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David A. Rueff Jr.

Chief Client Solutions Officer
Jackson
T: 601.351.2469
F: 601.592.2469
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David A. Rueff Jr. is Baker Donelson's Chief Client Solutions Group Officer and a member of the Firm's board of directors.

Professional Biography

As Chief Client Solutions Group Officer, David is responsible for oversight of an innovation team at Baker Donelson which includes responsibilities for knowledge management, legal project management, matter budgeting, pricing, process improvement, machine learning/AI applications and legal research. David regularly works with lawyers and clients to develop unique process, pricing and technology solutions.

Prior to law school, David worked in the technology industry for a hardware and software manufacturer where he was first exposed to project management, agile and the development of software applications for the engineering industry. David has also been a practicing lawyer for more than 20 years, is PMP® certified through the Project Management Institute, is certified in the Toyota Manufacturing Production System (Lean) and is a member of the Professional Pricing Society. As a practicing lawyer, David's experience included both litigation and transactional matters, but in later years, David's practice was primarily focused on the distribution of federal grants to victims of hurricane and flood disasters. David has staffed and managed project teams in Mississippi, New York, Texas, New Jersey and Louisiana. His experience includes the management and oversight of a program legal department for two years that included a team of 11 attorneys and 20 paralegals.

In 2011, David helped to create and staff one of the first law firm Legal Project Management Offices. As the Firm's Legal Project Management Officer, he was responsible for implementation of pricing, legal project management, process improvement and supporting technologies. David was also responsible for the development of the Firm's proprietary legal project management model - BakerManage®, the Firm's Lean model - BakerLeanTM and the Firm's proprietary budgeting tool - Budget Designer. David also assisted with the launch of the Firm's consulting affiliate, LegalShift, LLC and serves on LegalShift's Board of Directors. He provides consulting services for in-house legal departments by applying some of the same innovations he helped develop at Baker Donelson. For example, David worked with an in-house legal department to improve communication within the team, automate performance metrics, improve controls on outside counsel spend and assist the general counsel with reporting to the executive team.

  • Project Management Professional (PMP®) certified project manager through the Project Management Institute, which demonstrates experience, education and competency to successfully lead and direct projects
  • Training and Certification in the Toyota Production System (Lean), Mississippi State University (December 2014)
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Real Estate Law since 2010 
  • Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers as a leading real estate lawyer in Mississippi (2008 – 2021)
  • BV® Distinguished™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Adjunct Law Professor, Mississippi College of Law
  • Fellow – American Bar Foundation 
  • Fellow – International Institute of Legal Project Management 
  • Fellow – College of Law Practice Management 
  • Fellow – American College of Mortgage Attorneys
  • ACEDS Global Advisory Board Member (2019 – present)
  • ARK National Conference Steering Committee 2023 (advisory group to assist ARK with the development of a new conference at the intersection of technology, strategy and innovation)
  • Member – Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC)
  • Inaugural Chairman – ABA Law Practice Division, Legal Project Management Committee (2015 – 2016)
  • Pro Bono Coordinator for Baker Donelson's Jackson Office (2007 – 2012) 
  • Recipient – Baker Donelson Jackson Pro Bono Attorney of the Year (2007)
  • YWCA Board of Management (1-55 Branch) (2002 – 2006)
