SPEAKERS

Matthew D. Asbell is an Associate of Ladas & Parry LLP. Matthew primarily practices trademark and patent law, both domestically and internationally.

With a diverse background in the entertainment industry, information technology, and medicine and proficiency in several languages, Matthew is comfortable working with a wide range of clients. His certification as a Social Media Strategist further supports his ability to handle complex intellectual property matters arising in the Web 2.0 space.

Matthew received his B.S. in Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University and attended the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University School of Medicine. He received his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he was president of the Intellectual Property Law Society and Acquisitions Editor of the top-ranked Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal. As an active alumnus, he serves on the Cardozo Alumni Executive Committee, chairs the Alumni Intellectual Property Committee, and mentors several law students.

Matthew is an active member of the American Bar Association, in which he has been appointed a Young Lawyer Fellow of the Section of Intellectual Property Law, and has served as Vice Chair of the Intellectual Property Committee of the Young Lawyers Division. He has chaired the Young Lawyers Committee of the New York State Bar Association Intellectual Property Section, and is an active member of several other bar association committees related to intellectual property. Matthew has authored and co-authored publications and given presentations on the topics of trademark, licensing, copyright, patent, broadcasting and internet and privacy law.

Larry Bodine is a former litigator who, for the last 19 years, has worked as a business development advisor helping lawyers and  law firms generate new revenue and attract new clients by devising business development strategies, training lawyers in business development, and using technology to market a law practice.

Larry has particular expertise in using social media, online social networking, blogs, podcasts, webinars, and e-newsletters to extend a lawyer’s marketing reach.  Larry often speaks on business development topics, including presentations for the American Bar Association, several state and local bar associations, CMO Conference co-chair in 2009 and 2008, the TAGLaw network, ALFA International Global Legal Network, the National Association of Minority & Women Owned Firms, the Total Practice Management Association, the Legal Marketing Association, and the Association of Legal Administrators.

Since 2000, when his consulting practice was launched, Larry has advised approximately 100 firms and businesses – as large as a 3,000-lawyer global law firm and as small as a husband-wife litigation boutique – on their business development strategies, tactics and websites.

Larry has also served as an expert witness in litigation involving the Web and Internet. Larry was named a Technolawyer Legal Technology Consultant of the Year, and received the Edge Award, for writing the best article published in the ABA’s Law Practice magazine: “What the Web Can Do for You.”

Nicole Black is of counsel to Fiandach and Fiandach, in Rochester, New York. She is also the founder of lawtechTalk.com, a company which educates lawyers regarding technology issues and provides legal technology consulting services.

She co-authors “Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier,” a book published by the American Bar Association. She also co-authors “Criminal Law in New York”, a Thomson West treatise, and is currently working on a book about cloud computing for lawyers that will be published by the American Bar association in early 2011.

She also writes a weekly column for the Daily Record focusing on a variety of topics, including constitutional and criminal law issues and law and technology issues ranging from the use of social media for marketing and networking to using emerging technologies in the law office.

She has authored numerous articles and spoken at many conferences regarding the intersection of law, technology and social media. She publishes four legal blogs and is a contributing blogger at Lawyerist.com.

An attorney and expert in digital media, Steve Crandall, J.D., brings a unique perspective to helping companies develop new-media solutions to old-world problems. His current interests are business applications of social networks, streaming media, and the use of evolving technologies to deliver barrier-free communication. At present, Steve is Managing Director of ProMotion Arts, LLC, a full-spectrum new media company he founded in Seattle, Washington. ProMotion Arts works with clients including Microsoft, Starbucks, General Mills and the State of Washington to deliver new media solutions and accessible communications via the web and traditional media. ProMotion Litigation Services, the legal services division of ProMotion Arts, offers a wide range of technology-based solutions to law firm and corporate clients. Steve earned his Juris Doctorate from Seattle University School of Law, his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Washington, and an Associate of Applied Arts in Video Production from the Art Institute of Seattle. Steve holds a number of professional certifications and has received many awards and professional recognitions including the Greater Seattle Business Association Business Man of the Year.

