At its inception, Evolve the Law was a community of legal tech startups with a common desire to accelerate the speed of adoption of legal tech solutions. Three years later, it has evolved into an innovation community with over 130 members ranging from tech upstarts to industry leaders and disruptors including the likes of Thomson Reuters, LexisNexis, Axiom, and LegalZoom. When Above the Law acquired ETL, it brought a key constituency to the table — the lawyers and other legal professionals who are the intended consumers of these products and services.
While it remains to be seen if 2018 will indeed be the breakout year for legal tech, one group most incentivized to try new technologies and find new efficiencies in legal spend is the corporate legal department. They are many times the first to adopt and adapt legal analytics, spend management tools and litigation finance. With that in mind, ETL is launching a corporate legal department and corporate legal operations-focused (CLD) membership. The founding members of this CLD membership will shape the coverage of in-house innovation for ETL and on the pages of Above the Law.
Early Evolve the Law members Stephanie Corey and Monica Zent are the driving forces behind the CLD initiative. Corey is a co-founder of the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC), and co-founder and General Partner of UpLevel Ops, LLC, a legal strategy and operations consulting firm. Zent is founder of the innovative alternative legal solutions provider, ZentLaw and Founder & CEO of Foxwordy Inc., the patented AI-powered collaboration platform for the legal industry.
Monica Zent
“There has been a quiet revolution happening in the legal industry for some time now among corporate legal departments as embracing an innovation mindset and establishing a strong legal ops function are major priorities,” said Zent. “Today’s corporate legal departments need a variety of resources in their toolkit. I’ve had the pleasure of being on the Advisory Board of similar organizations and I’m delighted to join in leading Evolve the Law’s CLD membership program, which will help legal departments have access to new technologies, best practices and valuable connections as they adapt to a changing industry.”
Zent and Corey will be co-chairing the Advisory Board for the CLD’s inaugural Evolve the Law In-House Summit, taking place on Friday, November 9 in Silicon Valley. This one-of-a-kind conference will bring key decision makers from corporate legal departments together with the legal tech innovators to discuss buying, implementing and measuring new technologies.
Stephanie Corey
“While there is value in the traditional types of conferences we normally attend, this event is different. The Evolve the Law In-House Summit will give buyers the opportunity to communicate directly to the developers,” adds Corey. “The larger events are often unaffordable for the up-and-coming solution providers who may have very promising tech. We’re changing that by bringing these more unconventional innovators to the table with the CLDs who want alternative solutions.”
Members of the new CLD membership will receive:
- one complimentary ticket to the ETL In-House Summit
- access to the In-House Toolkit, a member-exclusive collaborative resource to organize and evaluate technology solutions and tools
- a vote in the upcoming ETL Innovation Awards which will be broadcast to ATL’s 1.3 million reader audience
- interview in ATL’s prestigious Interrogatories Series
- publication of thought leadership on the Evolve the Law website and podcast series
- networking and speaking opportunities at 20+ live and digital events throughout the year
For more information about joining Evolve the Law or the ETL In-House Summit, contact us at elmembers@abovethelaw.com.
