We have a wonderful lineup of speakers this year. Click on their names below to learn more about them and see which sessions they are presenting.
Dipo Akin-Deko serves as the head of legal affairs for BowerGroupAsia, Inc (BGA). He manages BGA’s legal operations, contracting, and global compliance teams. Dipo regularly gives presentations on legal and compliance issues facing multinational companies.
SESSIONS: Collaboration Between Risk, Compliance, and Legal Teams / Guide to Legal Ops and Compliance / Legal and Compliance Considerations for Adopting Generative AI
Heather Crawford is a paralegal in the Class Action Practice Group at Chestnut Cambronne. She has over 20 years of experience across all areas of civil and commercial litigation, as well as extensive trial experience in federal and state courts. She has spent over a decade as a legal advocate volunteer, working with survivors of domestic violence in the civil court system.
SESSIONS: Anatomy of a Class Action Lawsuit / Anatomy of a Data Breach Class Action / Working with Domestic Violence Survivors in Family Law Litigation
Mrs. Crawford-Franklin is a practicing attorney in Georgia. Her practice specialties are criminal law, family law, personal injury, and bankruptcy. She is an Associate Law Professor in the Legal Studies Program at Kennesaw State University and Herzing.
SESSIONS: CP® Review – Bankruptcy / CP® Review – Criminal Law / CP® Review – Torts
Lisa Ellis, CP, CIPP-US, has been working as a corporate paralegal since 2012 and currently works in the legal department of a Fortune 1000 company. She works with the Chief Privacy Officer to provide privacy guidance to 28 diverse global businesses.
SESSIONS: The Current State of US Privacy Law / Managing International Legal Entities / Privacy Considerations
Jill I. Francisco, ACP, is a paralegal with Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, in Huntington, West Virginia. She graduated from Marshall University with a BA in criminal justice with a concentration in legal studies. She holds Advanced Certified Paralegal credentials in e-Discovery and Trial Practice. Jill is President of the Legal Assistants/Paralegals of Southern West Virginia. She has served NALA in various roles, including as President from 2018-2020. She sits on the Paralegal Program Advisory Board for Mount West Community & Technical College and works as an adjunct professor in their Paralegal Studies Program. She hosts The Paralegal Voice podcast.
SESSIONS: CP® Review – Contracts / CP® Review – Legal Ethics
Terry Hale, ACP, has over 30 years of legal experience, from working in law firms to governmental agencies. Ms. Hale has presented for NALA, the Yavapai County Superior Court, Yavapai College, and many other paralegal organizations.
SESSIONS: The Digital Trial / How to Excel Your Spreadsheet Expertise / Verbal and Written Communication Skills
Thomas James, Esq., is a Minnesota attorney with over 20 years of experience in business, family, and intellectual property law. He is a member of the ABA Copyright and Emerging Technology Committee and author of several books and law review articles.
SESSIONS: CP® Review – Corporate and Commercial Law / Establishing Parentage in Assisted Reproduction Cases / Recent Developments in AI Law
Glenn Leier, JD, has spent over 30 years teaching, hiring, training, and supervising paralegals. He is an attorney, writer, and charity board member. He has served on NALA’s Certifying Board and Advanced Certified Paralegal Board and presented at NALA’s conferences.
SESSIONS: CP® Review – Estate Planning and Probate / CP® Review – Real Estate and Property / CP® Review – Critical Thinking (Skills)
Thomas Pokladowski is a California licensed attorney currently working for Progressive Insurance, where he collaborates with attorneys and paralegals to find innovations in the delivery of the company’s legal services. He also has experience directing and teaching for ABA-approved paralegal programs. He serves on the NALA Certifying Board.
SESSIONS: Legal Ethics Quiz Show / Professional Responsibility and AI
Olivia Renfroe, ACP, has more than 20 years of experience in the legal industry and currently works with her attorney husband in their Mississippi real estate law firm, where she handles various litigation and collection cases.
SESSIONS: CP® Review – Civil Litigation / Feeding the Loan Shark: The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act / Get it Right and Keep it Tight: Legal Research and Writing
Amber Simon, JD, LLM, lives and breathes intellectual property (IP) and entertainment law. She has earned her JD as well as an LLM in IP. Her primary interest is getting artists and entrepreneurs off the ground, with a focus on media and entertainment.
SESSIONS: AI vs. Copyright: Who Owns the Art? / Contracts in Concert: Music Industry Contracts / Intellectual Property Rights in a Globalized World
Corrin Swintosky is a freelance paralegal and criminal law subject matter expert. She runs Lucid Legal Support, a paralegal business that specializes in criminal defense, post-conviction relief, cannabis decriminalization, and legal operations.
SESSIONS: The Impact of Cannabis Legislation on Criminal Records / Post-Conviction Relief for Criminal Records
