WeAreILTA

National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week is an annual celebration observed in many countries to promote and show appreciation for volunteerism and volunteering.

SHARE YOUR VOLUNTEER STORY

Featured #WeAreILTA Stories

Chris Hunt

Director of Technology & Operations
Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, P.C.
Boston, MA

In 2011, I got a call from a colleague in Boston, who just happened to be a co-chair of ILTACON 2012, and asked if I'd be interested in joining the conference planning team. After hearing about the opportunity, and getting the buy-in of my employer, I submitted my application to become a full-on ILTA volunteer, and happily I was accepted and joined the team of ILTACON 2012. I figured I'd give it a year then move on to something else, but a funny thing happened along the way that year... the volunteer bug really got to me. Watching the conference come together, planned by a dedicated group of volunteers, and assisted by some pretty amazing ILTA staffers, it all pushed me to want to do more. [Editor’s note: Chris has been involved in ILTACON from 2012 to 2018!]

ILTA provided me the opportunity to run a planning team for the biggest event in the ILTA universe. This is one of the many things that to me makes ILTA so special; ILTA provides its members opportunities to develop themselves personally and professionally, and to have opportunities we may not get in our regular day job. The best thing about being an ILTA volunteer is the connections that I've made through the years, working alongside my peers, and working hand-in-hand with some of the most dedicated staffers out there.

I'll close by saying this: if you've ever thought about volunteering in any way for ILTA... DO IT! Write an article, speak on a webinar, speak at a conference, get involved with planning events, become a member liaison, or even just by being a regular contributor to the eGroups, there are so many ways to get involved with ILTA today. So stop thinking about it, and when you see an opportunity that's right for you, jump at it. There's a reason why ILTA's tagline is Peer-Powered: because it is all of ILTA’s members who truly define what ILTA is, and what ILTA does. I am honored to have been able to serve the members - it has been a highlight in my career.

Cheryl Disch

Senior Manager, Marketing Information Systems
Duane Morris LLP
Philadelphia, PA

I was invited to speak at the 2007 annual conference in the first ever track for marketing technology. I came in on a day pass and the entire experience got me hooked on ILTA. I’ve been volunteering in some capacity ever since and I am still connected to the people I met 10 years ago through ILTA. To grow a network of peers that you can reach out to any time to ask questions or bounce ideas around has been so helpful, and what I’ve learned from ILTA programs has guided me to try and suggest new ideas in my daily work. The opportunity to learn so much about technology used outside my area of focus has helped me collaborate better with other departments in my firm.

Michele Gossmeyer

Global Director, Information Governance, Risk and Compliance
Dentons US LLP
Chicago, IL

ILTA has been an amazing way to build knowledge in various areas. I’ve been exposed to so many areas of legal beyond those in which I’ve directly worked. This has broadened my context for each role I’ve had and helped me better understand our industry and opened doors to new opportunities countless times.

At the 2005 ILTA annual conference (now ILTACON) my colleague Eric Anderson asked ‘Hey, would you be interested in volunteering?’ Little did I know how one three letter word (yes) would mean years of reward and many new friends and opportunities to learn and give back! I have served in many volunteer roles over the past 12 years; each one has provided different rewards. A few that stand out are serving as conference co-chair, sitting on the board of directors and speaking at ILTA events in London, Hong Kong and Australia. Each of these made me stretch far beyond my skill set to tackle fears, push learning limits and learn from incredibly smart colleagues. I regularly learn from others and bring that learning back to my firm whether it’s technical knowledge, industry insights, soft skills or collaboration opportunities. There is never a shortage of ways to connect dots, extend knowledge and learn by doing, and each of these made me stretch far beyond my skill set to tackle fears, push learning limits and learn from incredibly smart colleagues.

jeffr.png
Jeffrey Richards

Information Technology Manager
Trucker Huss, APC
San Francisco, CA

I was introduced by a previous volunteer, Kathryn McCarthy, to my local ILTA community, and she got me working on some local events. It inspired me to contribute more and continue to support my peers and the ILTA organization. My volunteerism with ILTA extends to every part of my workday. What I learn and glean from my peers and counterparts across the country help me every day in my job. From coaching and mentoring local member liaisons, to moderating or participating in panel discussions, or even working on a session for conference, it’s everywhere. The learning and professional development resources really extend a long way and we are working to make them even stronger at every turn! The ILTA membership is strong, smart, savvy, and powerful. All of these qualities are reflected through me in my work and shine back on ILTA.

I think so many of the volunteer experiences at ILTA are rewarding. Between social events, content development, networking – how can you compare? If I had to pick one thing I’d say it’s the friendships that have extended beyond ILTA into my personal life. I am very lucky to have the people who contribute to my experience in my life.

In my outside life, I volunteer with the local community college. I assist the faculty in the ceramics studio with technical duties or mixing glazes, loading and unloading kilns, repairing and maintaining studio equipment. I also coach and mentor students and build sculpture.

Volunteering in any facet of your life is very rewarding and important in rounding your life. So many of us pour everything we have into one experience. Take a taste of something bigger. Push yourself – even if just a little. You’ll be surprised what it does for you and the impact it has for those around you. Share YOU.

Peter Qumsiyeh

Data Analyst
WilmerHale
Dayton, OH

I found out about ILTA in 2015 when I was nominated for the ILTA Young Professional of the Year award. I discovered that many professionals, like me at the time, have a vast knowledge about technology in the legal industry, but mostly within the walls of their firm. I was inspired to volunteer with ILTA so I can share my knowledge with the legal community, but also get out of my shell and understand how others resolve similar issues my team deals with on a regular basis.

My two greatest volunteer experiences with ILTA are being on the content coordination practice management team (2016 and 2018), as well as the leadership team (2017). I have authored articles related to data analytics. I also hosted webinars on leadership and developing future leaders. I plan to continue my involvement with ILTA for as long as possible, hopefully forever.

After every ILTACON and every ILTA event, I always bring back my takeaways and share them with my team. I learned so much from my ILTA peers, and some of that knowledge translated to significant product decisions that led to cost savings for the firm, coupled with increased attorney satisfaction.

Also, I love to run, and am very enthusiastic about running. I am on the board of directors for the Dayton Battle of the Businesses, benefiting Special Olympics of Greater Dayton. During this event, 30-40 companies in the Dayton area compete in various events, such as volleyball, bowling, mini-golf and track/field, raising over $80,000 each year for the Special Olympics of Greater Dayton.

Monet Fauntleroy

Senior Manager, Practice Innovation
White & Case LLP
New York, NY

Coming from years on the service provider/vendor side into Biglaw tech meant I had a lot to learn, quickly. ILTA provided a great way to understand the vast universe of systems, roles, integrations and processes at play in a large law firm. It was incredibly helpful and I wanted to be able to share the same kind of information with others as a volunteer. My greatest volunteer experience with ILTA was participation in a panel at 2016’s ILTACON. The group I worked with had amazing insight, was really interested in developing and sharing the content creatively, and the planning felt like the best case scenario of a “group project”.

I would love to see more ILTA programs aimed at increasing diversity in legal technology careers.

For the past few years, I’ve been volunteering with the Legal Economic and Educational Advancement Project from Fordham University School of Law’s Feerick Center for Social Justice. LEEAP seeks to enhance the capacity of middle schools and high schools serving low-income populations and education-oriented community-based organizations to provide effective high school application and college readiness / application programming. In New York City, students may apply to public high school, and my volunteer work involves providing one-on-one and small group high school application assistance to 7th and 8th grade students. I also volunteer in other ad hoc projects sponsored by the New York Cares organization, such as cooking during holidays.