Julianna Surkin

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT JULIANNA SURKIN

A couple of years ago, I set a challenge for myself: when I’m waiting in line, I open the website or app I used most recently (usually sudoku) and try to read their entire Terms & Conditions. That seemingly insignificant game is the catalyst that unlocked new ways of viewing my long-term professional path. When I first started, I remember being curious and surprised that the code I learned in school and used in projects wasn’t the only basis for my digital interactions. For a while, it felt impossible to break down the legal jargon, exceptions, and references to U.S. statutes or E.U. regulations. Just like how Grace Hopper fixed the first computer bug (an actual moth), I examined articles about the GDPR and the CCPA with the intensity and dedication of a toddler viewing ants with a magnifying glass.And soon enough I was fascinated and excited to tell everyone exactly what they agreed to every time they downloaded an app. As I expanded this scope personal discovery to broader topics in Cyberlaw, I realized that some aspects of law were like a foreign language, and others I could read like my favorite book. Meaning that, at the end of the day, writing computer code and reading legal Codes is all about understanding rules, constraints, and how, when applied to a series of facts, they take us from a question to a decision.I enjoy meeting new people and learning from new perspectives. Message me if you want to chat about emerging tech, the legal implications of generative AI, or other exciting topics!