Sarah Andrews Director of Knowledge Management

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP

Sarah Hirebet (Andrews) is responsible for creating and evangelizing Stradley Ronon’s knowledge management program.  Her goal is to empower practice innovation by leveraging what people know, amplifying this know-how with technology and designing processes that are more efficient, more accurate and more joyful. She has spent more than 15 years in Big Law enhancing the way that teams tackle legal and operational projects.

Before transitioning to knowledge leadership, Sarah began her legal career as an employment litigator with a focus on client counseling. She served as a judicial clerk to Chief Justice Ralph J. Cappy of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and Chief Judge Gary L. Lancaster of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Sarah earned her J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law after completing a B.A. in theatre at Gannon University and an M.A. in theatre history at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Patrick Arkins Manager of Business Technology Solutions and Innovation

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP

Patrick Arkins is an innovation and technology professional with a proven track record of helping law firms deliver legal services more efficiently and effectively, increase profit margins and reduce risks. As manager of business technology solutions and innovation at Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, Patrick leads operational transformations that help the firm better utilize people, streamline processes and fully leverage technologies to provide exceptional client service.  

Patrick collaborates with firm management in the identification and implementation of cutting-edge technologies with significant ROI potential, including advising the firm’s clients on process improvement and the pragmatic use of the latest innovations.  

Constantly on the lookout for ways to improve work processes, Patrick leads Stradley Ronon’s efforts in the AI and generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) space, developing the firm’s GPT Frontrunners initiative and ultimately expanding the use of freely available GPT tools firmwide. In those efforts, he guides a cross-departmental team providing guardrails, strategic guidance, structured evaluation and education across the firm’s eight offices. 

Debra Baker Managing Director

GrowthPlay

Debra Baker is a growth strategist focused on creating consistent and profitable growth. A legal journalist turned lawyer, she brings 25 years of experience in the legal market. She works with law firm leadership teams, practice/industry group leaders and individual lawyers to optimize growth through strategic growth planning, collaborative selling initiatives, and business development coaching.

Debra’s blend of journalism, legal, and business experience across a range of markets and organizational structures provides her with a distinct perspective when it comes to delivering new approaches in clear and compelling ways. Clients appreciate her willingness to tailor projects and programs to meet the unique needs of their organizations.

Debra is a frequent speaker and has served as an instructor for the Lex Mundi Institute, a member of the Legal Marketing Association’s Education Advisory Council, and a member of the board of directors for the Northwestern Law School Center for Practice Engagement & Innovation.

Prior to GrowthPlay, she founded Law Leaders Lab and served in marketing and business development roles for law firms and legal technology providers. As a senior writer for the ABA Journal, she received numerous awards for her coverage of issues related to law firm management, women in the law, and talent management.

Renee Branson Founder and Principal Consultant

RB Consulting

As a Certified Resilience Coach (CReC) and Compassion Fatigue Therapist with a master's degree in counseling psychology, Renee Branson leads RB Consulting to provide clients with immediately usable tools to increase resilience, well-being, and optimism in the workplace. She believes that well-being is an intersectional practice with DEI. She works with law firms, lawyers, legal marketers, business professionals, and others to help them understand and incorporate resilience in their professional lives and teams.

Philip Bryce Global Chief Knowledge Officer

Mayer Brown LLP

Philip Bryce is the Global Chief Knowledge Officer at Mayer Brown LLP. He received his undergraduate degree from Tufts University and his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law, was a law clerk for the late Hon. T.F. Gilroy Daly in the District of Connecticut, and spent nearly five years as a litigation associate with what was then Bingham, Dana & Gould. Prior to his recent move to Mayer Brown, he was Knowledge Resources Counsel at White & Case, and before that Manager of Knowledge Resources at Debevoise & Plimpton.

Elisabeth Cappuyns Director of Knowledge Management

DLA Piper LLP (US)

Elisabeth Cappuyns is the Director of Knowledge Management for DLA Piper (US), a global law firm. In this role, she creates and implements knowledge management strategies and programs for attorneys and clients to help optimize the practice and business of law. This includes the use of technology, such as GenAI, automation, and data analytics, plus innovative solutions. 

Before she started focusing on knowledge management in 2013, she practiced corporate law for over 15 years at law firms in New York, London and Abu Dhabi. She holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.A from Drew University. 

