ILTA Honors 5 Lawyers As 'Influential Women In Legal Tech'

The winners were drawn from over 120 nominations and 80 applications. All five awardees are lawyers — the first time this has happened in the award’s history — and they represent five countries on three continents, noted Joy Heath Rush, ILTA’s CEO.

“This truly embodies the intersection of technology and the law,” she said. “Thanks to the winners for their invaluable contributions to the advancement of the profession! ”

ILTA’s 2024 Influential Women in Legal Tech are:

Alma Asay, Chief Innovation and Value Officer, Crowell & Moring LLP

Alma is an established leader in legal innovation with a unique, multi-faceted view of what’s required to create impactful, long-lasting change. She is passionate about bridging the gaps that stand in the way of successful innovation and proudly prioritizes real-world adoption over “bells and whistles.”

In her role as Crowell’s first Chief Innovation and Value Officer, Alma leads the firm’s innovation and value efforts, overseeing a wide range of initiatives relating to, among other areas, client value, cross-departmental data and analytics, knowledge management, practice innovation and generative AI. She also oversees the Research Services department, aligning traditional law firm tools and functions with modern approaches to knowledge management and value-driven services.

Alma began her career as a successful attorney at an Am Law 10 firm. In 2012, Alma founded her own legal technology company.

Before joining Crowell, she sold her business in 2017 and took on broader roles in legal innovation with alternative legal services and technology providers. She holds a J.D. from NYU Law and a B.A. from Pennsylvania State University.

Alma regularly speaks at industry conferences and authors the monthly “Women of Legal Tech” column for Legaltech News, elevating the profiles of other women making moves across the industry.

Aalia Manie, Head: Webber Wentzel Fusion, Webber Wentzel

Aalia is a lawyer, legal technologist, entrepreneur, and mom of two.

She currently leads Webber Wentzel Fusion, the NewLaw and legal technology division of leading African law firm Webber Wentzel.

Since starting her career, Aalia has pushed the boundaries between law and technology, with a passion for driving impact specific to the African context.

While practicing as an IP and technology law partner at the firm, she spearheaded lobbying efforts for regulatory reforms and established a legal incubator for high-growth tech businesses.

This led to a chapter of intense growth and learning as a COO of a technology startup, where she honed her operational skills, commercial acumen, and resilience.

She now finds herself back “home,” where she and the team focus on designing and delivering AI, legal technology, and alternative legal solutions that supercharge the firm and its clients and generate new revenue streams.

Terri Mottershead, Executive Director, Centre For Legal Innovation at the College of Law

Terri Mottershead is the Executive Director of the Centre for Legal Innovation (Australia, New Zealand, and Asia-Pacific) (CLI) at the College of Law.

Terri collaborates internationally with leaders of legal businesses, supporting them in transforming capabilities and practices to deliver legal services/products/solutions that exceed client expectations and cultivate workplaces that attract, empower, and retain multi-disciplinary talent.

She leads CLI’s global initiatives, including the Generative AI Initiative, Legalpreneurs Lab, and its podcast series, The Legalpreneurs Sandbox.

Terri’s work in legal GenAI was recently recognized with her appointment as the inaugural Chair of the Queensland Law Society’s Generative AI in Legal Practice Joint Working Group.

Before joining CLI, Terri was a practicing lawyer, founded startups on three different continents, and established or led the talent management functions for global firms and associations in Asia and the US, including Lex Mundi, the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, and DLA Piper LLP (US).

Caryn Sandler, Partner + Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer, Gilbert + Tobin

Caryn leads the Gilbert + Tobin Legal Service Innovation team and G+T Innovate.

These teams provide specialized services to support Gilbert + Tobin’s legal service delivery and innovate to deliver new tools and services benefiting Gilbert + Tobin’s practice and clients.

Caryn’s role encompasses responsibility for over 70 lawyers and business professionals working across Transformation, Legal Informatics and Data, Legal Project Management, and Knowledge Management.

Under her leadership, Gilbert + Tobin also won “Excellence in Technology and Innovation” at the Australasian Law Awards 2023 for a third consecutive year and was named “Most Innovative Law Firm” at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards Asia-Pacific in 2019.

Caryn is the Co-Chair of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Legal Innovation and is a director for various not-for-profit organizations.

Ginevra Saylor, National Director, Innovation and Knowledge, Gowling WLG LLP

Ginevra Saylor is the National Director, Innovation and Knowledge Programs with the global law firm Gowling WLG LLP, where she leads the firm’s innovation, knowledge management, client and practice solutions, legal project management, and process re-engineering strategy and initiatives.

In her role, she identifies and implements programs, processes, and tools that drive innovation and excellence throughout the firm and enhance the delivery of client services.

Ginevra has over 20 years of experience building and delivering strategies for innovation, knowledge management, client solutions, technology adoption, and process improvement.

In previous KM leadership roles with two major firms, Ginevra developed strategies and initiatives for innovation, knowledge management, learning and development, client solutions, technology adoption, and process improvement and designed new projects and practice tools to leverage and build her firm’s knowledge base. An Ontario and Pennsylvania Bars member, she also has extensive and varied experience as a practicing litigator and educator.

Ginevra served as President of the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) Board of Directors for two years and Executive Vice President and Secretary respectively for four years before assuming the presidency. She also is a College of Law Practice Management (COLMP) Fellow.

Ginevra and her Gowling project team won a 2021 Precedent Innovation Award for developing a contest rules application. She is a frequent author and international speaker on legal practice, innovation, legal technology, knowledge management, and related topics.

Ginevra has lived and worked in Canada, the United States, Greece, and Vietnam. She currently lives with her family in Toronto, Canada.