Lale Korkmaz

Intellectual Property Attorney, Mossman, Kumar & Tyler. PC

Lale is an attorney, mechanical engineer, industrial engineer and an artist. She is an inventor on six patents, and worked within the oil service industry on high profile projects prior to attending law school. She was parented by a sculptor mother and a father who created a successful engineering company in her country of birth, Turkey. Prior to college, Lale ranked 62nd among 1.5 million students on the university entrance examination in Turkey. She studied engineering and then accepted a research assistantship position at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her master’s degree and research work at the school unveiled interest in the oil service industry and opened the doors for employment in the Energy sector. The Law Offices of Lale Korkmaz focuses on intellectual property and this is a product of her background.

Lale acts as a liaison for the Turkish community and professional organizations. She was the master of ceremonies for the opening at the Texas Turkish American Chamber of Commerce by the Minister of Economy of Turkey and visiting Turkish parliament members. In her free time, she dances flamenco and paints acrylic portraits. Of recent, Lale held her first painting exhibition.

We asked Lale:

The OGM: What does sustainability mean to you?

Lale: Improvement in energy saving and efficient technologies for conservation of resources. In a smaller scale, I personally refrain from wasteful behavior.

The OGM: Have you had a mentor?

Lale: I have several mentors: My mom Sukran Korkmaz, who is getting her second degree in law; Joy Durrant, Presbyterian Women Synod Moderator; Noel Durrant, former Quality&Reliability Manager, now Program Manager for nonprofit Team4Tech; Harris County Criminal Court Judge Jay Karahan.

The OGM: What does success mean to you?

Lale: To accomplish and learn daily. I hope to be a better person with each day of my life. That accomplishment being whether to finalize a patent draft, organize an activity with my friends, help a professional organization or play another interesting song with my harmonica.

The OGM: If you were to describe your career in three words, what would they be?

Lale: Creativity, risk, collaboration

The OGM: What advice would you give to someone looking for a career in the Energy Industry?

Lale: Starting new is always a challenge. However, the Energy Industry is in need of good, hard working people. Show what you can do and don’t give up.

The OGM: Describe a milestone in your career?

Lale:  Arriving in the USA with two bags in my hand prepared to take on graduate school and learning a very different culture. Also, getting my law degree and passing the bar as an immigrant.

The OGM: Describe a challenge you faced in your career?

Lale: Switching gears from engineering to practicing law was a huge jump in my career. Thinking back, I am grateful I did that because I acquired a very different skill: legal reasoning.

The OGM: What impact does technology have on your career?

Lale: Puts the bread on my table. I draft patents for the Energy Industry.

The OGM: What do the next five years look like in your career?

Lale: I will continue working in the intellectual property area of the oil and gas industry.

The OGM: Were you always interested in a career in Energy?

Lale: I was recruited my Schlumberger on campus interviews when I was a graduate student at Georgia Institute of Technology. I was in the right place at the right time. Some things you cannot plan but one can embrace the opportunity when it presents.

The OGM: What interests you to sustain a career in the Energy Industry?

Lale: What attracts me is innovation and the Energy Industry has a lot more to offer in terms of high-tech developments than people realize.

The OGM: Do you have a role model you look up to?

Lale: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, a well-rounded reformist who transformed an empire on the verge of collapse into a modern country.

The OGM: What does Energy mean to you?

Lale: Almost like water and air, we cannot do without it. We have to drive, we have to work remotely via our laptops and we must have A/C to sustain during the hot Houston summer.

The OGM: What is your favorite APP on your phone?

Lale: Umano, Skype, Google maps

The OGM: What impact will the Millennial Generation have on the Energy industry?

Lale: Like any other generation, we will add onto the existing framework: smaller electronic devices, drones, more powerful cars and ultra-unconventional wells, all with greater efficiency.

The OGM: What’s your take on Social Media and our ever changing digital world?

Lale: Absolutely necessary because they make things faster and more efficient if used properly, not addictively.

The OGM: What Social Medium do you use on a daily basis?

Lale: Facebook, but it comes and goes, and Meetup for my Saturday tennis games.

The OGM: Do you use Social Media for work?

Lale: Only Linkedin.

The OGM: What do you think of Social Recruiting?

Lale: Linked in is an excellent source for both recruiters and job seekers.

The OGM: Why do you love what you do?

Lale: I was meant to perform the work that I do. I am a person who likes learning, producing things, and facilitating innovation. My career path has provided opportunities for me to do what I am most interested in!