Peer to Peer: ILTA's Quarterly Magazine
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/1521210
21 I L T A N E T . O R G How did you get interested in the field you are currently in? JACLYN: While working at an insurance trade association I encountered endemic resistance to new technology. I saw the potential to break down silos, increase efficiency, retain knowledge, and generally alleviate colleagues' day- to-day frustrations by using these tools, but few others agreed. I knew there must be a way to make a compelling case for change, and the possibilities for technological innovation were exciting to me personally, so I got an MBA and pursued new roles in change management for new technology. Beginning as a project manager gave me an excellent grounding in legal technology, and now as KM Enablement Manager I onboard new tools using training and change management best practices. As more technologies come on the market with new advances like AI, I am excited to use technology to solve bigger and complex problems for the firm's lawyers and staff. MEGHANN: I've been in Knowledge Management since 2012 and am currently transitioning to a new position at Goodwin Procter as the Director of KM Technology Solutions. After litigating for several years, I started in KM at Littler Mendelson in practice group support and content development. However, my work pretty quickly put me on the course I am on today with a focus on efficient use of legal technology, process design, and project management. One of my first projects in KM almost right out of the gate was an expert system marketing application. The focus of the expert system was simple – are you subject to the Affordable Care Act? It was a nice and tidy fit with a decision tree type model for the Q&A. It was so much fun and after that I was hooked. Since then, I've had the opportunity to work on designing much more complex expert systems, document automation projects and other technology-based solutions. What led you to your career? Was there a defining moment? MEGHANN: When I was in law school, I wasn't necessarily interested in litigating. But I thought I should give it a go after passing the bar since I'd worked so hard to get there. I ended up doing it for 11 years! I had wonderful experiences practicing law and learned a lot, but there was always a part of me that questioned whether it was what I wanted to do my entire life. However, I didn't know what that was. I was at the point in my career where I needed to either commit to working towards being a shareholder or figuring something else out. I briefly considered going to get a master's in library science to become a law librarian, but when an opportunity arose to transfer into KM, I jumped at the chance. It ended up being such a wonderful fit for me – I haven't regretted it for one second. I would say that first expert system I worked on was a defining moment for me. Before KM, I did not have a background in technology. But I always considered myself to be organized and logical with a good attention to detail. Working on that first expert system was such a blessing because, until then, I didn't realize that I could use those skills as a productive member of a technology team without actually being the technologist. I enjoy designing solutions that allow me to use my legal knowledge, looking at how we can use technology solutions, and coordinating with cross- functional teams of technologists, marketing specialists, and others to solve problems. JACLYN: I joke that my career success comes from being easily annoyed with inefficiencies and highly motivated to fix them. Solutions have taken many forms—manuals, forms, templates, spreadsheets, web pages—but the impetus for change was often just needing information that was not readily available to anyone even though at least one colleague surely knew the answer. For example, I