Draisy Friedman

Who are you? Tell us about yourself!

I’m a rising 2L at Georgetown Law, interested in intellectual property law and technology law and policy. I’m also concurrently working on an MS in Computer Science. Before law school, I spent five years working as an electrical engineer.

What drew you to interning at the Tech Institute?

I entered law school knowing I wanted to continue working with technology in some capacity, so the Tech Institute felt like a perfect fit for my goals and background. I’m particularly impressed by the proactive approach the Tech Institute has taken towards studying the effects of AI on the legal industry. The work I’m doing this summer—supporting an international nonprofit as they adapt AI tools throughout their organization—is the ideal convergence of my interests and skills, letting me draw on my engineering background to help navigate the legal and policy questions that emerge when a global nonprofit integrates emerging technology.

Before law school, you were an Electrical Engineer at NASA. This is an astonishing accomplishment. Could you tell me about your work experience before law school and your role at NASA?

I started at NASA as an intern when I was still in undergrad, and I feel so fortunate that I had the opportunity to continue working there after graduation. Specifically, I worked at Goddard Space Flight Center, where I was something of a generalist electrical engineer. I touched everything from circuit and PCB design, to FPGA programming, to test software design. I contributed to designing and testing instrument electronics for missions including DISSIPATION (a sounding rocket), GDC (a constellation of satellites), and Dragonfly (a rotorcraft heading to Titan). As of now, only DISSIPATION has actually launched (successfully!), but Dragonfly is planned for launch next year.

Why did you decide to pivot to Law School?

I loved working at NASA, but over time I found that I didn’t enjoy the day-to-day engineering tasks as much as I had expected to when I chose my undergraduate major. Law had always been at the back of my mind as an alternative career option, and working in the federal government helped impress on me the role that law and policy play in shaping technology development. After spending five years surrounded by deeply passionate individuals, I knew I wanted to pivot to a career that would channel similar energy toward work I found more personally engaging. My hope is that a career at the intersection of law and technology will let me stay close to the work that first excited me while helping steer how new technologies are understood and regulated.

What have you enjoyed most about the tech and policy experiences offered at Georgetown Law?

I appreciate the diversity of experiences available, whether through the Tech Law Scholars program, the Georgetown Law Technology Review, or the many tech law classes open to us. So many professors here are doing fascinating work at the intersection of law, technology, and policy, and Georgetown offers a range of innovative seminars and practicums. Now that 1L is behind me, I’m excited to explore more of that curriculum over the next two years.