ILTA Announces the 2025 Influential Women In Legal Tech Award Winners
In celebration of Women’s History Month, ILTA is pleased to announce our 2025 Influential Women in Legal Tech list. This list recognizes five outstanding women leaders in the global legal technology community based on their mentorship history and level of impact on Legal Technology.
“We received over 120 nominations and over 80 applications. With help from members and business partner judges, we selected a truly inspirational group of women to highlight this month,” says Jeanne Martinez, ILTA’s Director of Membership and Volunteer Operations and head of the 2025 Influential Women in Legal Tech awards. “These women represent legal technologists from across the globe. They are the movers and shakers within the legal community, and we have all benefited from hearing them speak at conferences, publications they’ve written, and programs they’ve developed. We salute them for fostering conversations on the intersection of law and tech and helping us aspire to contribute at the highest level possible.”
Being selected as an Influential Women in Legal Tech illustrates that the awardee is a dedicated professional who fosters change and female leadership (e.g., developing mentorship or leadership programs, making noteworthy contributions to the legal technology space, and/or championing innovative initiatives).
ILTA’s 2025 Influential Women in Legal Tech are:
Gina Buser, CEO and Founder of Traveling Coaches
Gina Buser is the CEO and Founder of Traveling Coaches, an education and talent development consultancy headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Under her visionary leadership, Traveling Coaches has become a trusted partner for law firms worldwide, empowering and educating talent, implementing large technology initiatives, managing change, and influencing behavior. The company’s mission is to empower and educate individuals, elevate clients through engaged and thriving employees, and ensure that everyone wins.
Gina expanded her vision by founding Alterity Solutions, a sister company aimed at serving additional verticals
A frequent speaker and mentor, Gina is recognized for her thought leadership and contributions to the industry. Her accolades include Woman Business Owner of the Year (National Association of Woman Business Owners), Thought Leader of the Year and Consultant of the Year (International Legal Technology Association), 40 Under 40 (Dallas Business Journal), Infinitely Beyond (Convene), and Influential Women in Legal Tech (ILTA)
Gina lives out Traveling Coaches’ “Serves Generously” core value by serving on the board of Springcreek Church, on the advisory council for World Vision Strong Women Strong World, and as Chair of the ILTA Business Partner Committee (BPC).
Kathryn DeBord, VP of Product Strategy, DISCO
Kathryn DeBord is DISCO’s Vice President of Product Strategy, where she works within the product team to help strategize how DISCO can change how legal is practiced and delivered using technology.
DeBord was previously the global chief innovation officer at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner where she led the firm’s international cross-disciplinary team dedicated to the innovation and optimization of legal services. She managed a team of lawyers, technology leaders, and related professionals to implement new practice technologies and innovations. She began her legal career at Kirkland & Ellis, LLP as a trial attorney. Her first job out of college was a CIA analyst.
Michelle Mahoney, Chief Innovation Officer, King & Wood Mallesons
In her role as KWM’s Chief Innovation Officer, Michelle is at the forefront of leading innovation, digital and transformation. Her responsibilities include legal service design, digital, Gen AI strategy, digital literacy, and the future of work. Michelle’s strategic thinking on how behaviour change, technology and legal expertise can be combined to reimagine legal services and enhance performance, impact, and outcomes is a key hallmark of her career. She has spearheaded many first-to-market initiatives, received numerous awards, and holds several advisory board appointments, including those on the MIT data board and several global legal technology companies.
Nikki Shaver, CEO and co-founder of Legaltech Hub
Nikki Shaver is the CEO and co-founder of Legaltech Hub, the definitive resource for high quality, objective market analysis and data, tracking the evolution of legal AI and the legal technology market. She is an industry-recognized legal professional with over 20 years of experience.
After practicing law for a decade, Nikki transitioned into the field of legaltech and legal innovation, leading global teams at top tier law firms in Canada and the United States through major change initiatives and digital transformation. As a trailblazer in the industry, she was named a Relativity AI Visionary in 2024 and has been acknowledged by Modern Law Magazine, vLex Fastcase 50, ILTA, Clio, and the ABA for her outstanding contributions.
Nikki is the author of the book “The Handbook for Legal Innovation” (released in 2023) and is a trusted advisor to law firms, corporate legal departments, and private equity firms, as well as to legal tech companies. Nikki has established mentoring programs to support women entering the industry and believes in giving back to the community. She is an adjunct professor at Cardozo Law School in New York, where she developed and teaches a curriculum on AI, legal technology, and the business of law. She was a long-term volunteer for ILTA, sits on the advisory board of the Vanderbilt Legal AI Lab, on the organizing committee for the New York Legal Tech MeetUp group, is a fellow of the College of Law Practice Management, and was instrumental in designing and facilitating the VALS Legal AI Report. Nikki is a frequent speaker, writer, and commentator on industry developments and has become a globally recognized thought leader on legal tech.
Priya Lele, Cofounder & Chair, She Breaks the Law
Priya Lele is a recognised global thought leader in legal technology, innovation, and diversity. With over two decades of experience bridging traditional practice and digital innovation, she has reshaped how legal services are delivered and consumed—from pioneering change at global law firms to transforming legal operations in corporate legal departments.
Professional Journey
Beginning her career as a corporate finance lawyer, Priya transitioned into Knowledge Management and innovation when the legal industry faced the ‘more for less’ challenge following the 2008 financial crisis. Inspired by disruptions in other industries, she focused on human-centred process design and technology to innovate the practice of law and future-proof the profession.
