BASF’s 2014 membership theme is “You Make a Difference. We Make It Easier.” Cyrus Wadia, a BASF member, who recently moved from a law firm to an in-house counsel position at Pivotal Software, Inc. is making a difference in the lives of those in our community. Leonard Lun, BASF’s Director of Membership, recently sat down with Wadia to learn more about how he is making that difference and the role BASF plays in both his professional and personal lives.

Leonard Lun (LL): How long have you been an attorney and what type of law do you practice?

Cyrus Wadia (CW): I started practicing law in 1997. I’m an intellectual property attorney, and currently am Associate General Counsel – IP Strategy at Pivotal Software, Inc. Our mission at Pivotal is to enable customers to build a new class of applications, leveraging big and fast data, and do all of this with the power of cloud-independence. We have a comprehensive portfolio of products spanning apps, data & analytics and converging these technologies into a coherent, next-gen enterprise PaaS platform.

LL: How long have you been a BASF member and why did you join?

CW: I joined in 2000 shortly after joining the San Francisco law firm Cooper, White & Cooper. I was still in my first few years of practice and actively participated in the Barristers Club to meet other new(er) attorneys, several practice groups such as the Intellectual Property and Litigation Groups, and Diversity/Minority Committee Events. Over the years, Cooper also participated in the Bay Area Minority Summer Clerkship program.

LL: BASF’s 2014 theme is “You Make a Difference. We Make It Easier.” Can you tell us how you make a difference in our community and how BASF makes it easier for you to do so?

CW: I serve as president of the board of directors of The Performing Arts Workshop, a nonprofit arts education organization dedicated to helping children develop critical thinking, creative expression, and basic learning skills through the performing arts. Certainly the skills I’ve learned as a member of the various BASF committees has helped me in this role.

LL: How have you made your BASF membership work for you?

CW: My BASF membership has been one of my favorite parts of practicing law in San Francisco. I’ve networked with other attorneys, been to 30+ events (both practice-specific events and general BASF events), and have learned so much from the other attorneys in our legal community.

LL: What has been your favorite BASF event you have attended and why?

CW: My favorite BASF event was interviewing potential hires for the Bay Area Minority Summer Clerkship program. Meeting new attorneys and learning about their backgrounds and what led them to want to practice law in San Francisco was inspiring.

LL: What is your “dream job”?

CW: I’m in it.

LL: Would you recommend BASF membership to other attorneys?

CW: Definitely. I can’t imagine my career without it. The breadth of activities, practical support, personal connections, and events I’ve attended have formed the attorney I’ve become.

Share your story of how you make a difference and how BASF makes it easier for you. Contact Leonard Lun, Director of Membership, at llun@sfbar.org.

Don’t forget to renew your membership for 2014! Visit www.sfbar.org/join!