Speakers — 2011

Once again we've gathered an enthusiastic group of experts and distinguished speakers who have both valuable experience with using technology in practice and who are willing to share their knowledge and advice. The 2011 Conference planning board and distinguished speaker roster includes:

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Dave Bilinsky

IST2, SSF3

David J. Bilinsky is a Practice Management Consultant/Advisor for the Law Society of British Columbia. He is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management and past Editor-in-Chief of ABA’s Law Practice Magazine. David is an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University teaching a totally online, graduate level course in the Masters of Arts in Applied Legal Studies program. This MA program received the 2011 Award of Excellence from the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education.

Dave’s mission in life is to empower lawyers to anticipate the changes, realize the opportunities, face the challenges and embrace the expanding possibilities of the application of practice management concepts to the practice of law in innovative ways that provide service excellence.

Dave is the founder and current Chair of the Pacific Legal Technology Conference and a past Co-Chair of ABA TECHSHOW.

Dave’s consulting services focus on enhancing law firm profitability, strategic business planning, change management and the application of technology to the practice of law. Dave has been called upon from Shanghai to New York City, from the Yukon to deep in the heart of Argentina by law firms and legal associations to address personal productivity, change management, technology implementation, career satisfaction, leadership development and the emerging discipline: online dispute resolution.

Dave is a prolific writer on practice management and writes regularly for many publications in the USA and Canada including being a core contributor to the award-winning blog www.slaw.ca as well as www.thoughtfullaw.com. His articles have been reprinted across the globe and translated into several languages including French, Mandarin, Spanish and Portuguese.

You can contact him at daveb@lsbc.org.  Back to top...

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Simon Chester

CCT2

Simon Chester is a partner in the Litigation and Business Law Groups, of Heenan Blaikie LLP’s Toronto Office with special focus on conflicts of interest, professional responsibility, and legal opinions. He has been a pioneer for the last twenty five years in the application of advanced technologies to the practice of law.

Educated at Oxford University, (B.A., M.A.) and Osgoode Hall Law School, (LL.M.), he is professionally qualified in Ontario (1982) and England and Wales (1988). He was the first non-American to chair the American Bar Association’s ABA Techshow, and to chair the ABA's Law Practice Magazine’s Editorial Board, the LPMS Education Board and its New Media and Internet Board. He was a Trustee of the College of Law Practice Management for a decade and served as its (first non-American) President.

He has spoken on law, technology and professional issues to audiences across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Scotland, England, the Netherlands, India and Singapore. Recent presentations include Towards a New Profession (Federation of Law Societies of Canada , 2010), The Challenge of Social Media for the Ethical Practice of Law (ABA Legal Malpractice Conference, Washington DC , 2010), The New Privacy Agenda (Law Society of Upper Canada , 2010), Conflicts and Access to Justice (International Legal Ethics Conference, Stanford University , 2010), A Sea Change in England – the Legal Services Act, 2007 (College of Law Practice Management, American University, Washington DC , 2010), Social Media and the Courts (Supreme Court of Canada, Ottawa , 2010), Les médias sociaux comme moyen d'accès à l'information juridique (Educaloi, Dire le droit pour être compris, Montréal , 2010) and New York State Bar Association, Presidential Summit, The Future of the Legal Profession, 2011.

He has advised both the Canadian Bar Association and the International Bar Association on professional issues; he co-leads the most successful Canadian legal blog www.slaw.ca

He is a director of the Canadian Rhodes Scholars Foundation and was the President of the Oxford Society of Toronto. Back to top...

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Angiola DeStefanis

SM2

Trilingual in English, French and Italian, Angiola is the founder of Alliance Lex, having built a successful general law practice over the past 18 years. Angiola enjoys working with individuals and families to craft the most cost-effective and efficient solution to their problem. Angiola is an experienced and skilled advocate, practicing in Family Law, Wills & Estates, and Elder Law.

Certified as a family law mediator and collaborative law practitioner, Angiola is dedicated to promoting the healthiest outcomes possible for her clients in family law disputes, while always ensuring that their rights are skilfully protected.

