Dolapo Olushola-Uwaifo of Baker Donelson has been recognized by LegalOps.com with its inaugural "Rising Star Under 40" in Legal Operations Management Award.
Ms. Olushola-Uwaifo was among the winners celebrated at the "Running Legal Like a Business" (RLLB) Awards Ceremony at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, as part of the RLLB 2024 conference.
The various awards categories recognized outstanding achievements of in-house legal departments, legal technology, and service providers, and individuals who turn innovative ideas into realized solutions. This year's winners were recognized for driving significant change in their respective businesses through cutting-edge technologies, streamlined workflows, and exceptional client service.
Nominees for the "Rising Star Under 40" award, who were from all over the world, were carefully evaluated by the LegalOps.com panel of industry experts, with particular focus on their impactful outcomes. Connie Brenton, co-founder and CEO of LegalOps.com, described the recipients as "trailblazers who exemplify the future of our industry and inspire others to follow their lead." Of the eight "Rising Star Under 40" award recipients, Ms. Olushola-Uwaifo was the only honoree from a law firm to be recognized.
In addition to earning this recognition at the RLLB 2024 conference, Ms. Olushola-Uwaifo participated in two panel sessions: "Empowering Women: Stories of Leadership, Mentorship, and Authenticity" and "From Matter Transparency to Financial Predictability: Practical LPM Applications for In-House Teams."
Ms. Olushola-Uwaifo is an attorney in Baker Donelson's Nashville office who serves as Director of Legal Process Engineering for the Firm's litigation attorneys and clients, with an emphasis on equipping lawyers to run their practices like best-run businesses and with operational efficiency. She collaborates with Baker Donelson's litigation attorneys and clients in the application of legal project management, process improvement, and innovative methodologies and best practices to implement client-facing solutions that promote more cost-effective legal services. Ms. Olushola-Uwaifo's work focuses on providing reliable matter budgets and alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), effective legal project management, legal spend data and analytics, and internal and external matter or portfolio management technology. She also facilitates the use of the Firm's BakerManage® platform to plan, execute, monitor, and control legal projects to ensure efficiency.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law, Ms. Olushola-Uwaifo also holds a Certificate of Business Management from the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. She is PMP® certified through the Project Management Institute (PMI) and has a Lean Six Sigma certification from the International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC). Ms. Olushola-Uwaifo is an adjunct professor for Vanderbilt University Law School's Program on Law and Innovation (POLI). In 2019, she was selected as a "Top 40 Under 40 in Tennessee" by The National Black Lawyers.
LegalOps.com is an ecosystem of platforms and services, uniting the legal professionals to drive competitive advantage. LegalOps.com's flagship platform is a comprehensive, cloud-based, membership community providing legal operations and other professionals with access to fundamental resources, including benchmarking, competency models, best practices, checklists, thought leadership, and product and service overviews and insights, as well as unique opportunities to connect with other experts.