Kathleen Agno Director, Resource Innovation

Greenberg Traurig, LLC

Kathleen Agno is the Director of Resource Innovation at Greenberg Traurig. Prior to her current role, Kathleen held several management positions on Greenberg’s knowledge management team, including Senior Research Librarian, Director of Research & Optimized Staffing, and Research Services Manager. Before joining Greenberg Traurig, she was an associate a mid-sized firm and clerked for a New Jersey Superior Court Judge.  Kathleen earned her law degree from Seton Hall University and her Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree and her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University. She is an active member of the New Jersey Law Librarians Association (NJLLA) and has written several articles for the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) regarding innovation and leadership. She has also taught classes for attorneys and law students about best practices in legal research.

Lee Bernstein Manager of Library

Haynes & Boone, LLP

Cynthia Brown Director of Research Services

Littler Mendelson

As Littler's Director of Research Services, Cynthia Brown leads a team of research librarians, assistant librarians and interns to provide the firm’s lawyers and clients with the research resources they need to succeed.

Cynthia is part of the firm’s knowledge management leadership team and is involved daily in the Knowledge Management Department’s efforts to develop innovative systems, procedures and work flows. She reports directly to the firm’s Chief Knowledge Officer.

She manages and creates roadmaps for the collection of critical data, sifting of data for relevance and preparing that data to be pushed out to the right people at the right time. She also oversees all of the firm’s research-vendor relationships, utilizes analytics to determine which tools are needed to maintain the relationships and gathers important data for negotiations. In addition, Cynthia investigates new research and technology tools to ensure that the firm has cutting-edge resources.

Cynthia started Littler’s legislative tracking team in 2010. The team feeds Littler GPS, the firm’s client-based flagship service. Thousands of bills are reviewed daily via a custom built system to provide Littler’s attorneys and clients with insights about pending and enacted labor and employment legislations on federal, state and local levels.

Cynthia leads the team that created the Knowledge Desk, a resource that enables Littler’s attorneys to connect to subject matter experts and a vast collection of databases, print materials, practice group information, internal work product and proprietary data collections. The Knowledge Desk team efficiently searches to locate the exact nugget of knowledge that attorneys need.

Via the Knowledge Desk, attorneys are connected to law firm librarians who are perfectly suited to liaise between attorneys and a legal KM department. With adept archival, research, organization, analysis and synthesis skills, Cynthia’s team takes the guesswork out of determining who to contact, where information resides and determining which external or internal resource best addresses an attorney’s need. During its first year the Knowledge Desk proved to be extraordinarily successful taking in over 18,000 requests, with 26,000 requests expected in its second year.

Cynthia is a member of the Utah State Bar, the American Association of Law Librarians, the Mid-American Association of Law Libraries, the Kansas City Association of Law Libraries and Private Law Librarians and Information Professionals. Prior to joining Littler Cynthia served as head librarian at a full-service regional law firm and as General Counsel at a privately held company.

Marie Calvaruso Chief Knowledge Officer

Harris Beach PLLC

Marie is the Chief Knowledge Officer for Harris Beach PLLC. She is responsible for the firm’s research resources and leads the research team in providing legal and non-legal research to Harris Beach attorneys, staff and clients. She is responsible for the firm’s conflict services team in providing research and data analysis relating to new business and lateral hires to ensure that Harris Beach minimizes risk and identifies possible conflicts of interest with current and potential clients. Marie directs the firm’s continuing legal education services and accreditation.

Marie leads the firm’s COVID-19 Response team to ensure the safety and health of Harris Beach attorneys, staff and visitors. She is a member of the firm’s attorney training, hiring, and wellness committees.

Marie has more than 25 years of experience as an information professional. Prior to joining Harris Beach, she was a reference librarian at a Rochester law firm where she provided research services to legal and non-legal staff and managed the acquisitions of materials and interlibrary loan services. As a reference librarian at St. John Fisher College, she assisted faculty and students with research projects, taught library research classes and was responsible for the serials collection.