Angiola’s community commitments through Rotary have been recognized with Rotary’s highest honours.  Back to top...

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Nicole Garton-Jones

SM2, CCT2

Nicole Garton-Jones is a lawyer and mediator of wills, estates, elder and family law matters. Nicole founded and manages Heritage Law which has been described in the media as “one of the most streamlined, automated and forward thinking legal business models in Canada.” Nicole has won awards in recognition of the firm’s innovative structure and effective use of technology, including the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch Work Life Balance Award and the Business in Vancouver Top Forty Under 40 Award. Nicole is on the board of the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC and supports various other non-profit initiatives in the community. Back to top...

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Jim Hughes

EDL1

Bio to come. Back to top...

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Doug Jasinski

SM1

Doug Jasinski is the founder and Principal of Skunkworks Creative Group Inc. Skunkworks is a boutiqe professional services marketing agency that works across a wide spectrum of media including print, online, video, radio and television both in Canada and internationally. Before moving into legal marketing, Doug also practiced law for five years in the Vancouver market.

Doug’s role at Skunkworks spans brand strategy development, conceptual creative work, copywriting, website, blog and search engine optimization strategy, assessment of new technologies and oversight of all work produced by the agency.

Doug’s creative work has appeared in leading legal and business publications including Lexpert, BC Business Magazine, The Globe and Mail, The Vancouver Sun and Province Newspapers, and Marketing Magazine. He has published numerous articles on legal marketing topics in various publications including The Lawyers Weekly, The CBA’s BarTalk, and the ABA’s Law Practice Magazine. His legal marketing blog is also a past recipient of a Canadian law blog award.

Doug is also a frequent speaker to professional services organizations such as the Canadian Bar Association, the Legal Marketing Association, the Society of Notary Publics of British Columbia, and the British Columbia Real Estate Association on a range of marketing topics. Doug is a member of the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) and a past Director of the Association’s Vancouver Chapter.

Doug blogs at www.legalmarketing.ca, twitters at @dougjasinski, and drinks too much coffee pretty much everywhere. Back to top...

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Azool Jafer-Jeraj

SSF2

Practicing since 2000, Azool Jaffer-Jeraj is a lawyer and a partner in the Vancouver Law Firm of Dohm, Jaffer & Jeraj. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Victoria. He practices in the areas of Plaintiffs’ Personal Injury Law, Family Law, Wills and Estates and Civil Litigation. He is currently the President of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia and has previously served as a member of the Executive, and in the positions of Parliamentarian, Secretary, Treasurer, 2nd Vice President, and 1st Vice President. He is also an active member of the Bar having served on a Law Society Committee, the Executive of the South Asian Bar Association and has spoken at both Continuing Legal Education and Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia Seminars. Back to top...

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Joseph Kashi

PT1, PT2

Joseph L. Kashi is a litigator practicing in Soldotna, Alaska. He has made numerous CLE presentations about a wide variety of legal technology topics since 1990 and has held various positions with the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Section between 1990 and 2007. For many years, he wrote a regular legal automation column for Law Office Computing Magazine. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973 and his law degree from Georgetown University in 1976. He is admitted to practice before the Alaska Supreme Court, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Ninth Circuit. Many of his legal technology articles can be accessed from his law firm’s web site www.kashilaw.com. Back to top...

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Sara A. Levine

SM2

Sara Levine practices privacy and freedom of information law at Alliance Lex, a boutique virtual firm in downtown Vancouver. She advises clients on all aspects of privacy and freedom of information law, including providing strategic advice during critical privacy incidents; completing privacy compliance assessments and analysis; and making and responding to complex access to information requests. Sara acts for public bodies and organizations in the health sector; unions, corporations, professional associations, charities, advocacy groups and individuals. She speaks and writes extensively on privacy law issues. Before joining Alliance Lex, Sara practiced at, and served as Regional Privacy Officer for, a large national law firm. Back to top...

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George Lo

PT2

Bio to come.





