the practice of IP law in Texas.

Advice to someone entering my field:

Don’t be afraid to try new areas of law, whether they are within the IP umbrella or outside of it. Trying new areas will make you a more well-rounded attorney.

My favorite inspirational quote:

“Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its ground.” —David Icke

How I spend my free time:

Most of my time outside of work is spent with my family, taking my kids to the park and enjoying the vibrant culture in Austin. 

Zenobia Lai ’91, Executive Director, Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative

How I describe my job:

As the head of a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring together immigrant-serving legal and social service providers to develop holistic immigration legal services in Greater Houston, my job involves convening the partners in our network and raising funds to incubate programs to address unmet needs that are better tackled through collaboration of many than by any single organization. What I do is to distill the issues and ideas, develop project ideas, shop them around with funders, secure funding, regrant to partners, and shepherd the start-up or launch of the project. I also try to stay up to date on immigration law and policies, keep an eye out on developments on the southern border, anticipate the policy impacts on Greater Houston,
and galvanize resources to respond.

What a typical day entails:

There is no typical day. I tend to spend many hours in any given day in meetings: to brainstorm with my staff, build relationships with our partners, connect with funders, meet with different project teams to move the program along, strategize with colleagues, etc. I also spend time on administrative work that comes with running an organization and attend training to keep up my knowledge in immigration practice.

What I like about living/working in Texas:

The geographical proximity of Texas and Houston to the southern border makes the crisis of our immi- gration policies very real and urgent. That gives me a powerful reason to do what I do, which is to walk alongside immigrants, migrants, and refugees to protect, defend, and advocate for them.

My favorite inspirational quote:

“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” —Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

How I spend my free time:

Travel, especially overseas, is my favorite pastime. It allows me to step away, have new experiences, and gain perspective. 

Meghan J. Ryan ’05, Professor, Associate Dean for Research, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (Dallas)

How I describe my job:

I am a law professor at SMU Law in Dallas, where
I teach and write at the intersection of criminal law and procedure, torts, and law and science.

What a typical day entails:

A typical day for me really varies depending on whether I am teaching. About 40% of my job is teaching, about 40% is devoted to research and writing, and the rest is spent on service to the university and to the profession more broadly. When I teach, most of my day involves preparation for class, class itself, and answering student questions. On days that I don’t teach, I spend most of my time working on articles that I plan to publish.

An interesting job experience I’ve had:

It’s tough to narrow it down to just one. But a few years back, I spent a week at Camp Justice—the site of the military commissions proceedings for the alleged terrorists and war criminals who have been held on the base since the “war on terror” began after 9/11. As an ABA representative, I was tasked with observing the proceedings to see if they complied with human rights principles and relevant rules of law. I ended up writing a short essay about the experience.

What I like about living/working in Texas:

When I first moved to Dallas, I loved the warm weather. As the summers have gotten hotter, the weather is starting to wear on me a bit. Perhaps my favorite thing about Dallas is that I met my husband here. Also, the food is great!

My favorite inspirational quote:

“Strength does not come from physical capacity.
It comes from an indomitable will.” —Mahatma Gandhi

How I spend my free time:

I spend most of my free time—if you could really call it “free” time—playing with my 3-year-old: pretending to be a dinosaur, reading books about monkeys or rocks, and hunting for an obvious hiding spot.