Marie received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a MBA from St. John Fisher College and a Master of Library Science degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Professional and Community Activities

• Marie is actively involved in local community organizations. She serves on the Advisory Board of Girls on the Run of Greater Rochester. She has served as the secretary, co-chair and chair of the Board of Directors of GOTR of Greater Rochester.
• She is the Chair of the Private Law Librarians & Information Professionals SIS Membership Committee of the American Association of Law Libraries.
• Marie wrote a regular column on legal research techniques and resources for Rochester’s legal newspaper The Daily Record for many years.
• She is a member of the American Association of Law Libraries, Association of Legal Administrators, and is a past-president of the Association of Law Libraries of Upstate New York.
• Marie was recognized as a top Law Firm Administrator by the Rochester Business Journal/The Daily Record 2021 Legal Excellence Awards

Dianne Chambers Research and Knowledge Services Analyst

Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP

Dianne Chambers is a Research and Knowledge Services Analyst at Eversheds Sutherland. She specializes in providing business and business development research for the firm. She has also managed several due diligence projects for clients. Dianne’s previous work experience was as a law librarian and research analyst for several law firms including Crowell & Moring, and Hogan Lovells. She also worked for LexisNexis for 10 years as a customer consultant and a law librarian relations consultant.

Dianne enjoys working in research and information management as she sees it as a field that is constantly evolving and always on the cutting edge. 

Dianne holds an M.L.S. from Catholic University, and a B.A. from Howard University. She enjoys reading, crocheting, being outdoors, and going to the movies. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband Christopher and her pup Max.

Monica Deal Vice President - Global Customer Success

LexisNexis

Monica Deal is the Vice President of Global Customer Success at LexisNexis where she heads their customer support, onboarding and customer experience teams around the world.  She has spent 16 years at LexisNexis in sales and operations where she developed a passion for our customers and a dedication to making their experience with LexisNexis positive.   

Monica is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Dayton where she teaches an MBA level negotiation course to MBA students & business professionals.  She is the past President of LexisNexis Women Connected, an employee resource group focused on the unique and diverse need of woman around the globe. She is active in her community – serving currently on the Women’s Board for Dayton Children’s Hospital and having served on the past board of Equitas Health (formally AIDS Resource Center Ohio).  Her leadership and charitable work have been recognized throughout the community where she won a 40-Under-40 Award and the YWCA Women of Influence award.   

Dave DiCicco Senior Director of Product Management

LexisNexis

Dave DiCicco is the Senior Director of Product Management at LexisNexis. He is a Fastcase® 50 Award winner from the Class of 2020. He has worked for LexisNexis for over 20 years, dating back to his last semester at University of Dayton School of Law, and extending from his early days as a software test engineer to currently working with customers to develop LexisNexis API solutions. Dave has led the Lexis® for Microsoft® Office product team since 2010. Meeting with clients to develop user stories and working with LexisNexis tech and sales teams puts Dave right in the middle of the transformation of APIs as the next generation of research information solutions.

Amy Dietrich Senior Business Intelligence Manager

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Amy Dietrich is the Senior Manager of Business Intelligence at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, where she leads a team of experienced intelligence professionals in providing research support and analysis for business development initiatives and to firm leadership.

Amy has over 15 years of research and information management experience in large law firms, in both Canada and the United States. Over the past six years, she has increasingly focused on the unique opportunities for research analysts and law librarians to collaborate with business development and marketing teams.

John J. Digilio Firmwide Director of Library Services

SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP

John is an internationally known information and intelligence professional, educator, and award-winning author with over 20 years of professional legal research and management experience in large and mid-size law firms, as well as corporations and academia. He currently directs the firmwide library and research services for an industry-leading, global law firm with 20 offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. John has authored numerous articles and research papers on law librarianship, legal research, team-building, and information ethics. He is a well-known industry blogger and social media influencer. John has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in business law, e-commerce, ethics, fair employment practices, and applied research methodologies. He is a recipient of the H.W. Wilson Award for Authorship and a former "Adjunct Teacher of the Year" at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA. John has been recognized with several SLA member awards and is a past treasurer of the Association.