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Steve Matthews

CCT1

Steve Matthews is the President and Founder of Stem Legal Web Enterprises, a web development, publishing and strategy company for the legal profession. In more than fifteen years working within the online legal environment (including 12 years inside law firms), he has conceived, managed, coded and marketed law firm websites, blogs, intranets and extranets. In particular, he is one of the leading authorities on search engine optimization (SEO) strategies for lawyers and law firms. He has been an editorial board member for the ABA’s Law Practice magazine, co-founded the award-winning group blog Slaw, and is frequently quoted throughout North America on topics and trends related to legal web technology. Back to top...

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William McLeod

EDL1

Bill MacLeod is the principal of MacLeod & Company which is a four lawyer litigation firm in Vancouver. He has long had an interest in professional responsibility issues and legal technology. He has spoken at two previous Pacific Legal Technology Conferences. His firm has conducted its practice primarily electronically since 2004. He has written papers and has lectured for the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia on problem solving approaches to dispute resolution.





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David Paul QC

SM1

David Paul was born and raised in Kamloops, British Columbia. He graduated from Kamloops Senior Secondary in 1980 and the University of Victoria Law School in 1986. Since then, he has been in private practice in Kamloops where he has dedicated his legal experience to representing individuals from all walks of life. David practices in the areas of Family Law, Personal injury, Criminal law, and Mediation (Family & Civil). His firm, Paul & Company (www.kamloopslaw.com) has four lawyers and is located in downtown Kamloops. David is a member of the Canadian Bar Association serving as President of the BC Branch in 2002-2003. Currently, he serves as the Past Chair of two National Conferences of the Canadian Bar Association, the Legal Profession Assistance Conference (LPAC) and General Practitioners Solo and Small Firm Conference (GPSSC). David is also a member of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia and the Supreme Court of British Columbia Mediation(Family and Civil). Additionally, he writes a bi-monthly column (David Paul's Field Notes) for the electronic edition of Canadian Lawyer Magazine, Previously, David served as President of the Kamloops Bar Association, director and founding member of the Lawyers Business & Property Network , a non-profit society that provides guidance to lawyers who wish to assist their clients with business, property and financial transactions, and the British Columbia Arbitration and Mediation Institute(BCAMI). In December of 2003, David was appointed a Queen's Council. Outside of his practice, David teaches an introduction course on Criminal Justice at Thompson River University. Most recently, David was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Thompson River University Foundation Board. Back to top...

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Dan Pinnington

SSF2, ME1, SSF3

Dan Pinnington is Director, practicePRO at the Lawyers’ Professional Indemnity Company (LAWPRO) in Toronto. practicePRO is an innovative claims prevention initiative that provides lawyers with tools and resources to assist them in avoiding malpractice claims and succeeding in the practice of law.

Dan has a LLB/JD from the Universities of Windsor and Detroit and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1993. Prior to joining LAWPRO Dan practiced for eight years in the Litigation Department of a Niagara area law firm. He has extensive hands-on experience with legal technologies and for several years also held the Manager of Information Systems position at his firm.

Dan is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management and is a prolific writer, speaker and blogger on risk management, technology and law practice management issues. He is a veteran of hundreds of presentations at law firms, CPD programs and conferences all over North America, and has chaired more than a dozen major conferences. Dan is very active in the American Bar Association’s Law Practice Management Section. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of ABA LPM’s Law Practice Magazine. He is co-authored the just published Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Success: Essential Tips to Power Your Practice, and has contributed chapters to several other books published by the ABA LPM Section. He was Chair of ABA TECHSHOW 2007 and helped launch the Law Practice Today Webzine (www.lawpracticetoday.org).

Through a variety of roles Dan has and continues to actively participate in the Canadian and Ontario Bar Associations. He was Co-Chair of the CBA Niagara Falls 2010 Annual Conference.  Back to top...

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Chas Rampenthal

IST1

Chas Rampenthal joined LegalZoom in 2003, initially as its general counsel and vice president of new product development. He currently leads LegalZoom’s initiatives for legal, government relations and corporate development (contracts, M&A and investment projects), and provides oversight for the company’s portfolio of legal products, with a focus on product quality.