  • Special Counsel, Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal for the Mississippi Gulf Coast – Land Use, and Public Services Committees (2005)
  • Mississippi Volunteer Lawyer Project – Volunteer Attorney
  • Finalist – Litera Microsystems' The Changing Lawyer Awards in the Legal Innovator of the Year category (August 2019)
  • Finalist – ILTA's Thought Leader of the Year Award/Leadership Award (August 2019)
  • Recipient – ILTA Publication Awards – "Matter Budgets Matter: A Case Study You Can Take to the Bank," International Legal Technology Association, Las Vegas (August 2017)
  • Finalist – "ILTA Distinguished Peer Awards – Innovative Project of the Year" International Legal Technology Association, Las Vegas (August 2017)
  • Finalist – "ILTA Distinguished Peer Awards – Innovative Law Firm of the Year" International Legal Technology Association, Las Vegas (August 2017)
  • Recipient – "Leader in the Law" honoree by the Mississippi Business Journal (2014)
  • Finalist – "ILTA Distinguished Peer Awards – Innovative Law Firm of the Year" International Legal Technology Association, Las Vegas (August 2013)
  • Named to Portico Magazine's "Portico 10" (January 2013)
  • Recipient – ILTA Distinguished Peer Award, Project of the Year for Baker Donelson's Legal Project Management Initiative and System (2012)
  • Member – American (Real Property, Environmental, Energy and Resources Sections) and Mississippi Bar Associations
  • Member – CLOC LPM Committee (2019) 
  • Member – ACEDS (Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists) Global Advisory Board (2020)
  • Member – American College of Mortgage Attorneys
  • Associate Member – International Council of Shopping Centers
  • Member – American Society of Landscape Architects
  • Tri-County Real Estate Lawyers
  • "Artificial Intelligence – Understanding and Using This New Technology," In-House Counsel CLE (November 2024)
  • "Leveraging AI in Legal Practice: Emerging Tools, Compliance Considerations, and Use Cases," In-House Counsel CLE (October 2024)
  • Panelist – "Two Years In: Real Results From the AI Evolution in Legal," KM&I Conference (October 2024)
  • "The Law Firm AI Revolution: What Clients Need to Know," Mitratech AdvanceLaw Innovative Law Firm Spotlight Series (October 2024)
  • "Artificial Intelligence – Understanding and Using This New Technology," In-House Counsel Training (June 2024)
  • "AI In Real-World Litigation Scenarios - Understanding Litigation Focused Applications and Addressing Potential Pitfalls," Strafford Webinar (June 2024)
  • "The Urgent Need for Legal Project Management: How to Make Your Legal Teams More Effective," CLOC Global Institute (May 2024)
  • "Breaking Down the Silos to Take Your Firm to the Next Level," ARK National Summit on Law Firm Operations, New York (May 2024)
  • Conference Chair – ARK National Summit on Law Firm Operations, New York (May 2024)
  • "Navigating Turbulent Waters: Leveraging Technology to Safeguard Profitability," BigHand Virtual User Conference (February 2024)
  • "Alternative Pricing Strategies," In-House Counsel Training (December 2023)
  • "Outside Counsel Management Best Practices," Running Legal Like a Business Conference, LegalOps.com (October 2023)
  • "Carrots and Sticks: Incentivizing Attorneys to Adopt New Tools," Ark National Summit, New York (May 2023)
  • "Applying Legal Project Management to Your Matters: Learning New Approaches for Managing and Budgeting" and "Practical Takeaways in Applying LPM In-House and In Law Firms," Practical Law Institute Legal Project Management, New York (February 2023)
  • "LPM Workshop," Baylor Law Executive L.L.M. Litigation Management (January 2023)
  • "Deploying Project Management Principles To Enhance Efficiency and Drive Growth," Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS) (July 2022)
  • "LPM Workshop," Baylor Law Executive L.L.M. Litigation Management (June 2022)
  • "The Evolving Landscape of LPM: What Clients Expect from Their Transactional Lawyers," ABA Business Law Section Hybrid Spring Meeting (March 2022)
  • Guest Lecturer – "Legal Business Design Challenge," University of Richmond School of Law (March 2022)
  • "LPM Workshop," Baylor Law Executive L.L.M. Litigation Management (January 2022)
  • Guest Lecturer – "Legal Innovation," University of Richmond School of Law (October 2021)