Specialties: American legal research, EU legal research, Information Ethics, Electronic Discovery, Business Intelligence, Leadership Development, Team Building, Staff Training and Retention 

Krista Ford Director, Knowledge, Research and Information Services

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC

Krista Ford is the Director of Knowledge, Research, and Information Services at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. She is a seasoned knowledge professional with 20 years of corporate, legal research, and library management experience specializing in research, analytics, competitive intelligence, knowledge management, process efficiencies, and asset management. Currently, she is responsible for all aspects of the firm's libraries, including but not limited to: supporting the research needs of the firm's practice groups and strategic planning initiatives; developing and implementing the firm's knowledge management portal; competitive intelligence and market research; budgeting and library spend; piloting, implanting, and communicating new technologies to the firm; training and onboarding for legal/market research; and continuing education and development of staff. Prior to joining Steptoe, she served as the Manager of the Resource Center for Developmental Dimensions International and the Global Accounts Team for Ernst & Young. She serves as President of the Western Pennsylvania Law Library Association (WPLLA) and is an active member of the American Association of Law Libraries, serving on the Leadership Development and the PLLIP-SIS Education Committees. She currently sits on the Mount Lebanon Historical Preservation Committee and is a liaison for the Board of Directors of the Mount Lebanon Historical Preservation Society. She has been awarded the STAR award for Project Management and is a frequent presenter at local and national conferences on knowledge management, research proficiencies, and process improvements. She received her B.A. of Philosophy from Cleveland State University and her MLIS/MA of Philosophy from Kent State University. 

Elizabeth Guzman Director, Research & Intelligence Services

Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett LLP

Elizabeth Guzman is the Director of Research and Intelligence Services at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP.  In this role, she provides strategic leadership in the delivery of research services to drive innovations and efficiencies through information and knowledge management initiatives.  Liz is an Information Professional with more than 15 years of experience in the legal industry.    

Robyn Hatcher

Author, Keynote Speaker, Communication Expert, Thought Leader and award-winning actor

Robyn Hatcher, founder and CEO of SpeakEtc. is a dynamic keynote speaker, communication expert, author, thought leader and award-winning actor. Robyn transforms the careers of business leaders and the culture of organizations in the financial services industry and beyond, through corporate programs, private coaching, and interactive presentations. 

Using her 15 plus years in the entertainment industry and her experience as a certified Neuro Linguistic Programming practitioner, she inspires. She invigorates. She leaves you with tangible skills you can apply the very next day. In 2018, Robyn appeared on Good Morning America speaking about the “#metoo” movement and was named one of the '21 Leaders for the 21st Century' 2019 by Women's eNews!

Robyn has successfully trained and coached thousands of business professionals from Fortune 500 companies and noteworthy brands - Lifetime Television, Jones New York, UBS, AXA - Equitable, PayPal, Spotify, Con Edison, Hewlett Packard and many others and has spoken in front of hundreds and has spoken in front of hundreds of audiences large and small like Professional Business Women of California, Women's Professional Network,Professional Women of the Gulf Coast, Administrative Professionals Conference, Association of African American Advisors and many others.

Robyn is on the executive board the National Speakers Association, New York City Chapter and has been quoted and published in major magazines and has appeared on over 40 Podcasts.

Her book, Standing Ovation Presentations (Motivational Press, 2013), contains a unique communication-style system called ActorTypes.  and was named on Forbes.com as one of 2015’s Top 100 Coaching Books.

Leslie Lanphear Director of Research & Information Services

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Leslie Lanphear is the Director of Research & Information Services at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, and oversees the firm's research and competitive intelligence functions.  In this role, she works with her team to deliver actionable insights to the firm's attorneys and allied legal professionals to partner in solving the firm's complex legal and commercial questions.

Prior to joining Akin Gump, Leslie was the first nationwide Research Services Manager at another well-known international law firm.  She has over 30 years' collective experience in both the legal and public sectors, co-authoring several articles and participating on advisory boards throughout her career. Recently, Leslie has been "Competitive IQ Certified" by SCIP (Strategic & Competitive Intelligence Professionals).

Leslie earned her MLIS from the University of Texas at Austin, and her AB from The College of William & Mary. 

In her local community, Leslie volunteers with several non-profit organizations, and has implemented and actively participates in a monthly hot meal program for the food insecure.