Tim Corcoran Founder

Corcoran Consulting Group, LLC

Tim Corcoran is a legal management consultant now based in Charlottesville, Virginia, after spending 20+ years in the New York City area. Tim has a global client base and works regularly in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK. As a keynote speaker, author, and legal commentator, Tim brings his deep experience from over two decades as a senior corporate executive to guide law firm and law department leaders through the profitable disruption of outdated business models. His disruptive, confident, and sometimes irreverent stage presence enables him to bring levity to topics of particular gravitas while masterfully navigating tough discussions from a refreshing perspective. His clients and audiences particularly enjoy Tim’s simplification of complex concepts, his practical and actionable advice, his deep understanding of both the psychology and economics of change, and his willingness to speak truth to power.

Jillian Eaton Director of Research

Baker Donelson

Jillian is the Director of Research at Baker Donelson, overseeing a team of research professionals and working closely with the Firm's lawyers, clients, and business services professionals. Drawing upon her 15 years of experience in the legal research field, Jillian manages research and information services for all practice areas firm-wide with particular focus on the use of knowledge resources, application of legal technology across hundreds of subscriptions, and development of innovative solutions that add value to the practice and business of law. Jillian has also successfully implemented process improvements within the research function to increase adoption, enhance productivity, and optimize cost savings for the Firm. 

Jillian and her team, BakerResearch, are members of the Firm's Client Solutions Group (CSG), an industry-leading and cross-functional in-house team with subject matter experts in legal project management, pricing, knowledge management, research, practice technologies, matter data/reporting and alternative staffing solutions. 

Michael Ertel Practice Innovation and Knowledge Attorney

Paul Hastings LLP

Mike Ertel is a seasoned innovation and knowledge professional with a proven track record of developing and implementing cutting-edge programs for stakeholders and clients. His 15 years as a practicing attorney combined with his In-depth expertise in legal technology and a comprehensive understanding of the latest trends in legal innovation allow him to deliver exceptional legal services in an efficient manner while increasing realization.

Dharma Betancourt Frederick Knowledge Management Counsel

DLA Piper LLP (US)

Ryan Galvin Chief Talent Officer

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP

With more than 20 years of experience in talent management, Ryan Galvin is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Stradley Ronon’s recruitment, retention, evaluation and professional development for non-partner attorneys and business professionals across the firm’s eight offices.

Before joining Stradley Ronon, Ryan was Director of Talent Management for Professional & Legal Staff at a top global law firm based in Philadelphia, where he developed and implemented numerous initiatives for the firm’s professionals and business staff, working in collaboration with senior human resources and firm leadership. Prior to that, Ryan helped lead the talent and administrative operations of a Philadelphia-based firm that represented the financial services industry.

In the community, Ryan serves as Board President of the Breathing Room Foundation, which provides individualized care and support to families affected by cancer by addressing their most critical needs so they can concentrate their efforts on regaining their physical health.

Ryan earned his B.A. from Loyola University and his Executive M.B.A from Temple University Fox School of Business. He also participated in the International Business Program at Rotterdam’s International School of Economics.

Marlene Gebauer Assistant Director of Innovation (Americas)

Mayer Brown LLP

Marlene Gebauer is the Assistant Director of Innovation at Mayer Brown. Previously a successful practicing lawyer, Marlene transitioned into a legal information professional and, over the course of her career, has had roles in innovation, analytics, litigation support, docketing, research, outreach and education, data governance, procurement, licensing, and knowledge management. At Mayer Brown, she is part of an innovation team, focusing on identifying and delivering solutions that are key to the business success of clients and attorneys. Marlene is the co-host of the award-winning podcast, The Geek in Review, a FastCase 50 recipient and a 2022 ABA Women in Legal Tech Honoree.

Marlene received her BA from Syracuse University, her MLIS from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and her JD from Case Western University School of Law. She can be found at http://www.linkedin.com/in/marlenegebauer and @gebauerm on Twitter.

Seagrumn Gilbert Knowledge Management Counsel

DLA Piper LLP (US)

Combining over fifteen years of experience in real estate law and a keen interest in the intersection of knowledge and technology, Sea works with attorneys to incorporate and optimize the use of knowledge management tools, strategies, and solutions in their legal practice.

Othiel Glover Global Data Innovation Manager

Mayer Brown

Othiel T. Glover is an accomplished analytics professional who specializes in data modeling, business intelligence, and data management. With a Master of Science in Business Analytics from the University of Notre Dame and a certification in Applied Data Science, Othiel possesses a unique blend of technical and business acumen, and has a track record of helping top management create innovative solutions. 

Othiel has worked at several prestigious law firms including his current role as the Global Data Innovation Manager at Mayer Brown LLP. Othiel is responsible for building out a Data Governance team that creates consistent data governance, data definitions, and data presentation standards across the global firm. He has also created data visualization documentation that guides users in building out dashboard and scorecards with uniform UI/UX across the firm. Additionally, Othiel is part of a strategy team that will guide the firm’s data strategy going forward and will implement an enterprise data warehouse that will be used by the firm. 

