Following the resignation of its CEO just weeks before its annual conference, the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) looked to reassure members that it is moving as quickly as it can to fill the leadership gap.

Speaking at a town hall at ITLACON 2018, Chris Boyd, chief knowledge and talent officer at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and ILTA's executive vice president, said there are three priorities for the organization following the CEO's departure.

First, ILTA wants to ensure “as smooth a transition as possible,” he said. Secondly, the organization will work to make sure “the leadership team and all the staff have the resources and direction they need” to execute on the organization's goals.

The last priority, Boyd said, “is to find a strong and capable interim CEO for this organization.”

James McKenna, CIO at Fenwick & West and ILTA's director at large, said the organization was working with “three reputable interim CEO agencies” to find a replacement.

“As of this morning we have had 60 applicants,” he said, adding that “about eight of those people look to be fantastic on paper, and we're having conversations with those people as quickly as possible.”

Angela Dowd, director of practice innovation at Burns & Levinson, and president of ILTA said that for any interim CEO, “we want someone who understands and appreciates the unique culture we have.”

In addition to addressing questions over the CEO hiring process, the ILTA board also moved to assure its members it was working to fix some of the outstanding operational issues the organization has been challenged with in the past.

When asked how the ILTA will better empower its volunteers, ILTA's board secretary Ginevra Saylor, formerly a national director of knowledge and innovation at Dentons. said that a task force set up last year to “do a complete inventory of all the volunteer roles” is in a position to release a set of recommendations around September.

The goal, she said, was that for the ILTA to present “meaningful [volunteer] opportunities so you understand what your role is” and feel that you have accomplished something.

The organization also moved to address some concerns from legal technology providers who feel their relationship with the ILTA has deteriorated over the years.

“We agree there are things we can and should be doing better,” said Kate Cain, director of market intelligence at Sidley Austin and ILTA director at large. A big part of that, she added, was “figuring out how to balance the business side of that relationship” with including such companies in the organization as partners.

The resignation of Dan Liutikas came a year after ILTA experienced another C-suite shake-up in the days before its 2017 annual conference. In August 2017, Liutikas laid off and replaced three longtime members of the organization's executive team—Clay Gibney, Deb Himsel and Peggy Wechsler. Following the move, some founding ILTA members quit the organizations to launch a new organization named the Association of Legal technologists (ALT).

The recent changes, and the contention surrounding them, have put pressure on the ILTA to better address its member concerns. At the town hall, Judith Flournoy, chief information officer at Kelley Drye & Warren and one of the founders of a member group called “Heal ILTA,” noted that this is a pivotal time in the organization's history. “We are at a crossroads; what we say and how we conduct ourselves can heal or hurt ILTA.”