Saskia Mehlhorn US Director of Knowledge Services

Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP

Saskia Mehlhorn is the US Director of Knowledge Services at Norton Rose Fulbright, US LLP. Based in Houston, she is a trained lawyer who is responsible for the US knowledge sharing framework, overseeing the implementation of a national knowledge management strategy and action plan, and identifying opportunities to use knowledge products to add value to Norton Rose Fulbright clients. Saskia has extensive experience in designing and delivering legal training courses on a variety of topics, particularly energy law and international arbitration.

Prior to joining Norton Rose Fulbright, Saskia worked for the University of Houston O’Quinn Law Library as the foreign and international law librarian supporting the international research areas, specifically NAFTA  and international arbitration. She has presented on a national and local level on topics like artificial intelligence, knowledge management, and international arbitration.

Saskia received her law degree from the University of Hamburg, Germany, and practiced law in Hannover, Germany, before accepting a position in the QHSE department of a major oilfield service company. Saskia also holds a LL.M. from the University of Houston and an MLIS from the University of North Texas. 

Links:

Twitter – @sioslo

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/saskia-mehlhorn-333313

Company website - http://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/knowledge/meet-the-institute-team/

Jennifer Mendez Director of KM Innovation

Fisher & Phillips LLP

Jennifer Mendez is the Director of Knowledge Management Innovation at Fisher & Phillips LLP, a national labor and employment law firm. In this role, one of her focuses is to build and foster a culture of knowledge sharing and innovation. Starting out in law libraries before transitioning to knowledge management, Jennifer has implemented many tools for law firms over the years, including research databases, SharePoint portals, internal and client-facing collaborative tools, enterprise search, custom applications, and business development tools. She has a passion for delivering intuitive, innovative, and accessible solutions as evidenced by her involvement with the design and development of an intranet that was winner of the intranet innovation award from StepTwo Designs, an internal chatbot, which was the winner of ILTA’s 2019 Transformation Project of the Year Award, and the first employment-specific heatmap tracking COVID-19-related workplace litigation . Jennifer is a frequent author and speaker on the topics of legal knowledge management, innovation, and process improvement. She was a finalist for ILTA’s Young Professional of the Year award in 2016, a contributing author to Emerging Approach to Information Services published by ARK Group, and is a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM).

Jean O'Grady Director of Research & Knowledge

Venable LLP

Jean P. O’Grady has over 30 years of experience developing strategic information initiatives for Am Law 100 law firms. She holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, an M.L.S. from St. John’s University and a B.A. in History from Fordham University She is a member of the NY State Bar. She is currently the Director of Research and Knowledge at Venable, LLP in DC. She began her career as a reference librarian at the Pace University School of Law. She has been an adjunct faculty member at the graduate schools of Library and Information Science at St. John’s University and Long Island University where she taught legal research courses. In 2011 she started the Dewey B Strategic blog which reports of legal information and technology and advocates for the strategic importance of legal information professionals. She is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. She  writes a technology column on Above the Law and is a weekly participant in Bob Ambrogi’s Legaltech Week Live: Journalists’  Roundtable.

Robin Porter Head of Innovation and Knowledge Management

Blake, Cassels, Graydon LLP

Robin Porter is the Head of Practice Innovation and Change Management at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. In this role she oversees the Innovation, Knowledge Management, Research and Library teams for the firm.  With over 20 years leading large scale change initiatives across many different types of organizations, she is focused on how technology and process change can positively impact the way her team can serve the firm, as well as how roles are evolving to stay relevant with our changing industry.

Abigail Ross Principal

RoFinCo, LLC

Abigail Ross is an information professional, professor, and author with over 20 years of professional legal research and library management experience.  She is currently the Founder and Principal for RoFinCo, LLC, a legal and corporate research company in Washington, D.C., specializing in unique research projects and library solutions that provide valuable nimbleness to law firms, businesses, associations, and nonprofits of every size around the world.  She regularly speaks at conferences across the country, including AALL and SLA, and is an adjunct professor at Catholic University and a regular guest lecturer at George Mason University School of Law.  Ross holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Maryland and a BSLA from Georgetown University.