  • Guest Lecturer – "Legal Analytics and Innovation," Georgia State University College of Law (September 2021)
  • "Bringing Order to the Chaos: Managing 'Unmanageable' Litigation with Litigation Project Management," Baylor Law Executive L.L.M. Litigation Management (September 2021)
  • "Seeking Innovation in Educating the Next Generation of Lawyers," Thomson Reuters Institute Market Insights Podcast (September 2021)
  • "Legal Business Design Challenge," Case Study, ILTACON (August 2021)
  • "Using Legal Project Management to Streamline and Enhance Operations," Community of Legal Innovators, Tipping the Scales Summer Webinar Series (July 2021)
  • "Reinventing Legal," Interview with Ari Kaplan, Litera TV (July 2021)
  • "Alternative Pricing Strategies," In-House Counsel Training (June 2021)
  • "Implementing Legal Tech," Global LPM Summit (June 2021)
  • "Using Project Management to Drive Better, More Accurate Data, Legal Strategy and Lower Costs," Global LPM Summit (June 2021)
  • "Implementing & Integrating Legal Project Management Technology to Drive Better Business," Global LPM Summit, Online Event (June 2021)
  • "Improving Matter Management – Practical Application of the CLOC MLM Workflow and Tools," CLOC Global Institute (May 2021)
  • "Innovation in the Legal Arena," Mississippi Bar CLE Series (April 2021)
  • "Legal Project Management – Becoming a Believer," Vanderbilt Law School (April 2021)
  • "Adapting to a Virtual Work Environment," ACEDS Roundtable (March 2021)
  • "Organizing for Innovation," HBR Sounding Board Series (February 2021)
  • "Implementing Task Management Solutions," Law Vision LPM Roundtable (February 2021)
  • "Task Management," LawVision LPM Roundtable (February 2021)
  • "Practical Takeaways in Applying LPM In-House and In Law Firms," PLI Project Management for Lawyers (February 2021)
  • Innovator-In-Residence, Legal Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program - Legal Business Design Challenge (University of Richmond School of Law, Fall 2020)
  • "Competitive Pricing for Law Firms," LexMachina Webinar Series (September 2020)
  • "A New Profit Frontier - Selling Innovation," ILTAON Webinar (August 2020)
  • "Challenges and Opportunities Implementing LPM Technology Solutions," LawVision Webinar (June 2020)
  • "Thriving Under Pressure: Crafting Win-Win Solutions In Time of Crisis," Legal Value Network Webinar (March 2020)
  • "The Changing Role of Talent in an Innovation Environment," Ark Group's Law Firm Innovation Summit 2019, Harvard Club (November 2019)
  • "Rethinking Legal Practice Support Models for Improved Client Service," Ark Group's 15th Annual Knowledge Management in the Legal Professions, New York Law School (October 2019)
  • "Organizing for Innovation," ILTACON, Orlando, Florida (August 2019)
  • "LPM After 10 Years - Where Are We Now," ABA LPM Committee and Elevate Services, Webinar (June 2019)
  • "Critical Components of the CLOC LPM Framework," CLOC Institute, Las Vegas (May 2019)
  • "Innovations for the Modern Legal Department," Corporate Legal Department In-House CLE (May 2019)
  • "Implementing a Legal Project Management Program," CLOC Webinar Series (April 2019)
  • "Competitive Intelligence: A 360 Degree View of Your Clients," ILTA KM and Marketing (April 2019)
  • "Overview of the CLOC Framework and LPM Intake Stage," CLOC Webinar Series (March 2019)
  • "CLOC LPM Planning Stage," CLOC Webinar Series (March 2019)
  • "Legal Project Management: Increasing Client Value and Improving Firm Performance," Corporate In-House Strategic Legal Partner Meeting (February 2019)
  • Co-Facilitator/Speaker – True Value Partnering Institute Annual Value Meeting, LPM Track, Miami, Florida (January 2019)
  • "The Convergence of Professional Development, Marketing and Technology," National Association of Law Placement Professional Development Institute, Washington, D.C. (November 2018)
  • "LPM & Pricing in 2025," International Legal Technology Association, Webinar (September 2018)
  • "Project Management for Lawyers and Legal Professionals," In-House Legal Department Training Program, West Palm Beach, Florida (August 2018)
  • "Strategic Planning & Project Management: Project Evaluation & Prioritization," CLOC Texas Regional Meeting (August 2018)
