As the end of her sophomore year approached, Georgia Tech aerospace engineering student Meg Ramsey was excited to be accepted into a coveted NASA summer internship program.
It was a dream opportunity for Ramsey. But she struggled with the end of semester coursework. Ramsey called the internship program leader to talk about her difficulties and figure out a way forward.
She was told not to show up.
“That moment taught me the value of failure,” Ramsey says. “My dreams were smashed. But I knew I had to pick myself back up.”
Rejected by NASA, she flew to Europe with a group of professors for a program that explored the connections between art and architecture, and the urban environments they created. She discovered a new path.
“I’m very analytical, and I love breaking things down into their component parts,” Ramsey says. “But what I’m really good at is helping non-tech people help understand technology.”
She switched majors, and established a career that has put her at the ground level of some of the most important innovations happening in digital technology.
After an early start as a visual designer who translated expert witness testimony on technical concepts for juries, Ramsey began working in IT at progressively larger companies. She transitioned into product management as cloud computing moved from buzzword to ‘must-have’ technology.
“Product management is really about translating business needs into technical terms and vice versa,” she says. “It’s a great position to be in because it really allows me to do that work, but it’s also a highly analytical role.”
Ramsey joined UnitedLex as VP of Product Strategy and Management in March 2020, building a new team and developing a new product as COVID-19 shutdowns emerged during her first week on the job.
“The real draw to UnitedLex for me was being able to change and disrupt an industry,” she says. “I love this mix of the technical team that was built alongside the deep legal experience that UnitedLex has. We are working together to bring tech to this landscape in a way no one else has before.”
Ramsey and her team are responsible for the roadmap and execution of UnitedLex Vantage, which she says will revolutionize the way law departments and law firms operate and ultimately create value.
“We have in a short amount of time built an incredible team to introduce Vantage to the market,” she says. “It’s the marriage of these two that is really going to drive the industry forward.”
For Ramsey, the role contains both the entrepreneurial spirit of the start-up world and the backing of UnitedLex’s legal and technology expertise.
“We are taking risks, but there’s also stability,” Ramsey adds. “If you’re a product manager, that’s your ultimate dream.”