Throughout her career, Priya has held several leadership roles, including Director of Legal Transform & Operate at EY (Oceania), Head of Legal Transformation at a regional law firm (Australia), and Legal Operations, Client Solutions Lead at a global law firm (UK, US & EMEA).
Innovation and Transformation Leader
In her work with global law firms, Priya transformed legal service delivery through process optimisation and technology integration, leading to the creation of tech-driven near-shoring legal services centres while developing award-winning client consulting services. She built legal innovation ecosystems, developed tailored tools, and integrated AI and automation solutions into collaboration platforms, revolutionising project management, knowledge sharing, and workflow automation on complex, multi-jurisdictional matters.
Her strategic consulting for corporate legal departments has secured multimillion-pound technology investments, optimised eBilling solutions, transformed enterprise legal spend management, as well as designed innovative digital solutions on collaborative technology platforms for complex regulatory and transactional challenges —driving measurable impact and efficiency improvements for multinational organisations.
She Breaks the Law: A Global Community
A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, Priya established She Breaks the Law on International Women’s Day 2019, now a thriving global community of 4,000 women from over 50 countries. This unique network brings together women from diverse backgrounds—lawyers, technologists, founders, and operations experts—creating cross-functional collaboration that accelerates innovation in the legal ecosystem.
Unlike traditional professional networks, She Breaks the Law transcends organisational, disciplinary and geographic boundaries. This distinctive approach has created a powerful platform for women’s leadership in law, providing safe spaces for connection, knowledge exchange, mentoring, and professional growth.
The community has signature initiatives including ‘SheShares,’ which highlights relatable role models and their journeys, and hosts webinars and events focused on topics ranging from emerging technologies, the future of legal education, and female entrepreneurship and leadership. These events drive industry dialogue on critical topics including AI ethics, digital transformation, and inclusive innovation.
Priya has established strategic partnerships and spearheaded critical collaborations including with Oxford University on LawTech ecosystem research, CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium), Next 100 Years of Women in Law, and leading law firms and tech providers to extend the network’s global influence.
Women in Legal AI Initiative
In 2024, Priya collaboratively launched the ‘Women in Legal AI’ Initiative and published the influential report, ‘No Woman Left Behind: Closing the AI Gender Gap in Law,’ revealing critical insights about disparities in AI adoption and development while igniting essential conversations about women’s leadership in the future of AI within the legal profession.
This pioneering work, in collaboration with the Next 100 Years of Women in Law and Linklaters, outlines practical recommendations for individuals and organisations to close the gender gap in legal AI. Under Priya’s leadership, She Breaks the Law continues to expand this research while creating safe spaces for learning and collaboration.
Mentorship and Community Impact
Drawing from her personal journey—from a young lawyer in India to a senior corporate lawyer in London to a global leader of legal transformation across three continents—Priya is deeply committed to mentoring and empowering others, particularly women from diverse backgrounds and young professionals and students exploring alternative career paths.
She actively mentors legal tech founders, General Counsels, and Heads of Legal/LegalOps, professionals making career transitions, and individuals balancing personal responsibilities with professional growth. Her holistic approach involves being a sounding board, advisor, and connector, helping mentees gain knowledge, practical experience, and access to global communities.
Speaking and Thought Leadership
An engaging speaker and keynote, Priya energises audiences at prestigious international events including the CLOC Global Institute, British Legal Tech Forum, Legal Design Summit, and the Legal Innovation & Tech Fest Africa. Her presentations combine technical expertise with practical implementation strategies and compelling storytelling, making complex concepts accessible and actionable.
She has experience designing immersive leadership experiences, having facilitated tailored design thinking workshops and led process optimisation initiatives for global law firms and legal departments. Her ability to mastermind and host strategy and innovation days for leadership teams has helped organisations navigate complex situations and achieve desired change.
Recognition and Advisory Roles
Priya’s contributions have been recognised through the European Women of Legal Tech Award (2020), as a Global Female Founder Finalist at the Australian Legal Technology Awards (2022), and now as one of ILTA’s Influential Women in Legal Tech Award (2025).
She served on the inaugural Education Advisory Council of CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium) until 2024 and continues to serve on the Advisory Board of Cambridge Women in Law, further extending her influence in shaping the future of legal technology and women’s leadership in the profession.
A Vision for the Future
Through her professional leadership, community building, and thought leadership initiatives, Priya has a vision to foster an inclusive and equitable legal industry where diverse voices lead technological change, ensuring that innovation becomes a force for positive transformation in the legal ecosystem.
“Congratulations to this year’s winners of ILTA’s Influential Women in Legal Technology award! This group of five global powerhouses, representing five countries on three continents, demonstrates a commitment to applying technology to achieve innovation in the practice of the law. This year’s winners are all lawyers—the first time that has happened in the award’s history. This truly embodies the intersection of technology and the law. Thanks to the winners for their invaluable contributions to the advancement of the profession!”
Joy Heath Rush – CEO, ILTA
Influential Women In Tech Award Winners will be honored at the 2025 Distinguished Peer Awards Event in Myrtle Beach, SC, April 29th, 2025.
For more information on the event and to register: 2025 Awards Presentation – ILTA’s Distinguished Peer Awards
