Free Law Project Leadership
Michael Lissner – Executive Director
Michael is a co-founder and the executive director of Free Law Project, where he works to bring innovation and equity to the legal ecosystem. In this role, he steers the technical development and advocacy efforts of the organization and forges partnerships with libraries, legal technology startups, academics, and journalists. Michael holds a Masters of Information Management and Systems from the University of California, Berkeley School of Information. For his contribution to the access to justice movement, he was given the Paul H. Chapman award from the Foundation for Improvement of Justice. He is a FastCase 50 Honoree, and he has been awarded the prestigious Public Access to Information Award from the American Association of Law Librarians.
Brian Carver – Co-Founder and Board Member
In 2009 and 2010, at the UC Berkeley School of Information, Brian advised Michael Lissner on the creation of CourtListener. After Michael's graduation, he and Brian continued working on the site and have grown the database to include millions of documents. In 2011 and 2012, Brian advised masters students Rowyn McDonald and Karen Rustad on the creation of a legal citator built on the CourtListener database. During 2012 and 2013 he collaborated with computer scientists at UC Santa Cruz on the enhancement of the search capabilities of CourtListener. He continues to support all of Free Law Project's efforts as a member of its Board of Directors.
Ansel Halliburton – Board Member
Ansel has been involved in legal technology since 2006, when he joined a team at Stanford Law School to help build a comprehensive database of all federal intellectual property litigation — work that later spun out as Lex Machina. Ansel practiced technology law before co-founding Syntexys, a document analytics software company spun out from A3 by Airbus. Ansel holds degrees from UC Berkeley and UC Davis School of Law, writes about technology and security for Lawyerist, and builds small robots.
Rebecca Fordon – Board Member
Rebecca brings a unique perspective on legal technology and legal research, having transitioned into law librarianship after a successful career as a corporate bankruptcy attorney at an AmLaw 200 firm. A long-time volunteer with Free Law Project, her research interests have been greatly influenced by the organization’s mission, focusing currently on electronic court records, legal citators, and expanding open access to legal information. Rebecca frequently writes and speaks about legal technology and generative AI in the legal field and is a 2024 vLex Fastcase 50 honoree. She currently serves as a Law Librarian and Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at The Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law, where she brings her expertise to both the classroom and the library. Rebecca holds degrees from Ohio Wesleyan University, Boston University School of Law, and UCLA and in her spare time loves crosswords, cooking, and cycling.
Michelle Ma – Board Member
Michelle Ma is an attorney and startup founder who is passionate about building legal technology for self-advocacy. She brings a decade of legal experience counseling technology companies on contracts, technology licensing, product and IP issues, and M&A. A former mechanical engineer, she worked as an executive and founder of several early stage startups before opening her own practice.
Jenifer Whiston – Director of Philanthropy
Jenifer joins Free Law Project with over a decade of fundraising, grant writing, and relationship-building experience. She has previously worked in Development and Communications with the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York and YWCA Greater Capital Region. She received her bachelor’s degree from Siena College and a master’s from Long Island University Brooklyn. Jenifer lives in upstate New York with her two rescue dogs and enjoys curling, gardening, hiking, and snowboarding.
William E. Palin – Lead for Case Law
William is an attorney and software developer that is passionate about technologies role in bridging the Access-to-Justice gap. Prior to joining Free Law Project he was the Access to Justice/Technology Fellow at Harvard Law School, an Adjunct Professor of Law and Technology at Suffolk University in Boston and a practicing attorney.
Jessica Frank – Director of Justice Initiatives
Jessica Frank is a passionate legal technologist with a focus on expanding access to justice through innovative software solutions. After earning her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2011, she quickly transitioned from traditional legal practice to the intersection of law and technology. Before coming to Free Law Project, Jessica spent 12 years training users at legal aid organizations, courts, and law schools on how to use technology to simplify legal processes and bridge the civil justice gap. For fun, Jessica loves to read historical fiction & biographies, hang out at the beach, and run a cottage sugar cookie business.
Eri O'Diah – Technical Partnerships Manager
Eri a technologist, and entrepreneur with expertise in product strategy, legal technology, and access to justice innovation. She holds a B.A. from California State University, Northridge, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Technology Policy at the RAND School of Public Policy. Eri is passionate about leveraging open data to expand access to justice and mitigate bias in the legal system, and she brings a strong track record of leadership at the intersection of technology, policy, and social impact.
