Industry Leaders Honored at ILTA EVOLVE 2026 in Denver, Colorado
(CHICAGO, IL) 5 May 2026 - The International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) proudly announces the winners of the 2026 ILTA Distinguished Peer Awards, presented on Friday, May 1, 2026, during the ILTA EVOLVE Conference at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. Now in its 16th year, the Distinguished Peer Awards recognize individuals and organizations whose work exemplifies outstanding achievement, innovation, and leadership across the global legal technology community.
The awards ceremony brought together legal technology professionals from around the world to celebrate peers who have delivered exceptional business value and transformational impact. A live-streamed option was also available for those attending remotely.
"These honorees reflect the ingenuity, courage, and community spirit that power legal innovation. Each winner demonstrates what impact truly looks like in practice, and ILTA is proud to elevate their contributions before our global membership." Joy Heath Rush, CEO - ILTA
2026 DISTINGUISHED PEER AWARDS WINNERS
Lifetime Achievement Award
Recognizing individuals whose careers span decades of exceptional leadership, vision, and service to the legal technology community:
- Sherry Kappel – formerly of Litera
Innovative Leader of the Year -- ILTA Member
Honoring ILTA members who have maximized the value of innovative technology in support of legal professionals:
- Sarah Pullin – formerly of Baker McKenzie
Innovative Leader of the Year -- Business Partner
Recognizing business partners driving meaningful innovation across the legal ecosystem:
Transformative Project of the Year
Awarded to law firms that successfully planned and implemented transformative initiatives:
Solution Provider of the Year
Recognizing business partners delivering exceptional innovation and advancement in legal technology solutions:
Trailblazer Award
Celebrating collaborative innovation between ILTA members and business partners:
- Womble Bond and Thomson Reuters
Best Blog
Annual award for the year, noting the best Blog in the ILTA collection:
- Elizabeth Suehr – Jenner & Block, LLP
Best BP Article
Annual award for the year, noting the best Partner-written article in ILTA Publications:
- Peter Lamb - iCompli by LegalRM
Young Professionals to Watch
Highlighting rising leaders who are shaping the future of legal technology:
- Arman Afkhami - Senior Account Executive, TitanFile
- Cem Uçan - Legal Engineer, Legora
- Daryl Fitzpatrick - Chief Revenue Officer, Intellek
- Deanna Dubinsky - Business Process Optimization & Employee Engagement Specialist, Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP
- Elaine Dick - Lead Practice Innovation Attorney, Baker & Hostetler LLP
- Ian Lopez - Manager Business Intelligence, Ballard Spahr LLP
- Imare' Jordan - Practice Data Analyst, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP
- Michael Sarlo - Chief Innovation Officer & President of Global Investigations & Cyber IR, HaystackID
- Priti Saraswat - Director of Knowledge and Innovation, Levenfeld Pearlstein
- Samantha Delaney - Senior Solutions Consultant, Thomson Reuters
2026 INFLUENTIAL WOMEN IN LEGAL TECH
ILTA also recognized five outstanding leaders as part of its 2026 Influential Women in Legal Tech program, honoring women whose mentorship, innovation, and impact are shaping the global legal technology ecosystem:
- Chioma Wilson-Dike, Founder, Lexlytic
- Karen Painter Randall, Partner / Chair, Cybersecurity, Connell Foley LLP
- Kim A. Wismer, Chief Information Officer, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
- Rawia Ashraf, Head of Product, Co-Counsel Legal, Thomson Reuters
- Shreya Vajpei, CEO & Founder, Indian LegalTech Network — A global community builder and founder, Vajpei is recognized for elevating visibility, capability, and collaboration across a fast-growing regional and international legal tech ecosystem.
To view the complete list of 2026 Distinguished Peer Award winners, visit awards.iltanet.org/winners-26.
For more information about ILTA membership, upcoming events, and programs, visit www.iltanet.org.
About ILTA
The International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) serves the professional needs of more than 27,000 international legal technology professionals and their organizations. Since its founding in 1980, the association's focus is to achieve results for our membership and the legal technology profession at large. Much of the value we provide as an association comes from coordinated efforts with our global volunteer membership teams.