Prior to his current position, Othiel was a Senior Data Analyst at McDermott Will Emery LLP, where he created an ETL and data modeling process for the Finance department and harnessed the Power BI application to disseminate the information to key stakeholders. He also led a team of professionals from different departments on how to use ML processes and procedures, which led to a new data team at the firm that shared concepts and ideas to solve important data-related topics. In addition, he created k-means/regression models for Business Development and Operations that allowed them to analyze timekeeper time and categorize it by created activity codes and visualizing it in Power BI. 

Before Business school, Othiel was a Lead Analyst for the Global Client Financial Management Department at DLA Piper LLP where he guided the training of over 15 new interns and specialists on forecasting techniques and financial reporting procedures which gave them the skill set to be able to effectively manage over 250 global matters. He also led the GCFM on a new leadership team called (C.U.T) created by top management to provide feedback on all new firm initiatives and unify departments to drive results. In addition, he was the principal contact for all new global matter workflows in Chicago which allowed him the freedom to create teams with other departments to close billing life cycle pitfalls in Chicago and lower billing turn around. 

Othiel’ s first professional experience was part of the Project Controls Consultancy Group at Schiff Hardin LLP, providing procurement, compliance, schedule analysis, audit, contract close-out, and cost reports. He managed a conformance research team consisting of attorneys, engineers, and contract managers that retrieved more than $25 million dollars' worth of back charges against contractors LOC's for the client. Additionally, he drove the data analysis for a collaborative team of experts that prepared project oversite and quarterly reforecast reports for a $3 billion project, the efforts lead to a quarterly reforecasting role that increased revenue for the firm. 

Overall, Othiel T. Glover has a proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams to deliver innovative solutions in financial data modeling, business development, and operations. His unique blend of technical and business acumen, coupled with his excellent interpersonal and communication skills, make him a valuable asset to any organization.  

He lives by “collaboration is key”! 

Joe Green Chief Innovation Officer

Gunderson Dettmer

Joe Green is the Chief Innovation Officer of Gunderson Dettmer. In this role, he leads the firm’s innovation strategy, with a focus on transforming the service delivery platform to provide a more modern experience for both internal and external stakeholders. He is also of counsel in Gunderson’s New York office, with extensive experience advising startup and emerging technology companies and venture capitalists.

Joe has authored dozens of articles on startup-related issues, the business of law, legal technology and the future of the legal industry. He speaks regularly on these topics at industry and academic conferences, law firms and law schools. Joe was recognized by Lawdragon in its 2024 list of 100 Leading AI and Legal Tech Advisors.

Joe was previously a senior associate at Gunderson and left to join Thomson Reuters as a Senior Legal Editor at Practical Law, the premier online legal know-how service for business lawyers. At Practical Law, Joe created content and technology solutions enabling thousands of law firm and in-house attorney customers in the startup and venture capital space to deliver services more efficiently and effectively. Joe started his legal career as a securities lawyer with Simpson Thacher in New York.

Amber Haggins Senior Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Talent

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Amber Haggins is Katten’s Senior Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Talent.  In this role, she collaborates with the executive diversity committee and other key partners to embed diversity, inclusion and cultural competency into the firm’s day-to-day operations, including the hiring, development, retention, and education for both the firm’s attorney and business professional population. Amber also provides leadership and counsel to the firm’s affinity groups: Women’s Leadership Forum, Committee on Race and Ethnic Diversity, Partner Collective on Race and Ethnic Diversity, Katten Parents Affinity Group, Black Attorneys Affinity Group, Hispanic Attorneys Affinity Group, AAPI Affinity Group and LGBTQ+ Coalition.  For more than 15 years, she has helped government agencies, corporations, consultancies and law firms enhance their diversity programs, performance and brand.  She has over 10 years of equal employment opportunity (EEO), civil rights, diversity and inclusion (D&I), and dispute resolution experience in the public and private sectors. Amber also is a former AmLaw 100 firm attorney.

Cailin Heilig Vice President, External Legal Services

TD Bank

Cailin Heilig serves as the head of the External Legal Services team at TD Bank where she oversees, among other areas, financial management and performance management of the Bank's global law firms.  With 20 years of legal services experience, Cailin advises leadership on strategies and execution concerning firm utilization and leads strategic and tactical initiatives to innovate and improve upon the value of services offered by the Bank's firms. 

