|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
If life worked differently, the headline here might read: “Rosanna Lipscomb, visionary and global regulatory leader at Google, accepts a seat on the Council of Foreign Relations.” It’s an honor of high magnitude for a legal leader who already has so many in her career. Lipscomb is simply one of the best in her field, building connection points at the intersection of tech, law, and global policy.
If life worked differently, there would be no give and take. There would just be a celebration for a kind and empathetic leader who almost signed a contract early in her career to teach human rights in Ethiopia, after falling in love with the region while serving in the Peace Corps.
But life doesn’t always work that way and Lipscomb’s story of triumph has also become one of resilience, devastating loss, and finding the will to continue. In July 2022, the man Lipscomb met in Tanzania while working on a human rights fellowship through Columbia Law School—the man she married and with whom she raised two sons—her best friend and life partner, Nathan “Nate” Lipscomb, unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. A year later, Lipscomb’s mother succumbed to a long battle with ALS.
“My life now will be about finding ways to do the kind of work my late husband and mother did, both large and small, including finding ways to be of service.”
Rosanna Lipscomb
Though the two losses were different in nature, they were alike in the total devastation Lipscomb felt in their wake. Her husband taught her what it meant to be a person of integrity and love. Her mother showed her how to be a woman of purpose, a trailblazer, and someone who gives back to the community that raised them.
Lipscomb still gets frequent messages from her husband’s legal team at YouTube, reflecting and appreciating all the ways in which Nate went out of his way to give so much of himself to his team. People have created multiple scholarships in his name, including a scholarship at Columbia Law School for Human Rights and scholarships for student-athletes in diving, rowing, and cross-country—sports he loved and enjoyed with his two sons.
Lipscomb’s mother, by all rights, was a force of nature. She ran a series of businesses in Laredo, Texas, near the border, that grew into a large conglomerate. She also supported orphanages in Mexico and countless other causes in her local community along the Texas-Mexico border.
What does a brilliant leader do when she loses two of the closest people in her life? Loss is, in so many ways, the great equalizer. We have to find a way to move forward, whether or not we want to or are ready to. Fortunately, Lipscomb spent a great deal of her life with two people who demonstrated that ability in striking fashion.
“I look to both of them constantly in my day-to-day life,” Lipscomb says. “My life now will be about finding ways to do the kind of work they did, both large and small, including finding ways to be of service.”
In her professional life, Lipscomb’s work is more important than ever. The director at Google readily admits that her employer has its work cut out for it, both in the marketplace and in the court of public opinion. But she still believes in the mission of her organization.
“I have been at Google for thirteen years, and I will say that working here is still a job that fills me with hope,” the director explains. “I believe in our leadership and in what we’re doing to try to drive the AI revolution. From drug discovery to climate change to just improving quality of life, this work will be important for humanity.”
Lipscomb’s faith in her company shines through in her work, and her outside collaborators attest to her formidable capabilities as a lawyer and leader. “It’s been a real privilege to work with Rosie over the last thirteen years,” says Leah Brannon, a partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. “She’s a wonderful person and a great lawyer—smart, dedicated, and creative. She brings passion, energy, and intelligence to everything she does, making it a joy to work with her.”
“Having worked in-house with Rosie Lipscomb at Google for more than a decade, I can attest firsthand to her remarkable skills as an attorney and her exceptional leadership qualities,” says Kevin Yingling, a partner at Freshfields. “Rosie possesses a rare talent for strategically managing complex legal challenges and she excels in fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment. It is a true privilege to continue working with her as a client.”
The pace of technology is one thing. But the geopolitical atmosphere has also shifted and continues to change at astonishing speed. Legal precedent is no longer a reliable predictor of future decisions. It’s why Lipscomb’s seat on the Council on Foreign Relations is so important.
“I have been at Google for thirteen years, and I will say that working here is still a job that fills me with hope.”
Rosanna Lipscomb
The intersection of politics, national security, social issues, and economic growth is a space where Lipscomb has always operated at the top of her game. And she hopes to play a more active part in working collaboratively with regulators and legislators.
“I’m hoping to establish more open communication between governments around the world and organizations like Google,” Lipscomb says. “Let’s have a conversation with the experts before legislation is drafted or before laws are enacted.”
“I feel like the best way to get to the right answer is to bring technical people who actually build products to the meeting,” she continues. “We can help you understand how the technology works, what value is brought, and we can discuss potential concerns. That helps us be more thoughtful about how we design our products and laws and regulations that are better tailored to how the technology actually works .”
The work is challenging and enormous in scope, but it has deeply motivated Lipscomb. When she’s doing her best work, she’s channeling her husband’s generosity and her mother’s tenacity.
These days are easier for the lawyer, the leader, and the mother than a year ago. Days going ahead will be easier than today. That is how loss works. We don’t forget, but we learn to grieve differently. We strive to be the summation of the best people in our lives.
Lipscomb will see her husband and her mother in her two teenage sons, the wonderful family and friends that surround them, the beneficiaries of scholarships in her husband’s name, and the change she continues to bring to the world stage. She is an example of how we can help keep the legacy of those we have loved alive and help make the world a better place.
Williams & Connolly is widely recognized as one of the nation’s premier litigation firms. Our lawyers routinely handle significant and complex civil, criminal, and administrative cases across the United States and around the globe. The firm maintains a strong tradition of hiring the best and the brightest and training and promoting its lawyers from within, producing closely knit and collaborative teams dedicated to achieving successful outcomes for our clients. Williams & Connolly is proud to partner with innovative leaders like Rosanna Lipscomb of Google.