Emily Rushing, JD, MIS Director of Competitive Intelligence 

Haynes and Boone, LLP

As the Director of Competitive Intelligence (CI) for Haynes and Boone, LLP, Emily leads the intelligence, database, research, and technology teams in supporting client service, competitor and market analysis, lateral recruitment, and strategic growth. Emily and the intelligence team supports the creation, deployment, and administration of new technologies and innovation resources.

Emily has contributed to several publications, including the International Bar Association (IBA), American Bar Association (ABA), bar journals, blogs, and other legal industry periodicals. Recent speaking engagements include: AALL, Ark, SLA, ILTA, LMA, SCIP, and regional and international professional associations.

Emily holds a Juris Doctorate (JD) from the University of Houston Law Center and a Master of Information Sciences from the University of North Texas (UNT). She has served on several boards, including the UNT College of Information Leadership Board. Emily was honoured by the NAACP Houston Branch with an Award for Legal Excellence for her work with the legal aid clinic.

Areas of Experience include: Research; Databases; Competitive Intelligence (CI); AI; Business of Law; Knowledge Management (KM); Technology; Strategy and Vision; Business Intelligence (BI); Law Library; Legal Research; Business Development; CRM; Lexis InterAction; Westlaw; Lexis; Survey; Data Science; Law Firms; Project Management (LPM); Process Improvement

Kathy Skinner Director of Research & Information Services

White & Case LLP

Kathy Skinner is Director of Research & Information Services at White & Case LLP, where she leads a 24/7 global function comprised of researchers and library operations team members located in 23 offices around the globe. In addition to managing research delivery, lawyer research training, library procurement, budgeting, and vendor relations globally, Kathy has recently been given responsibility for leading the Firm’s Market Research function. Kathy and her team members are currently focusing their efforts on building this alignment to enhance and expand how the two teams work together to deliver best-in-class research services on client matters as well as for business development.

Kathy has been a member of the Knowledge function at White & Case for four years. During her time at the Firm, Kathy has worked to deliver “truly global” research services in an efficient and streamlined way, leading change, making process improvements, and maximizing the benefits provided by the Firm’s 24/7 support team based in Manila. The team has been recognized with an FT Innovation Award for their 24/7 service delivery model.

Kathy collaborates broadly across the Firm to deliver value-added services to clients. She also works closely with Firm colleagues on innovation, training, and other projects. Prior to joining White & Case Kathy was in a similar role in another Am Law Firm.

Jill Strand Library & Knowledge Systems

Fish & Richardson

Jill Strand is the Director of Research and Knowledge Services for Fish & Richardson, a top intellectual property law firm.  Prior to that she was Director of the Knowledge Management Library at Maslon LLP, a Research Librarian at Faegre & Benson and started a library for a division of Target Corporation in her first job out of graduate school.  Before becoming an information professional, she worked as a regional sales manager for Simon & Schuster. Jill earned her MLIS from Dominican University and her B.S. in Journalism from the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University.  She has been an active member of SLA since 2000, was named an SLA Fellow in 2010 and served on the Board of Directors from 2014-2016 and as President in 2015.  Her other honors include Ohio University Honors Tutorial College Outstanding Alumnus and Minnesota Unsung Legal Hero Awards in 2018, SLA Legal Division Career Achievement Award in 2016 and SLA Membership Achievement Award in 2013. She has presented and written for multiple professional publications and blogs and authored a chapter on cost recovery for The Handbook of Information Management (Emerald Publishing.)

Tricia G. Thomas Director of Research Services

Akerman LLP

Tricia has worked in law firm libraries for more than 25 years.  She started her career while in college as the “kid who shelved the books” and over the years worked her way up the ladder to become her firm’s national library director overseeing a team of library managers, reference librarians, technical services librarians, and library assistants.  She currently serves as the Director of Research Services at Akerman LLP.  Tricia loves digging for answers and enjoys tackling a challenging research project.  She is keenly interested in the latest advancements in automation, data analytics, and knowledge management strategies. 

Tricia is a member of the American Association of Law Libraries and serves on the Lexis Advisory Board.  She received her undergraduate degree from Oglethorpe University and her MLIS from Valdosta State University.  She lives in Newnan, Georgia with her husband, daughter, and two scruffy but adorable dogs.