Gabriela (Gaby) Isturiz, co-founder and president, Bellefield Systems, LLC

 

There’s a shortage of women in science, technology, engineering and math. And there’s still a 17 percent gender gap in pay—across the board—in the legal profession (18 percent at Big Law firms). But within the legal technology community there are many women with thriving careers. Monica Bay recently interviewed Gabriela (Gaby) Isturiz, 47. She is the co-founder and president of Bellefield Systems, LLC, based in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. Her home base is Pittsburgh.

Education: Bachelor of Science: Software Engineering (Universidad Metropolitana, Caracas, Venezuela) 1988-1993. Master of Science: Information Sciences (University of Pittsburgh) 1997-1999.

Are you a lawyer? No. I’m an engineer. I studied software engineering in Caracas, which is where I was born and raised.

What does your company provide? We founded Bellefield and launched iTimekeep seven years ago with a simple mission: Create better timekeeping for law firms and their lawyers. At Bellefield, we are passionate about developing software for law firms and attorneys. Our flagship products, iTimekeep and OCGLive, outside counsel guidelines allow law firms to recover more revenue and comply with client guidelines (OCG) at the point of time entry, thus creating quality time card inventory.

In your education did you consider a career in science, technology, engineering or math? I pursued STEM, but my original goal was to become an artist. Raised in Venezuela, my father “suggested” that it was going to be hard to make a living as an artist and that I should consider engineering due to my aptitude for math and science. I chose software engineering because it had the highest female-to-male ratio (25 percent). I discovered that software engineering is a form of art in its ability to transform an idea, through programming, into something tangible that can solve problems and bring joy.

Your first “seat at the table”: At 24, I was a project lead at the Central Bank of Venezuela. I was responsible for the automation and implementation of debt bonds issued by the government to control liquidity and inflation. Before a launch, I presented the full execution plan to the male-dominated board of directors at the Central Bank. I prepared and rehearsed my presentation for weeks. I was nervous and sweaty—to make matters worse, I had to shake hands with all on the board! My great mentor, Juan Llorens, pulled me aside: “Gaby, there is no one on that board who knows this better than you do, this is your show, go kill it.” That moment boosted my confidence, marked my personal and professional life, and I couldn’t be more fortunate.

First obstacle and how you overcame it: In 1996, I decided to move to the United States to pursue better opportunities, start a master’s degree and ultimately, get a good job in technology. It meant leaving behind my family, friends, culture—and starting a life from scratch, in a country where I couldn’t even speak the language well and knew no one.

Fast forward 23 years, the hard work paid off in more ways than I could have imagined: I received my master’s degree, became a serial entrepreneur and co-founded two successful legal technology companies: eBillingHub (acquired by Thomson Reuters Elite) and Bellefield. I’m now a proud U.S. citizen and I cannot be more grateful to this country for the opportunities it presented for me.

Most flagrant sexism you personally encountered, and how you addressed it: A few years ago, I was representing Bellefield in sales conversations with an Am Law 100 firm. We were in the final step before signing the deal, which required me to pitch to an all-male executive committee. My champion at the law firm asked that we review the presentation together to make sure everything was on point.

After we reviewed the presentation, he kept insisting that I bring my business partners (both male) for the onsite presentation. At the time, I didn’t understand why he was asking this, because as chief executive officer, I was representing the company. I started suspecting he didn’t feel comfortable having a female presenting to a 100 percent male group. I began doubting myself, and wondering if this could ruin the deal. In the end, however, I took the risk and ignored his request. The presentation was a success and the firm became a wonderful client.

Secrets to your success: Discipline, consistency, resilience and above all, teamwork. Success is not something an individual can achieve alone. I owe my success to the wonderful people around me that believe in me and support me every day.

Work tips re: “managing up”: Speak up. Be proactive.

Five favorite technology tools:

• Trello: Great collaboration tool that I use to organize and plan my work.

• Teams: I’m learning to love it, and it helps our team to work more efficiently as a whole.

• Salesforce: I can’t run the company without it. If it’s not in Salesforce, it didn’t happen!

• Flipboard: I’m a news junkie, and Flipboard is a great news aggregator app.

• LinkedIn: keeps me connected with my industry peers no matter where they are or where they go.

Book that inspired you? Good to Great, by Jim Collins, a must-read for anyone running a business, managing a business unit or entrepreneur. The book describes how companies transition from being good companies to great companies, and how most companies fail to make the transition. I love when he describes Level 5 Leadership: Leaders who are humble, but yet driven to do what's best for the company, as well as the importance of a culture of discipline.

Favorite charities: Breast Cancer Research Foundation. As a breast cancer survivor, I believe and support their mission to prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the world's most promising research.

Favorite vacation venue: The world! I love to visit countries, get immersed in their culture, eat their food and mingle with the locals. Our family is very international: I’m from South America, my husband is from Europe and our children are Americans.

Your mantra: Aim to be excellent on everything you do; chances favor the prepared minds, so the harder we work, the luckier we get.

Favorite quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” —Aristotle.

 

Monica Bay is a Fellow at CodeX: The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics. She is a columnist for Legaltech News and a freelance journalist (Alchemizing Law LLC). She is a member of the California Bar. In 2015, she retired from ALM (Editor-in-Chief at Law Technology News). She lives in Connecticut but can get to Yankee Stadium in two hours.