Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP today announced that legal technology veteran Steve Novak has joined the firm as its Chief Information Officer. Novak joins Waller after similar roles with two of the world’s largest law firms and as Director of Legal Operations and Technology at a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company.
“Steve is an innovator when it comes to legal technology,” said Waller chair Matt Burnstein. “Steve starts the technology conversation by asking what are the key technology service capabilities required to enable the delivery of value-aligned legal services to our clients. He is client-focused and proactive, and we’re extremely happy to have him at Waller.”
Novak joins Waller from Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP, an Indianapolis firm that is now part of Dentons. Previously he was Director of Legal Technology Operations for Abbvie where he built a technology and operations organization to support legal services in more than 170 countries.
Novak also served as Director of Enterprise Information Technology Services and Chief Technology Officer at Sidley Austin LLP, the 2,000-attorney law firm headquartered in Chicago, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP where he built a 180+ person technology service organization to support more than 2,500 attorneys worldwide.
“My focus is strategic technology planning and value delivery, organizational alignment and operational excellence,” said Novak. “Waller is built on client service, and there are many ways technology can enhance the delivery of legal services.”
Novak has written numerous articles focused on law firm technology operational improvement and operational excellence, and he is a sought-after speaker at industry events, seminars, workshops and user forums. Novak earned his B.S. degree from Arizona State University where he graduated with certifications in general and international business.