Chas joined LegalZoom after launching EndeavorLegal, a Boston based law firm. Prior to that, he was an associate at the Boston firm Testa Hurwitz and Thibeault and the Los Angeles office of Thelen Reid & Priest. During his tenure at Testa Hurwitz, Chas worked with a wide variety of technology and emerging companies to help them manage transactions such as venture capital financing, mergers, acquisitions and initial public offerings.

From 2007 to 2009, Chas co-hosted “Legally Bound” a call-in talk radio program in Los Angeles focusing on current legal events and issues. Chas is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Law Practice Management section, where he serves on its Education and State Bar Outreach Committees and is a member of the eLawyering Task Force.

Chas earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and math studies summa cum laude from Southern Illinois University and his JD from the University of Southern California. Prior to law school, Chas served honorably in the United States Navy as an officer and naval aviator. Back to top...

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Donald L. Richards

EDL2

After his call to the Bar in 1986, Don began his legal career at Farris in civil and criminal litigation acting as defence counsel and, later, as Federal Crown prosecutor. In 1990, after returning from a world tour, Don rejoined Farris where he began practising employment and labour law, which is still his preferred area of practice today. Don’s practice includes acting on behalf of employers in the telecommunications, transportation, retail, broadcasting, education, and hospitality industries, as well as a number of municipal employers, before the Federal and Provincial Labour Relations Boards, at arbitrations and at human rights proceedings.

He was recently Counsel for an employer on Canada’s first Facebook termination case. Don has also acted as counsel for TELUS Corporation; Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; University of British Columbia; Health Canada; Translink; Starbucks Coffee Company; Canada Post Corporation; several municipalities; police and fire departments; and a variety of employers in other businesses, ranging from a large coal mine in northern British Columbia to a small local brewery.

Don is a member of the Vancouver Bar Association and various employer human resource associations. He has made presentations to a variety of labour relations organizations, including the Human Resource Management Association (“HRMA”) and the Continuing Legal Education Society, and has conducted various client seminars and management training sessions.  Back to top...

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Pete Roberts

SSF1, ME1

PETER D. ROBERTS is the Practice Management Advisor in the Law Office Management Assistance Program (LOMAP) of the Washington State Bar Association. He was a legal administrator in law firms in Washington, D.C., New Hampshire, Boston, and Seattle. Peter has his MBA from The College of William & Mary and a Certificate as Small Business Webmaster from the University of Washington. He is a frequent speaker and writer and has consulted with over 650 WSBA members in Washington, Alaska, Illinois, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Texas. Back to top...

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Catherine Sanders Reach

SM1

Catherine Sanders Reach is the Director at the American Bar Association's Legal Technology Resource Center. She has provided practice technology assistance for lawyers for over ten years with the LTRC. Prior to her work at the ABA she worked in library and information science environments for a number of years. She received a master's degree in Library and Information Studies from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa in 1997.

Ms. Reach's professional activities include articles published in Law Practice magazine, Law Technology News and GPSolo Magazine. She has given presentations on the use of technology in law firms for national bar conferences, state and local bar associations and organizations such as the Association of Legal Administrators and the Association of American Law Schools. She served on the ABA TECHSHOW Board from 2007-2009 and is on the editorial advisory board for Law Technology News. In 2011 she was selected to be one of the inaugural Fastcase 50, celebrating 50 innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders in the field of law.  Back to top...

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Thomas L. Spraggs

SSF1, IST2

Tom is the managing owner and lawyer for two firms: Spraggs & Co., a thriving boutique civil litigation practice, and the Albion Law Group, which has a solicitors focus.

With offices in British Columbia and the Gold Coast in Australia, Tom leverages his lifelong passion for technology by necessity. He uses technology within his practices to improve the efficiency with which his lawyers can work and collaborate so that, as a team, they can deliver quality services that clients find valuable.

Tom last presented at the Pacific Legal Technology Conference in 2009 and will be speaking to emerging technologies and essential technologies for small firms at PLTC 2011.

Tom holds Bachelor and Masters degrees in Law and is undertaking his MBA. He's a member of the Bar Associations of Alberta, the Yukon and British Columbia. Back to top...

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