Prior to joining TD Bank, Cailin was a litigator at Morgan Lewis & Bockius in the Labor and Employment practice defending companies against complex litigation, including class certification defense and federal and state trials, and advising on workforce changes, including transactions.  There, Cailin also developed expertise supporting the growth of long-term client relationships by identifying and implementing strategies to improve client satisfaction. 

Kim Hughes Director of Marketing & Business Development

McInnes Cooper

Kim is the Director of Marketing & Business Development at McInnes Cooper. Leveraging market and client intelligence, she focuses on developing and actioning innovative business development strategies. She works directly with lawyers and the regional business development team to drive tangible results for the firm’s business growth goals. Kim also provides meaningful input on the firm’s key initiatives, directing strategic research and supporting internal projects. Collaborating with the team, Kim leads the marketing efforts for the firm, with the aim of enhancing brand awareness and market presence. 

 With a background in training and education, as well as experience as a technology consultant, Kim uses data and analytics to identify new business opportunities and to execute on a well-informed brand strategy.  

Matt James Vice President, Presales

Litera

Matt has 15 years of experience working with law firms and corporate legal departments, helping drive the use of technology to better serve their users and clients. Matt currently oversees the subject and industry matter experts for Litera and works closely with the Product teams on addressing everchanging customer needs and challenges. 

Scott Kaiser Practice Innovation and Knowledge Attorney

Paul Hastings LLP

Scott H. Kaiser is a Practice Innovation and Knowledge Attorney at Paul Hastings LLP. Mr. Kaiser works with the firm’s Employment, Complex Litigation, Securities Litigation, and Antitrust practice areas and is based in the firm’s New York office. 

Mr. Kaiser‘s work with the Practice Innovation and Legal Solutions department focuses on optimizing and creating efficient legal processes and workflows, identifying and developing innovative tools and content delivery systems, and leveraging innovative practice technology that ensures practice and client service excellence. Mr. Kaiser works on high-level knowledge initiatives to assess internal knowledge needs and collects, creates, and delivers critical legal content to the attorneys in his practice areas to support their efforts to provide the highest level of substantive legal advice to clients. 

Prior to joining Paul Hastings, Mr. Kaiser was a Senior Legal Editor at Practical Law for four years, creating legal know-how content to help litigation attorneys provide better, more efficient service to their clients. Before that, Mr. Kaiser was a practicing attorney for over twelve years, working primarily as an associate at Bryan Cave LLP in that firm’s commercial litigation, labor and employment, and securities litigation and enforcement practice groups. Mr. Kaiser was also Of Counsel at a litigation boutique firm. Mr. Kaiser graduated from Harvard Law School and Duke University. 

Paige Keith Interim Chief Financial Officer

Lathrop GPM LLP

Paige Keith serves as the firm's Interim Chief Financial Officer, bringing nearly 20 years of experience leading high-performing teams at national law firms. Prior to joining Lathrop GPM in 2019 as Director of Pricing, Paige spent close to 16 years at a mid-size national litigation boutique firm. There, she served in several capacities - as Director of Litigation Services, Director of Finance and Strategic Initiatives, and finally as Chief Financial Officer.

This progression has allowed Paige to appreciate the importance of balancing both the day-to-day operational aspects of running a law firm with having a long-term strategic view and an eye toward the future. She also brings a unique client-focused perspective to the CFO role, which is especially important given Lathrop GPM's unrelenting focus on client service.

Jessica Kerner Practice Innovation Attorney

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Jessica Kerner is a Practice Innovation Attorney at Paul, Weiss. In this role, Jessica evaluates and implements a wide range of legal technology solutions and works closely with attorneys at the firm to ensure adoption. Prior to her current role, Jessica was the Knowledge Management Attorney for the M&A practice at Paul, Weiss, where she developed internal solutions to streamline the practice and increase efficiency.

Jessica formerly practiced state and local tax law for nine years at Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan, now Eversheds Sutherland. Jessica later joined LexisNexis where she developed the antitrust practice area for Lexis Practical Guidance.

Laura Long Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer

Hanson Bridgett LLP

Laura Long was appointed Hanson Bridgett's Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2022. She previously served as the firm's Chief Financial Officer, a role she held since 2018 and continues to hold. As COO/CFO, Laura oversees and directs the financial activities and the operations of the firm. She has a strong background in leadership and people operations, financial analysis and forecasting, and strategic planning.
Laura is a core member of firm’s leadership team, a key advisor to the Managing Partner and Management Committee and acts as the firm’s strategic business advisor. Prior to joining Hanson Bridgett, Laura was Executive Director for a mid-size law firm, where she worked for more than a decade.
She received her B.S., cum laude, in Leadership with dual minors in Political Science and Management, from Northeastern University.

