When I first started this blog, I brainstormed a list of people I wanted to profile who are working on the A2J frontlines. Cat Moon was high on my list. I still want to go back and take a closer look at what she’s up to in Tennessee and beyond. In the meantime, I was able to talk about her #makelawbetter call to action over at Above the Law. Below is my latest piece:

This Tennessee law professor is assembling an ‘army of innovators’ to spur and sustain legal tech innovation

Cat Moon. Photo by Caley Newberry Photography

Early on in the pandemic, when stay-at-home orders multiplied, and courts closed to all but emergencies, a law professor in Tennessee was taking names.

Vanderbilt’s Caitlin “Cat” Moon made an appeal to those in a position to help, guide, and, importantly, keep law open. The #keeplawopen hashtag is in use, though it’s often second to Moon’s primary mission, #makelawbetter.

When Moon asked innovators to raise their hands on Twitter @inspiredcat, she got an almost instant response, with more than 70 individuals in the legal tech arena volunteering to be an advisor to anyone looking to implement change that would keep courts accessible during the crisis and create lasting change long after. 

A month in, there are now nearly 250 people on the list, from developers and technologists to legal operations experts and lawyers experienced with implementing technologies in ways that comply with lawyer regulations…

“We can make ourselves the army of innovators known to all the leaders who really need our help right now,” Moon said recently over Zoom to a group of legal professionals. “In many ways, it’s a dare to ignore this wealth of energy, expertise and passion that we have.”

Read the full piece here.