Adrian Dayton is an attorney and social media strategist for large law firms. He is also the author of the book “Social Media for Lawyers: Twitter Edition.” His blog “Legal Marketing: Social Media Edition” teaches attorneys and law firms how to bring in more business with social media.

Carolyn Elefant is an attorney in Washington D.C. with her own firm, the Law Offices of Carolyn Elefant focusing on renewable energy, appeals, and select federal litigation, including federal eminent domain and Section 1983 matters. She is creator of MyShingle.com, the longest running blog on solo and small firm practice and author of “Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be,” as well as co-author, with Nicole Black, of “Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier.” Carolyn is a member of the bars of New York, Maryland and Washington D.C. and a graduate of Cornell Law School in Ithaca, New York.

Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., is the President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc., a computer forensics and legal technology firm in Fairfax, Virginia. Ms. Nelson graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1978 and has been in private practice ever since, now concentrating exclusively in electronic evidence law.

Ms. Nelson is a past President of the Fairfax Bar Association, a Director of the Fairfax Law Foundation and serves as a member of ARMA’s E-Discovery Advisory Group. She is a former Chair of the American Bar Association’s Law Practice Management Publishing Board. She is also a graduate of Leadership Fairfax, is a past chair of the American Bar Association’s TECHSHOW and serves on the Virginia State Bar governing Council and on its Executive Committee, Court Technology Committee, and as Chair of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee. She is a co-author of The Electronic Evidence and Discovery Handbook: Forms, Checklists and Guidelines (American Bar Association, 2006) and Information Security for Lawyers and Law Firms (American Bar Association, 2006), as well as The 2008, 2009 and 2010 Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guides ( American Bar Association, 2008,2009,2010). She is also a co-author of How Good Lawyers Survive Bad Times (ABA, 2009).

Ms. Nelson is the author of the noted electronic evidence blog, Ride the Lightning and is a co-host of the American Bar Association podcast series called “The Digital Edge: Lawyers and Technology.” She is a frequent author and speaker on legal technology and electronic evidence.

Mr. Simek is the Vice President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc. He is an EnCase Certified forensic technologist (EnCE). Mr. Simek has a national reputation as a computer forensics technologist and has testified as an expert witness throughout the United States.

Mr. Simek holds a degree in engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy and an MBA in finance from Saint Joseph’s University. After forming Sensei, he ended his 20+ year affiliation with Mobil Oil Corporation, where he served as a senior technologist designing and troubleshooting Mobil’s networks throughout the western hemisphere.

Mr. Simek has in-depth experience with network troubleshooting, hardware and software implementations, systems integration, and logistical and financial expertise in a wide range of computer engineering designs and solutions. In addition to his EnCase Certification (EnCE), Mr. Simek is a Certified Handheld Examiner, Certified Novell Engineer, Microsoft Certified Professional + Internet, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, NT Certified Independent Professional, and a Certified Internetwork Professional. He is also a member of the High Tech Crime Network and of the International Information Systems Forensics Association as well as the American Bar Association and the Fairfax Bar Association. He is a member of the ABA Law Practice Management Magazine Board. He currently provides information technology support to over 220 area law firms, legal entities and corporations. He is a co-author of The Electronic Evidence and Discovery Handbook: Forms, Checklists and Guidelines (American Bar Association, 2006), Information Security for Lawyers and Law Firms (American Bar Association, 2006), The 2010 Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide: Critical Decisions Made Simple (American Bar Association, 2010) and a contributing author of eDiscovery (Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2008). He is a frequent author and speaker on legal technology and electronic evidence throughout the country.

Conrad Saam runs marketing for Avvo, where he oversees the firm’s SEM, SEO, social media, online marketing, email and web analytics initiatives. Prior to Avvo, Conrad served as a consultant to major consumer brands, assisting them in adapting their online marketing strategies to meet the changing market, technology, and regulatory environments of the Internet. His experience includes numerous awarding-winning interactive projects for clients including Disney, Nickelodeon, Lego, MTV, Ford, Macromedia, the United Nations, Microsoft, AOL, McDonalds, Mattel and Napster. Conrad holds an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He is the In-house SEO columnist for Search Engine Land and a sought-after speaker on online marketing, SEO, and service marketing, and has been featured in USA Today, The New York Times and Strategy Magazine.