Keith Maziarek Director of Pricing and Legal Project Management

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Keith Maziarek has been building and leading legal services pricing/legal project management/profitability functions since 2009. He is currently Director of Pricing and Legal Project Management at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, where he is responsible for building and scaling the firm’s formal pricing and legal project management functions. Prior to Katten, Keith served as Senior Director of Client Value for Perkins Coie LLP, working closely with the client legal operations executives to develop collaboration strategies to improve operational efficiencies. Keith’s career in strategic pricing began at DLA Piper LLP (US), where he built the firm’s strategic pricing, profitability and legal project management functions as the firm’s first Head of Strategic Pricing for the Americas. He previously worked in strategic business development, helping establish a deep understanding of clients’ business needs. 

Keith is a Board Member and Officer of Legal Value Network, a legal operations, pricing/legal project management and process innovation industry group focused on evolving the legal service delivery model. He frequently speaks at industry events and publishes articles on related topics. Keith earned his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Illinois-Chicago. 

Sara Miro Director of Knowledge and Managing Attorney

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Sara Miro is the Managing Attorney and Director of Knowledge at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP’s New York office, where she focuses on knowledge management, court procedures, technology implementation and process improvement for the firm. 

Prior to joining the firm’s knowledge management and leadership team, Ms. Miro was an associate in the firm’s litigation group, where she represented commercial clients in complex litigation in U.S. federal and state courts.  Ms. Miro draws on her years of practice experience to guide case teams on matter strategy and compliance with court requirements, while also creating innovative ways to enhance attorney workflows through the use of smart technology.

Ms. Miro is one of the co-chairs of the NYC Knowledge Management and Innovation Attorney Network Group.  She is also an active volunteer for the International Legal Technology Association and serves as co-chair for PLI’s Knowledge Management and Innovation Summit. 

Dolapo Olushola-Uwaifo Director Legal Process Engineering

Baker Donelson

Dolapo Olushola-Uwaifo is an attorney in the Nashville office Baker Donelson, who serves as Director of Legal Process Engineering for the Firm's litigation attorneys and clients. As Director of Legal Process Engineering at Baker Donelson, Dolapo collaborates with litigation attorneys in the application of legal project management, process improvement, and innovative methodologies to implement client-facing solutions that promote more cost-effective legal services. Her work focuses on the adoption of innovative tools and processes that improve the practice of law and the delivery of legal services. She has a keen curiosity about legal technology development and application, and has extensive experience in designing and delivering customized, cutting-edge client solutions. 

Dolapo has been PMP® certified through the Project Management Institute (PMI) since 2014, has a Lean Six Sigma certification from the International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC), and holds a Certificate of Business Management from Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management.  Based on her wide array of experience, Dolapo also provides consulting on budgeting, legal project management, and process improvement best practices for in-house legal departments and legal operations professionals. She currently serves as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School, where she teaches a course on Legal Process Design as part of the Program on Law and Innovation curriculum.   

Jennifer Papantonio Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer

Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP

Jennifer Papantonio has 20 years of experience in law firm client relations, business development and marketing. She provides strategic direction and support in connection with key client satisfaction initiatives and myriad business development and marketing efforts, including firm and practice development, internal and external communications, and market research. Jennifer is also a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, both personally and professionally, and serves in various roles within legal and other industries to further those objectives. 

Over the course of her career, Jennifer has helped several leading law firms deliver results in connection with strategic growth plans – including the development and launch of new practices and new markets, creation of client research and new client development initiatives, and implementation of robust social media campaigns. She has delivered programs and training in her areas of expertise throughout her professional life. Jennifer earned her B.A. from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) and her M.A. from New Jersey City University. 

Roberto Pont Chief Strategy and Operations Officer

McInnes Cooper

Roberto brings a combination of strategy and operational experience to his role as CSOO to McInnes Cooper. Leveraging his background in operations, strategy and consulting, Roberto focuses on enhancing business growth and maximizing operational efficiencies through innovation. A qualified accountant and Fellow, Roberto marries financial acumen with legal industry experience, to form and implement well-rounded business strategies. 

In his current role, Roberto oversees strategy and business operations at McInnes Cooper – a top 20 law firm in Canada. He assisted with the build out and implementation of a five-year plan based off business growth enabled through engagement and innovation.  

He has been instrumental in rolling out innovative solutions to the marketplace, including MC Advisory – and affiliated business to the law firm. 

Prior to joining McInnes Cooper, Roberto held several executive positions supporting KPMG’s Global Advisory business, as well as KPMG Canada’s Management Consulting practice.  

