SPEAKER

Alma is an established leader in legal innovation with a unique, multi-faceted view of what’s required to create impactful, long-lasting change. 

She is passionate about bridging the gaps that stand in the way of successful innovation and proudly prioritizes real-world adoption over “bells and whistles.” 

In her role as Crowell’s first Chief Innovation and Value Officer, Alma leads the firm’s innovation and value efforts, overseeing a wide-range of initiatives relating to, among other areas, client value, cross-departmental data and analytics, knowledge management, practice innovation, and AI. 

She also oversees the Research Services department, aligning traditional law firm tools and functions with modern approaches to knowledge management and value-driven services. 

Over the course of her legal career, Alma has earned numerous recognitions relating to her innovation work. She was named on the second annual list of LTRC’s “Women of Legal Tech” in 2016 and she was an early member of the Fastcase 50, “the smartest, most courageous, innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders in the law.” 

The ABA has also awarded Alma its distinguished “Legal Rebel” title, acknowledging those who are “remaking the legal profession . . . the pioneers who are changing the way law is practiced and setting the standards that will guide the profession in the future.” 

Recently, Alma was honored as an AI Visionary, recognizing those “individuals who have explored, promoted, or experimented with AI in novel ways in legal applications,” as one of the International Legal Technology Association's "Influential Women of Legal Tech, selected for their "history of mentorship and level of impact on Legal Technology,” as an “Innovative Leader” by Corporate Counsel’s Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards, and as a finalist for FT Innovative Lawyer’s 2024 “Intrapreneur” award.     

Alma began her career as a successful attorney at an Am Law 10 firm. She loved practicing law, but believed that better deployment of people, processes, and technology could help lawyers thrive by enabling them to focus on the work they do best. 

In 2012, Alma founded her own legal technology company. In building her company, she gained first-hand experience in what it’s like to run a company and work with law firms from the client side. She sold her business in 2017 and, prior to joining Crowell, took on broader roles in legal innovation with alternative legal services and technology providers. 

She holds a J.D. from NYU Law and a B.A. from Pennsylvania State University. Alma regularly speaks at industry conferences and spearheads client presentations on a variety of innovation topics. She also authors the “Women of Legal Tech” column for Legaltech News, elevating the profiles of other women making moves across the industry.