Ride the Lightning

Fastcase Releases the 2020 Fastcase 50

August 26, 2020

Yesterday, I received word that this year's Fastcase 50 had been announced. John and I once were honored to be on this list some years ago, along with our CEO Mike Maschke.

From the announcement: "Created in 2011, each year the Fastcase 50 award honors a diverse group of lawyers, legal technologists, policymakers, judges, law librarians, bar association executives, and people from all walks of life. In many cases, honorees are well known, but in many others, the award recognizes people who have made important, but unheralded contributions."

"Every part of the legal market is changing right now – from law school through every part of the practice," said Fastcase CEO Ed Walters. "That change can be daunting or discouraging to many people. And that's one reason that our team enjoys celebrating the accomplishments of the Fastcase 50. These are people who inspire us by their intelligence, creativity, and leadership. We hope they will inspire others as well, especially during a time of great change for the profession."

I congratulate all those who were named this year, but I have to give a special shout-out to our own Honorable John Tran of the Fairfax County Circuit Court. We have been friends for several decades and were so happy when our technology-focused friend joined the Fairfax Bench.

Here is his bio from yesterday's announcement: "Judge John Tran has stayed ahead of the curve on electronic courtroom technology, and his forward-thinking is now paying dividends. As the COVID-19 pandemic has forced courtrooms to lean on tech across the country, John has stepped up to help teach others about the tools needed to maintain operations. He has taught video conference software to lawyers and has become the go-to source for remote hearing expertise. John became a Judge in Fairfax, VA in 2013 and is the first Asian-American Judge in Virginia history. He was born in Vietnam and is the son of a South Vietnamese diplomat. He came to Virginia while in High School and received his law degree from George Washington University."

Congratulations John – you have made many contributions to the legal profession but we are especially proud of you for your willingness to take time to teach lawyers how to use the new technology of these difficult times. A richly deserved honor.

Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., President, Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
3975 University Drive, Suite 225|Fairfax, VA 22030
Email: Phone: 703-359-0700
Digital Forensics/Cybersecurity/Information Technology
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