Jennifer Reeves Practice Innovation & Knowledge Attorney

Crowell & Moring

Jennifer Reeves is a Practice Innovation & Knowledge Attorney at Crowell & Moring LLP specializing in regulatory practice groups. In her role, she also supports Crowell’s Chief Innovation & Value Officer in advancing the Firm’s generative AI initiatives. She earned her B.A. in English from Baylor University and her J.D. from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Jennifer’s career began in legislative services as a Legislative Director and Committee Clerk for the Texas House of Representatives’ Committee on Environmental Regulation, followed by a role as a legal compliance associate at Meta. Prior to her current position, she worked in legal knowledge management at another AM Law 100 Firm, optimizing legal services through strategic technology integration.

Joseph Rejano Managing Partner

Foley Mansfield

Joe is the Managing Partner of Foley Mansfield's Chicago office, where he employs a unique andinnovative approach in commercial litigation, product liability, and toxic tort and mass tort litigation.With a background in economics, mathematics and programming, Joe is passionate about integratingartificial intelligence into the legal industry particularly in the litigation management, alternative feestructure, and diversity spaces. Joe's innovative methods are attributed to his ongoing learning andpursuit of a Masters in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Skilled in various technologiesand Python programming, he constantly seeks ways to blend his legal expertise with cutting-edgetechnology to practice law more efficiently and creatively. During his time at the University ofDetroit Mercy School of Law, he made significant contributions as a title editor for the University ofDetroit Mercy Law Review. Outside the office, Joe cherishes family time, enjoys music, and indulgesin his passion for mathematics and computer programming. 

David Rueff Chief Client Solutions Group Officer

Baker Donelson

David A. Rueff Jr. is a shareholder in the Jackson office of Baker Donelson and is also the Firm's Chief Client Solutions Group Officer.  In this role, David is responsible for oversight of an innovation team at Baker Donelson which includes legal project management, knowledge management, pricing, practice technologies, matter data strategies, automation, AI and legal research.  David regularly works with lawyers and clients to develop unique matter pricing and technology solutions, in-house corporate training on a range of innovation topics and paid consulting services.  

In 2010, David was also responsible for the development of the Firm's legal project management model BakerManage® and was the first Baker Donelson attorney to implement it in his own practice.  David helped to create and staff one of the first law firm Legal Project Management Offices in 2011 and guided the development of the Firm's process improvement model - BakerLeanTM and the Firm's proprietary budgeting tool - Budget Designer.  David also leads a team which is responsible for administration of the Firm’s intranet solution, BakerNet, which provides access to practice forms and resources to improve the efficiency of all practice areas.  

David has authored and co-authored several books and articles on legal project management, budgeting and pricing solutions, legal technology and innovation including The Power of Legal Project Management, a Practical Guide published by the ABA in November of 2021.  David was also a designer and contributor to the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium’s LPM Framework and Matter Life Cycle Management process which was published in an eBook in 2022.   

Prior to law school, David worked in the technology industry for a hardware and software manufacturer where he was first exposed to project management, agile and the development software applications for the engineering industry.  David has been a practicing lawyer for 25 years, is PMP certified through the Project Management Institute and is certified in the Toyota Manufacturing Production System (Lean).   David's legal practice included litigation, transactional matters and the administration of disaster recovery federal programs.  David has staffed and managed project teams in Mississippi, New York, Texas, New Jersey and Louisiana. His experience includes the management and oversight of a program legal department that included a team of 11 attorneys and 20 paralegals. 

Mike Sanders Director of Solutions Engineering

NetDocuments

Mike Sanders is the Director of the Solutions Expert Team at NetDocuments, the trusted cloud platform for document and email management.  He has been heavily involved with cloud and SaaS technologies since 2001. He has gained first-hand experience of implementing the NetDocuments cloud platform globally for hundreds of law firms and companies of all sizes. He now utilizes this knowledge to evangelize the benefits of cloud and moving to the trusted NetDocuments cloud platform.  Mike has spoken all over the world to many people on legal technology topics. He brings his passion for technology, cloud, and NetDocuments to those he meets.

Brian Seaman Partner & Chief Diversity Officer

Stradley Ronan Stevens & Young, LLP

Partner Brian P. Seaman serves as the chief diversity officer at Stradley Ronon, where he drives the implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies at the firm and across the broader legal community. Brian is regularly sought out for his innovative approaches to helping organizations achieve their DEI goals. His leadership in the DEI landscape includes his membership on Law360’s diversity and inclusion editorial advisory board and his role as vice chair of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Brian is frequently called upon to be a thought leader by speaking at prominent conferences and industry events and writing extensively on DEI topics for publications including Reuters Legal News, The Legal Intelligencer and Philadelphia Business Journal.

