Ogletree Deakins Deepens Leadership, Knowledge Management Capabilities

ATLANTA – November 10, 2020 – Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to announce that Susan Sommers, Tim Fox, and Diana Witt, who have a combined total of more than 65 years of experience in the legal and technology industries, have joined the firm’s award-winning Knowledge Management (KM) department. The firm also welcomed Dave Boland, who was previously Chief Knowledge Officer at consulting firm Grant Thornton, as Chief Knowledge Officer earlier this year.

“Our three newest KM leaders will be critical to building on the foundation for innovation that our KM team has developed in recent years,” said Matt Keen, managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins. “Since joining the firm earlier this year, Dave Boland has exceeded our expectations with his progressive vision and fresh perspective—established from decades of experience leading KM teams at top consulting firms. We look forward to continuing to expand our KM capabilities in order to provide increased service and value for our clients.”

Susan Sommers serves as Ogletree Deakins’ Director of Knowledge Management (KM) Innovation and Solutions and brings with her decades of experience in transforming and leveraging technology in law firms and consulting firms. She joins Ogletree Deakins from Alston & Bird, where she was the Director of Legal Technology Innovation. Earlier, Sommers spent 13 years with King & Spalding and held multiple leadership roles, including Senior Manager of Technology Innovation. Sommer’s experience includes developing strategies and driving initiatives for emerging technology, data analytics, and knowledge management solutions. As Director of KM Innovation and Solutions, Sommers is responsible for envisioning and bringing to life knowledge management platforms, tools, and technology solutions, both internally and externally, in support of the firm’s knowledge management strategy.

Tim Fox leads the practice intelligence function at Ogletree Deakins and is a pioneer in the legal technology industry. He joins Ogletree Deakins after serving as Chief Product and Information Officer for LegalMation, a legal technology startup, where he led the product, artificial intelligence, and support teams in developing LegalMation’s award-winning software solutions. Fox is also an experienced litigator, practicing in the patent and complex commercial litigation areas for more than seven years, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, where he teaches Legal Writing and Reasoning. In his leadership role, Fox will develop and implement a data strategy that supports the use of technology and data to answer key questions, develop tools, dashboards, and data visualizations, and create actionable insights.

Diana Witt is Senior Manager of the firm’s newly combined Research Services team. She previously served as Director of Library Services for Akerman LLP for more than two years where she led a team that supported legal and business research services, digital services, and department operations. Earlier, Witt spent 11 years with Snell & Wilmer L.L.P., where she served as the Director of Research & Information Services, transforming the department into a fully operational service department by creating research services and technical services functions, and building a team of information professionals. Under Witt’s leadership, the Ogletree Deakins Research Services department is transitioning to a technology-enabled team of research advisors who will assist with complex requests and provide the firm’s lawyers with meaningful analysis and insight.

“Ogletree Deakins is investing heavily and strategically in KM, innovation, research, and data analytics to deliver capabilities now and for the future,” said Dave Boland, Chief Knowledge Officer at Ogletree Deakins. “I could not be more thrilled for the insight, leadership, and acumen Susan, Tim, and Diana bring to the KM department in our continued pursuit of innovative knowledge management approaches for our clients.”

Sommers, Fox, and Witt work alongside an award-winning group of KM practitioners that help Ogletree Deakins’ attorneys leverage their collective knowledge and experience for clients. As part of the firm’s commitment to providing a superior client experience, Ogletree Deakins has invested heavily in knowledge management infrastructure and is constantly seeking ways to innovate. This is demonstrated by innovations across case management platforms, compliance solutions, and knowledge management resources, including ClientLink™, OD Comply™, IntelliCase™, Client Team Sites, and the firm’s Knowledge Management Legal Resource Center.

About Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. Premier client service, as outlined in the firm’s Client Pledge, is one of the firm’s top priorities and a cornerstone of its core values. U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® “Best Law Firms” has named Ogletree Deakins a “Law Firm of the Year” for 10 consecutive years. In 2021, the publication named Ogletree Deakins its “Law Firm of the Year” in the Litigation – Labor & Employment category. Ogletree Deakins has more than 900 attorneys located in 53 offices across the United States and in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. The firm represents a diverse range of clients, from small businesses to Fortune 50 companies. www.ogletree.com