P2P

53 I L T A N E T . O R G good to be exposed to much more. ILTA is one of the only organizations where all legal technologists in a wide variety of roles come together to share their experiences. If you're in IT Operations, it's always good to know other IT Operations people out there, but it is much more beneficial to have a large network of connections in the industry who are performing other roles in their organizations. Volunteering for ILTA means not just meeting these other peers, but working with them on a project. If, like me, you are not a natural extrovert who can walk into a room of strangers and quickly make connections, then this is huge. Getting a chance to work with your peers is a way to quickly connect with them that is easy, organic, and results in long lasting professional and personal connections. Prior to joining the ILTACON conference committee team my network was generally composed of people I knew from my prior firm. After my volunteer experience I'm close with dozens of others in ILTA from different firms around the world. You will better understand the business of law firms or corporate legal departments. Unless you began your professional life as an attorney, you probably didn't start with a goal to work for a law firm or corporate legal department. Many of us found our way into this industry by becoming well practiced in our areas of expertise and when an opportunity presented itself, we just became a 'legal technology professional' overnight. Depending on your role, you can probably get by for some time focusing on your operational responsibilities. If you want to do more than just 'keep the lights on', you're going to have to know how your business operates. What changes can you make that will make life better for attorneys, staff and clients? What improvements can you make in processes in your corporate legal department? You won't be able to really answer these questions until you know how your firm or department works, what their pain points are, and ultimately how their work is received by their clients. How do you get that kind of perspective when you're also trying to maintain your normal projects and operational work? Volunteering goes a long way to getting you that big picture view. Because those peers we mentioned before that you're working with are from different administrative and corporate legal departments, you're going to hear a lot about what their job is like and the issues they're trying to resolve. That immersion is going to make you a much more well-rounded contributor. Your peers at work will appreciate that you walk into conversations about their issues with an understanding of the nature and importance of their work. The insight that you gain from your volunteer time with ILTA will elevate your work from just maintaining what you inherited to instead making improvements that result in visible benefits across your firm or department. That gets you noticed and can have a big impact in your career advancement. You'll get to do work unlike anything your normal job will offer. In my position at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, I manage a team of eight across four different teams that largely manage the back end systems and infrastructure for our firm. I enjoy my job, find it very rewarding and work in a department that strongly encourages continuing professional development and innovation. How could it get any better? During the ILTACON planning process, I had the opportunity to work annually at different levels of responsibility with almost 50 of my peers. Over the last two years I've had the pleasure to serve as co-chair for the planning and execution of the educational content that's presented at the event. As wonderful as my job is, it doesn't

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