Jeffrey Sharp Managing Partner

Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP

Jeffrey Sharp is the Managing Partner of Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP. He has more than three decades of experience in patent prosecution, litigation, and transactional work within the biotechnology, chemistry, and chemical engineering industries. Outside of his practice, Jeffrey speaks on competitive and innovative strategies for mid-sized law firms and provides presentations on approaches to leading a successful law firm. He serves as a Board Member and was previously Board Chair for PilotLegis RPG, is a Board Member of the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms, is a Trustee and previously Board Chair of The Latin School of Chicago and serves on the National Annual Giving Committee for Princeton University. 

Evan Shenkman Chief Knowledge & Innovation Officer

Fisher & Phillips LLP

Evan leads the Knowledge Management, Innovation, and Library functions at the 500+ attorney labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips, where he and his team harness the power of A.I. and data analytics for use in legal; create internal and client-facing collaborative tools; and help make the practice of law far more efficient for his firm’s attorneys and clients. Passionate about legal tech and legal innovation, Evan’s firm won the 2021 American Legal Technology Award's "Law Firm of the Year," and Evan won the 2021 ILTA "Innovative Professional of the Year Award," and was named to the "2021 Fastcase 50 List," recognizing “50 of the smartest, most courageous, innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders in the law.” Before entering the KM field in 2011, Evan was an AV-rated Big Law partner, having litigated labor and employment matters for a decade. Outside of work, Evan is a club soccer coach, and a Member of the Board of Directors of Pioneer Knowledge Services, a 501(c)(3) charity that provides KM assistance to charities to help them run more efficiently. He also frequently writes and present on KM and Legal Innovation topics, and has been featured in The American Lawyer, the ABA Journal, Law.com, the AALL Spectrum, The Modern Lawyer Podcast, LiteraTV, and the Reinventing Professionals podcast, among others.  

Alon Shwartz Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer

Trellis

A career entrepreneur and prominent tech executive, Alon Shwartz is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Trellis, where he mentors, advises, and leads cross-functional teams across the platform’s organization.  

Shwartz earned a bachelor’s degree in math and computer science from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in 1997. He spent the next two years working as the Director of Solutions Development at Sophisticated Technologies before co-founding Synthean, a business process monitoring solution. Then, in 2007, Shwartz co-founded .docstoc, one of the largest digital repositories of content for small businesses and professionals. The repository was collaborative, a space where attorneys, accountants, real estate brokers, and other professionals could sell their commercial documents to other users on the platform.  

After the company was acquired by Intuit, Shwartz developed the unGlue platform. The product allowed parents to limit screen addiction issues by monitoring, controlling, and rewarding the amount of content their children consumed across any given screen.

Shwartz joined Trellis as its Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer in 2019. He continues to mentor startups throughout Los Angeles. Shwartz lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their three children. If you’re fast enough, you might find him cruising the freeways on his motorcycle. He has also started flying airplanes.

Andrew W. Singer Managing Partner

Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP

Andrew W. Singer is Managing Partner of Tannenbaum Helpern and Chair of its Employment Law practice. He has extensive experience in all aspects of employment law and provides clients with a full spectrum of legal services, from everyday HR counseling to complex class action wage and hour and discrimination litigation. 

Andrew has led Tannenbaum Helpern’s strategic initiatives in coordination with its management committee since his elevation to Firm Managing Partner in 2015. Most recently, Andrew and the Firm were recognized for their efforts in connection with its current three-year Strategic Growth Plan, now in its second year. 

Andrew regularly counsels employers on issues such as sexual harassment, discrimination, accommodating disabled employees, family and medical leave laws, hiring, disciplining and terminating employees, employee classification, social media, e-mail and internet policies, non-competition, non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements, workplace investigations and drafting and negotiating employment and separation agreements.  

Andrew has extensive experience in defending discrimination claims based upon sex, race, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, religion, disability, age and other protected classes. He has handled discrimination matters filed with the EEOC, State Division of Human Rights, City Commission on Human Rights. He has defended numerous employers in wage and hour litigations in federal and state court, and has represented employers subject to Department of Labor and NLRB investigations. 

Rob Stote Chief Product Officer

BigHand

Rob Stote is an experienced industry leader with over two decades of experience in delivering legal software and solutions. With a comprehensive background in law firm processes, billing, and practice management systems, his career has spanned significant roles at Oracle, Thomson Reuters,  Elite, and DWReporting, and now at BigHand. His tenure at BigHand has evolved, recently in his appointment as Chief Product Officer in October 2023. In this capacity, Rob drives innovation, shapes product strategy, and delivers solutions that streamline workflows, bolster collaboration, and improve efficiency at over 1,000 firms globally.

