Women’s History Month Featuring Meg Cogburn

Q&A with Senior Paralegal, Meg Cogburn

1. Who or what has inspired you the most in your career, especially as a woman in your field?

1. There are so many people, men & women, who have inspired me in my career over the years. The first and foremost is my father through his LOVE of intellectual property and his commitment to the people with whom he worked. He taught me that you should always consider your work group as another family, and I have held that belief through to this day. He also passed down that LOVE of IP early on which had me starting to work in his firm on school breaks starting around 7^th/8^th grade. Through that I was introduced to many, many wonderful working women — Corrine Miller (my first boss at the firm), Nancy Edwards (my first paralegal boss), Janet Peck, Debbie Robton, Fran Young, Cheryl McKinzie, and so many others. They showed me that women can be strong and confident, as well as compassionate, and can work well in a group (whether that’s a group of only women or a group of men & women combined) to get the job done while still all having fun doing it.

1. 2. How do you think being a woman has shaped your leadership style or approach to your work?

1. I think that the “roll with the punches” attitude of a woman has really helped in my approach to my day to day activities at work – to have a plan for the day but then be able to take on other activities/deadlines/jobs that might be thrown at you that same day and still keep going with a positive attitude. I also think, though, that compassion for others has really helped shape my leadership style. You can’t be expected to lead a group of people, it doesn’t matter who they are, if you can’t show compassion. I have found that being able to show compassion while still being strong will garner respect from your peers.