About the Effectiveness Project Team

Rachel is the global Technology Training Manager for Squire Patton Boggs and has 20 plus years’ experience in the technology training industry. Rachel is a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute and is certified in the design and delivery of online learning. Rachel’s principal accountabilities are the strategy and leadership of the Technology Training team as well as ensuring that all lawyers and staff have the technology skills they require to do their jobs and practice law in an efficient and effective manner. Rachel believes that training must focus on real world tasks and be workflow based in order to facilitate the transfer of learning from the classroom into the real world. Rachel is one of the founding members of Legal Technology Core Competencies Certification Coalition (LTC4) and serves on the board of directors. LTC4 is a not for profit organization who have established a set of legal technology core competencies and certification that have become the industry standard for both lawyers and support staff.

“I became involved with the Effectiveness Project as I believe all law firms should have the capabilities and knowledge to create legal documents in an effective and efficient manner. There should be no subpar documents being sent to clients.”

Adrian is the Chief Architect of Evolution Software LLC and DocStyle LLC which, together, provide document comparison, metadata removal, pdf conversion, document cleanup and styling tools for the legal community.  Adrian has over 20 years of experience working in IT at large and mid-size law firms.  A strong believer in automation, Adrian uses his background to design intuitive products that are both useful and easy to use.

I joined the Effectiveness Project because it was a great opportunity to work with and learn from some of the brightest minds in the industry while tackling the task of document drafting best practices.

Chris is the Chief Executive Officer of both Evolution Software, LLC and DocStyle LLC, which provides document automation and styling solutions. He is a productivity expert and a Microsoft Office efficiency designer. Before developing software, he served as a technology solution provider and system architecture expert, designing Electronic Content Managements systems for the Legal Community. What started as a passion for technology quickly turned into a life’s work laser focused on delivering practical solutions to the legal industry. Connect with Chris on LinkedIn at @ChrisCangero.

“Being presented with an opportunity to collaborate with brilliant industry experts and veterans should be enough. What captured my interest initially though was the vision itself, to design a truly comprehensive document drafting best practices resource guide for legal professionals.”

Dave works as Senior Director of Product Management for LexisNexis and is a Fastcase 50 Award winner from the Class of 2020. He has worked for LexisNexis for over 20 years, dating back to his last semester at University of Dayton School of Law, and extending from his early days as a software test engineer to currently working with customers to develop LexisNexis API solutions. Dave has led the Lexis® for Microsoft® Office product team since 2010. Meeting with clients to develop user stories and working with LexisNexis tech and sales teams puts Dave right in the middle of the transformation of APIs as the next generation of research information solutions.

“I joined the Effectiveness Project because he wants to educate legal professionals on the benefits of Microsoft Office Add-ins to increase the efficiency of the drafting process.”

Florentina is the founder of Prelimine, a producer of litigation-oriented software that aims to automate repetitive tasks while minimizing errors, as well as overhead costs for law firms, and a litigator. Florentina developed the concept of LitKit, a Microsoft Word-based toolkit for drafting and editing litigation documents, based on her years of experience litigating high-stakes disputes.

“I joined the Effectiveness Project to facilitate attorney access to tools and tricks that streamline their work in Microsoft Word.”

Jacob is the founder of Prelimine, a producer of litigation-oriented software that aims to automate repetitive tasks while minimizing errors, as well as overhead costs for law firms. Prior to founding Prelimine, Jacob worked as a consultant, helping federal and Fortune 500 clients with process improvement and cost reduction. Jacob often writes about using Microsoft Word efficiently and how law firms can customize Microsoft Word to make the most out of its native functionality.

“I joined the Effectiveness Project because it strives to provide information on best-in-class solutions to real problems lawyers face daily, a purpose that mirrors Prelimine’s principles.”

Tony works as the Director of Knowledge and Innovation at Offit Kurman, P.A. In this role, he aims to improve the work lives of his colleagues. These improvements include: acquiring new technology skills and LTC4 certification, increasing billable fees and client origination, meeting professional development milestones, and communicating more effectively.  He also serves as a Contributing Member of LTC4™ (Legal Technology Core Competencies Certification Coalition) where he has been able to support learning specialists around the world.

“I helped develop the Effectiveness Project because I saw an opportunity to work with outstanding people from the legal community and offer guidance on technology competence.”

Ivy is a legal tech entrepreneur, writer, and former practicing lawyer. Her work on technology competence, ethics, and innovation has made her a respected thought leader in legal tech. She is the Vice President of Strategy & Business Development for WordRake, the creator of American Legal Style for PerfectIt, and an advisor to Intelligent Editing Ltd. Prior to joining the WordRake team, she practiced bankruptcy law for ten years. Ivy was recently recognized as a 2020 Influential Woman in Legal Tech by the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA). She has also been recognized as a Fastcase 50 Honoree and included in the Women of Legal Tech list by the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center.

“I was inspired to launch this project because I wanted to provide a useful framework for legal professionals to improve their document-creation skills and comply with the duty of technology competence.”

Sherry has 30+ years’ experience in the design, development and change management surrounding content drafting technologies. She has written and spoken widely to address the needs, goals and strategies of document-intensive businesses and is an expert in Microsoft Office/365 applications. She was recognized by ILTA as Innovative Thought Leader in in 2017 and Innovative Consultant of the Year in 2014. Sherry is an Evangelist @ Litera.

“Joining the Effectiveness Project was irresistible! Not only was I able to collaboratively author with a dream team of lawyers, legal writing professors, software providers, and knowledge managers, all of us driven to finally — and fully! — share how Microsoft Word works for and against the legal document drafting process. We then shared the techniques and tools that make it better. PS Truly, I took part in the project because of Ivy, Alma, and Tony.”

Colin is a corporate lawyer, speaker, writer, and legal tech evangelist with more than a decade of experience in corporate transactional law. He has parlayed this experience into his speaking and writing career, educating lawyers on how to leverage technology to improve the delivery of legal services.

Throughout his career, Colin has seen technology as a key driver in improving how legal services are performed. Because his career has spanned industries, he witnessed myriad issues, from a systemic lack of interest in technology to the high cost of legal services barring entry to consumers. Now, his mission is to bridge the gap between the tech world and the legal world, advocating for the ways technology can be a useful tool for the lawyer’s toolbelt rather than a fear-inducing obstacle to effective legal work.

“I joined the Effectiveness Project because of the importance I place on being able to use the tools of your trade effectively and productively.”

Dyane is an active member of the national legal writing and legal technology community. Her scholarship focuses on integrating technology competence into the legal practice curriculum. She has published and presented on topics such as artificially intelligent legal research and writing tools and designed an advanced writing class to build skills in areas such as e-discovery, research analytics, word processing for lawyers, typography, and digital design of legal documents. In 2021, Professor O’Leary was recognized as a Fastcase 50 Honoree (an award recognizing innovation and leadership in technology and law) and was also elected as a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management.

“I’m interested in the Effectiveness Project and Document Competency work because unlike so many more general, theoretical sources, our guide goes beyond the vague hype of technology competency and spells out in a direct and specific way exactly what that might mean for a lawyer sitting in front of a screen doing everyday, valuable, time-consuming legal document work.”