All About Chemistry

Hang Alexandra Do grew up predominantly in the Bay Area with a passion for science that was sparked by the ocean and marine life in general—and by one creature in particular.

“I had this huge love for whales,” says the senior associate at Wilson Turner Kosmo in San Diego. “I loved learning about them, their ecosystem, everything.”

Her curiosity about the sciences was further stoked in high school, when a teacher engaged Do’s class in the concepts of chemistry through baking. “I love baking, too,” she says, “so that class just cemented [the sciences] for me.”

Her early goal was to become an organic chemistry research scientist. After graduating from UC Riverside, with a bachelor’s degree in biology, she took a job as a chemist with a paint company. In product development, her duties included making sure that the paint didn’t crack or peel, and wasn’t harmful to people and animals, among other things. “It was a little bit like baking,” she says. “You’re trying to balance all these parameters but then make sure it still works as a paint.”

It was when she began grad school at Cal State Fullerton, that Do found herself drawn to the law. At the same time, she assumed you needed prerequisites she didn’t have, such as political science or history, but discovered law school is less about what you’ve studied than how well you’ve studied it. Besides, there’s likely to be an area of law associated with whatever you’ve studied; and at California Western, everyone thought Do’s science background would work well in a field like patent law.

Turns out the process of applying for patents wasn’t for her. In litigation, though, she found her footing. “It excited me, being in front of judges, and then having to go up against opposing counsel and doing depositions,” she says. “It was a little more thought-provoking.”

Serendipitously, one of Do’s first big cases involved paint. Her client, a paint company, was being sued by the owners of a tanker whose paint was peeling and corroding. “I had no issues understanding it,” she says. “And I could relay the information to anybody else working on the case.” The case ended up settling after shifting venue to Canada.

These days, much of her work involves product liability, often fire-related. A recent case involved a client being sued over an injury caused by a heater. Do, with her understanding of the elements of physics involved, was able to make plans to test the product. The case is pending.

She’s still passionate about the thing that drew her to science in the first place. “I still love whales,” she says. “I love going to the beach. And I love going to aquariums, too. That has never gone away.”

A certified scuba diver, Do recalls a visit to Hawaii in which, as her group was getting ready to go into the water, a whale breached directly in front of them. “I’ll never forget it,” she says. “It was so close, and it was so unexpected.”