Jannise Vinson
I started my career right out of high school as a legal secretary through a co-op program after attending a career day where I learned about legal technology. It turned into one of the best decisions I've made. From there, I grew into word processing roles and then moved into training, where I spent a very long period training lawyers primarily and support staff. I have a love of law but didn't want to be a lawyer, so I focused on understanding legal technology and translating it in a more palatable format to a variety of different audiences. I then transitioned into IT support, which involved management of software and strategic oversight and design of what the software would look like and how different data structures spoke to each other. I've worked within legal for the majority of my life, and at my last law firm, I supported marketing and oil and gas teams, working heavily with the lifecycle of content and helping teams determine how they want content delivered outside of an organization. I've also worked for business partners or vendors that support legal, designing different software for document creation and redlining. Now I work for the International Legal Technology Association, an organization that has had a very large backbone in my life for over 25 years. In my current role, we provide professional development and bring law firms across the globe together to share what's working. We produce webinars, roundtables, and content throughout the year created by our volunteers, and we help them become published authors in our quarterly peer-to-peer magazine and online blogs. They can also speak at our conferences, including Evolve, our AI and security conference, and our larger five-day event in August. It's really a full year of education, sharing of community, and promoting our members so they have a voice within the legal community.
• Project Management (Villanova University)
• Microsoft Certifications
• Six Sigma Certification
• QPR Gatekeeping (Emotional Intelligence Training)
• Business Analysis Certification
• Non-Profit Governance Certification (UT Dallas)
• Project Management Classes - Villanova University
• Non-Profit Governance Certification - UT Dallas
• International Legal Technology Association
• Allen Sports Association - Board President
• Working with Young Women in STEM
What do you attribute your success to?
I'm really most proud of the connections I've been able to create, not only for myself but for other people. I have these three C's that I maneuver and live by: community, connection, and content. Those three things have been consistent throughout my life and definitely in the work that I do. Being able to inspire, encourage, and engage individuals in conversation, in thought leadership, and really just trying to move the needle forward in greatness has been key to my success. The International Legal Technology Association has also been instrumental in my journey. This organization really helped me step outside of my comfort zone and try things where my role within a law firm may not have allowed me to. It put me in a position where I could step up, work on my public speaking, work on my writing, and work on all different types of professional development, as well as learning different software and getting certified in different vendor softwares.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If you are passionate about what you're doing, do not be afraid to ask questions, and more importantly, do not be afraid to take up space in any room that you enter, because you already deserve to be there. I think if you are able to do something that you're passionate about, it never feels like work. It's a rewarding give and take of energy on any given day.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The three C's are most important to me: community, connection, and content. These three things have been consistent throughout my life and definitely when it comes to the work that I do. Being able to inspire, encourage, and engage individuals in conversation, in thought leadership, and really just trying to move the needle forward in greatness is what drives me. I also value education deeply. At the baseline of what we do, everything is about education and educating our members, and that growth is always exciting for me. I love the innovation behind the work because it keeps you on your toes and ensures that every day you're going to get some level of education. I think as you continue to grow in whatever your role is, knowing that every day you're going to get some level of education just keeps you crisp and on your toes.
Locations
International Legal Technology Association (ILTA)
Mckinney, TX