The American Legal Technology Awards return to Nashville, Tennessee on October 8 to honor those spearheading advances in the legal field. After receiving 190 submissions in ten categories, the 28 judges have chosen 30 finalists to celebrate at this year’s conference.
Expanded Categories Allow More Space for Industry Accolades
This year, the founders of The American Legal Technology Awards, Cat Moon, Patrick Palace, and Tom Martin, made three improvements to give the legal community the merit they deserve:
First, to honor university educators who are transforming legal instruction, organizers introduced a new “Education” category. Nominees in this category are Jonathan Askin from the Brooklyn Law School, David Colarusso from Suffolk University Law School, and Carla Reyes from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
Second, because of the volume of outstanding nominees in the Access to Justice (A2J) category last year, leaders divided this category into three subcategories: (1) Individual, (2) LegalTech, and (3) Legal Aid. This division allows more individuals to receive the accolades they deserve; each subcategory will have a winner and runner-up.
The last noteworthy change is the addition of a “Lifetime Achievement” award. Judges will bestow this award on an individual who has demonstrated a lifetime of dedication to advancing the legal field.
The complete list of finalists and categories appears below:
| Award Category | Finalists (alphabetical) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| A2J: Individuals | Quinten Steenhuis | Noella Sudbury | Alex Guirgis |
| AJ2: Legal Tech | ¡Reclamo! | SixFifty | |
| AJ2: Legal Aid | Everyone Legal Clinic | North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center | |
| Courts | Inmediation | Judicial Innovation Fellowship | LSC’s CCDI |
| Education | Jonathan Askin | David Colarusso | Carla Reyes |
| Enterprise | Free Law Project | Unicourt | Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions |
| Individual | Matt Kerbis | Sandra Sandoval | Kelly Twigger |
| Law Department | ARM | Disco | Farrah Pepper |
| Law Firms | Abogado TIC | Arent Fox | Clifford Chance |
| Startup | Estateably | RASA Legal | ZAF |
| Technology | Disco’s Cecilia | Gavel | GlobalNDA |
| Lifetime Achievement | TBA |
Embodying the Mission of Belonging
The theme of this year’s conference embodies the mission of The American Legal Technology Awards: belonging. This theme captures the spirit of the legal technology community. Founder Tom Martin encapsulates this theme by describing the event as “three friends coming together to throw a party.” He continues, “What sets us apart is our heart. There is something inspiring and rejuvenating about coming together as a community and belonging. When we did come together last year, it inspired me to see everyone and their energy.”
Mitch Jackson and the founders of The American Legal Technology Awards will host the “Oscars” of the legal tech field. Event sponsors include Clio, ARAG Legal Insurance, MyCase, LawPay, and GNGF.
Find more information about the Gala and purchase tickets at https://americanlegaltechnology.com/.
Last updated October 4th, 2023
