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38 T he cybersecurity landscape in legal technology has evolved dramatically; however, creating clear pathways for women to enter and advance in security roles remains a significant challenge. ILTA's newly formalized Women in Security (WIS) committee is tackling this head-on. ILTA's DEI Committee (DEIC) member Anna Corbett recently sat down with WIS committee members Michele Gossmeyer and Rebecca Sattin to learn more about this committee's current initiatives and goals. DEIC: Before we begin, can you introduce yourselves by sharing a little about your journey to security? Rebecca: When all of us started working, security roles weren't really a thing that existed, so it's not like we could study them and go to school for them. We just fell into them because of our interests and the directions our careers took. The last law firm that I worked for was an entertainment firm—we were known as the Napster Busters. We were suing people for pirating video games, so we were doing a lot of intellectual property work that made us a target for cybersecurity threats. What sparked my security interest was really borne out of necessity. Michele: Similar to Rebecca, my journey in security began very informally, before it was a formal field. Many of us on the committee and in the community have taken paths that would be considered non-traditional. Not many of us pursued a career in security by attending school; instead, we arrived here through on-the-job training and networking, rather than taking some of the more traditional paths often taken by men. DEIC: It's interesting that you had similar paths, in that neither of you had security in your sights, and both took very organic and non-traditional routes. When would you say the informal formation of this group began? Michele: The informal formation started coming out of that Women Who Lead Breakfast, before COVID. We've actually been together for several years! But we were recently formally chartered by ILTA as a committee in August 2025. Rebecca: When we started, we were kind of a subgroup of Women Who Lead, really. The main official project we hosted was a breakfast at the FEATURES ILTA'S WOMEN IN SECURITY COMMITTEE Breaking Barriers and Charting New Paths in Cybersecurity

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