Amanda Gudis Stuart Legal Innovation Advisor

Mayer Brown LLP

As an award-winning Innovation and KM professional, Amanda partners with lawyers to develop modern and practical solutions to increase profitability, utilization and efficiency. She leads adoption of GenAI and legal technology solutions in the US, as well as strategic firmwide projects, and she excels at focusing on the people elements of innovation, ensuring that stakeholders embrace and adopt change.  

Recognized as a 2021 ILTA Young Professional to Watch, Amanda works on some of the most challenging projects in the industry. She is a former practicing lawyer, led customer success for the legal tech vendor Casetext, and has been a part of the industry's most accomplished teams in KM and Innovation at Mayer Brown, Shearman & Sterling, Cleary Gottlieb and Ogletree Deakins 

Brian Taaffe Director of Product Strategy

BigHand

Brian Taaffe is a highly-driven professional with a passion for delivering exceptional results in the fast-paced world of business. With a primary focus on business intelligence and software development, Brian has established himself as a versatile expert in his field.

Throughout his career, Brian has demonstrated a remarkable ability to excel in various roles, including solution selling, C-level consulting, marketing analytics, project management, product management, development, strategy, and sales and presentations. His expertise has been sought after across multiple regions, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Asia-Pacific (APAC)

With a proven track record of success and a commitment to excellence, Brian continues to make significant contributions to the world of business intelligence and software development as Director of Product Strategy at BigHand. His diverse skill set and global experience position him as a leader in his field, poised to tackle the most complex challenges and deliver outstanding results.

Silvio Talarico Executive Director

Sunstein LLP

Silvio “Sil” Talarico has over 25 years of management experience in the legal services industry as Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Director of Finance in Amlaw ranked and mid-sized firms.  He is currently Executive Director at Sunstein LLP, a boutique intellectual property firm, where he is responsible for various aspects of administrative functions of the firm including Finance, Human Resources and Benefits, Technology, Risk Management, Real Estate, Knowledge Services, and Office Operations.

Throughout his career, he has focused on human capital, operational excellence, and financial performance to help drive firms towards successful strategic outcomes.  Cutting edge technology has always been a tremendous driver in those initiatives and continues to be a differentiator in the industry.

Sil currently serves as VP of Education for the Boston Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators and is an investor in several technology ventures. He graduated from the University of Scranton with a B.S. in Accounting focusing on technology and received a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation.

Lann Wasson Director of Legal Project Management

Husch Blackwell

Lann Wasson works directly with the firm's partners and clients to deliver value through project management, pricing, process improvement and technology solutions.  Lann has more than 20 years of professional management experience.  As the firm's Associate Director of Legal Project Management, he leads Husch Blackwell's Matter Management and Client Terms of Business teams, coaches lawyers in legal operations and business development situations, collaborates with In-house legal operations teams to streamline service delivery, and conducts educational programs for the firm's internal and external clients.  Lann is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Service Design professional. 

Scott Winter Consultant

Mount Insights

Scott Winter is a global executive with over 20 years of experience in product management, consulting, and business development. He has worked with the largest firms in the world and Fortune Global 500 companies. He is known for his commitment to excellence and dedication to his clients.

Scott advises clients on marketing, business development, and legal technology. He has extensive experience working with data, data strategy, and data reporting, and he helps clients find highly efficient and cost-effective ways to ensure the best data accuracy for their business systems.

Before joining Index Solutions and Mt. Insights, Scott spent over 15 years with LexisNexis.

La'Resa Young Administrative Director, Legal Operations

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Inc.

La’Resa oversees the Legal Operations function for the Office of Legal Services. Under this umbrella she and her team are responsible for:

• Designing, implementing, overseeing, and managing all operational aspects of the Office of Legal Services, including but not limited to contract management and tracking related metrics; and
• Assisting in the design and implementation of the overall strategy of the department; and
• Managing and reporting on outside counsel and other legal service provider arrangements, and the department’s billing guidelines; and
• Overseeing all legal technology; and
• Overseeing litigation hold process; and
• Facilitating professional development of the team by identifying and optimizing cost efficient training opportunities, whether virtual, conference-based, or law firm-led.

La’Resa is an active member of the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium and sits on the Legal Operations Advisory Board for Consero. She is a member of the organization’s 340B Oversight Committee and is also one of the Sponsors for the organization’s Black Employees and Allies Resource Group. She also leads the department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.