Her Story
About Lan
Lan Cao is a law professor at Chapman Law School, where she has taught since 2012 after beginning her teaching career in 1997. She graduated from law school in 1987 and previously worked as a litigator at a Wall Street law firm handling international and domestic transactions. Her teaching focuses on international business, corporate law, and contracts, and she emphasizes the rule of law in her instruction. Lan is also an author who has published novels including Monkey Bridge and The Lotus and the Storm with Viking Random House, as well as a mother-daughter memoir titled Family in Six Tones. She belongs to the Orange County Bar and the American Bar Association, participates in continuing legal education including ABA meetings on antitrust and cartels, and has received Professor of the Year recognition from students. She is involved in a project developing Mindfulness City in Bhutan and attributes her success to grit and gratitude, having come to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam in 1975.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lan
01What do you attribute your success to?
I came to this country as a refugee from Vietnam in 1975, and I believe in grit. Gratitude, I would say those are the two ingredients.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
People don't really remember what you say, but they always remember how you make them feel. I apply that usually you think of it as more something in the personal realm, but I extend it into professional contacts as well.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You need a mentor. You need a relationship where somebody guides you. So, it's not as individualistic as you think. You've gotta extend your connections. It's so important to have a mentor.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The increasing role of artificial intelligence. It's really expanding at an astronomical rate. In the area of law, it can be a boost, but it can also be misused. The key is that the lawyer still has to be able to check whether AI is correct. You still need critical thinking as a lawyer.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Collaboration and cooperation. I care about people's mental health, not just what grade they get. So much of life is about the connective tissue... relationships. It's based on whom you know, and it's based on relationship.
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