Talk Justice: Episode 75

Featured Guests

Dennis Kennedy is an information technology lawyer and legal technology pioneer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan who is well-known for his role in promoting the use of technology in the practice of law. A professional speaker and an award-winning author with hundreds of publications to his credit, Dennis wrote the legal technology column for the ABA Journal for many years, has co-authored several books (most recently, The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, Second Edition (ABA 2018) and contributed to others, and co-hosts the long-running podcast, The Kennedy-Mighell Report, on the Legal Talk Network. Dennis retired as Senior Counsel for the Digital Payments & Labs group at Mastercard at the end of 2017. He is currently President of Dennis Kennedy Advisory Services, LLC where he focuses on legal technology, innovation, speaking, writing, coaching, and other interesting projects. He currently chairs the board of the American Bar Association’s Legal Technology Resource Center and is a member of the ABA Law Practice Division’s Nominating Committee. He taught a course on Intellectual Property Licensing and Drafting as an adjunct professor as Washington University Law School. Dennis received his J.D., cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1983 and B.A., magna cum laude, from Wabash College in 1980.

Jane Ribadeneyra joined the Legal Services Corporation in 2009 and is a Senior Program Officer for Technology. She oversees technology initiative grants that improve access to high-quality legal assistance for low-income people throughout the United States and its territories. She works with grantee programs to strategically leverage technology in delivering legal services to the eligible population. Jane also leads TIG-related special projects, including LSC’s Innovations in Technology Conference and updates to the LSC Technology Baselines. Her expertise in advancing technology’s role in access to justice has made her a frequent presenter at national conferences, sharing her insights and knowledge on innovative technology solutions.

Host

As director of innovation design for the Program on Law and Innovation, Caitlin “Cat” Moon designs the J.D. curriculum for PoLI Institute with the goal of empowering students to lead in the innovation of 21st century legal services delivery. Professor Moon also founded and directs the PoLI Institute, which provides interactive post-graduate executive education to legal professionals. She also co-founded and produces the Summit on Law and Innovation (SoLI), which brings together experts across legal, technology and other disciplines in collaborative innovation projects

In addition to her roles at Vanderbilt, Moon works with law firms, legal departments and law schools globally to apply the methods and mindsets of human-centered design to re-imagine leadership and legal professional formation and modernize the delivery of legal services. Her current research focuses on innovation leadership and legal professional formation and includes co-creation of a 21st century framework for lawyer competency, the Delta Model. 

Moon maintains an active law license and, before joining the Vanderbilt Law faculty, she provided legal counsel and strategic guidance to start-up companies through her Nashville-based legal practice for over 20 years. She serves on the College of Law Practice Management’s Board of Trustees and on the advisory boards of the MIT Computational Law Report and the Justice Technology Association. Moon was recognized in 2016 by the American Bar Association among the inaugural Women in Legal Tech and as a Fastcase 50 honoree. She received the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services’ 2017 Janice M. Holder Award, which recognizes a legal professional who “has made significant contributions in advancing the quality of justice statewide by ensuring the legal system is open and available to all.”

Moon holds a B.A. and J.D. from Vanderbilt University, and an M.A. from Western Kentucky University.