  • "Project Management for Lawyers and Legal Professionals: Back to Basics," Association of Corporate Counsel, Tennessee Chapter, Nashville, Tennessee (August 2018)
  • "Driving Adoption and Demonstrating ROI for LPM Initiatives," Legal Marketing Association, P3 Conference, Chicago, Illinois (May 2018)
  • "Becoming a Believer, Using LPM to Remain Competitive in the Changing Legal Market," Lexpo Legal Innovation Conference, Amsterdam (April 2018)
  • "Legal Project Management and Legal Process Improvement," Guest Lecturer for the University of Illinois College of Law's Law Practice Technology & Business Operations (March 2018)
  • "Legal Project Management 101: Integrating Legal Project Management Into Your Practice," Memphis Bar Association, Core Legal Practice Skills Seminar (November 2017)
  • "Joint Panel on Developing a Reasonable Estimate of Fees," webinar, ABA Law Practice Division, LPM Interest Group and the New South Wales Bar Association (November 2017)
  • "Reducing Mistakes and Satisfying Ethical Requirements with Legal Project Management," American Bar Association, Law Practice Division, Legal Project Management Interest Group, Webinar (November 2017)
  • "Practically Speaking, Implementing Project Management at Your Firm," Firm Administrative Conference, Attorneys' Liability Assurance Society, Inc. (ALAS), Chicago, Illinois (August 2017)
  • "Better, Faster, Cheaper: Finding and Removing Barriers to Legal Process Improvement," ILTACON, Las Vegas, Nevada (August 2017)
  • "Project Management for Lawyers and Legal Professionals: Back to Basics," Association of Corporate Counsel, Georgia Chapter, Atlanta, Georgia (May 2017)
  • "How Can Lawyers and Legal Professionals Be Better Project Managers," JP Morgan Chase Offsite Training, Tampa, Florida (May 2017)
  • "A New Approach To Aligning the Objectives of Outside Counsel, In-House Legal and Corporate Business," Legal Marketing Association - P3 Conference, Chicago, Illinois (May 2017)
  • "Build or Buy? – Technology Solutions for LPM, Budgeting and Pricing," True Value Partnering Institute Webinar (April 2017)
  • "Taking Control of Your Law Department - Practical Uses of Legal Project Management," International Association of Defense Counsel, Chicago, Illinois (April 2017)
  • "High-Tech Lawyering Skills for Law Graduates," ABA TechShow, Academic Track, Chicago, Illinois (March 2017)
  • "Collaborating to Reinvent Legal Project Management," Reinventing Professionals (March 3, 2017)
  • "Project Management For Lawyers – Keeping Matters and Teams on Track," Practising Law Institute, New York (January 2017)
  • "Project Management For Lawyers – Legal Process Improvement: A Natural Outgrowth from LPM," Practising Law Institute, New York (January 2017)
  • "Practice and Professionalism - Legal Project Management," Guest Lecturer for Kent College, Chicago, Illinois (November 2016)
  • "A New Approach To Aligning the Objectives of Outside Counsel, In-House Legal and Corporate Business," ILTACON, Washington D.C. (September 2016)
  • "Legal Operations: Different Approaches and Helpful Technology Tools," ILTACON, Washington D.C. (August 2016)
  • "From the Front Lines, Actual Jobs in New Law," ILTACON, Washington D.C. (August 2016)
  • "LPM 101 - Integrating Legal Project Management Into Your Practice," ABA LP Division, Legal Project Management Committee Webinar (May 2016)
  • "Legal Project Management For Lawyers – Managing a Matter to the Budget," Practising Law Institute, New York (January 2016)
  • "Legal Project Management For Lawyers – Lessons Learned in Implementing LPM," Practising Law Institute, New York (January 2016)
  • "PM Principles/Process Toolkit: Exploring Agile, Waterfall, 6 Sigma, and Lean," International Legal Technology Association Webinar (August 2015)
  • Co-presenter – "Mandating Predictability in eDiscovery, Legal Project Management: eDiscovery Application," Tennessee Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, Memphis (July 2015)
  • Practitioner Mentor – "Limited Legal License Technicians: Glorified Paralegals or New Roles for Increased Access to Justice," Law Without Walls, University of Miami - School of Law (Spring 2015)
  • "Compliance & Ethics Functions Within Law Firms: Better Late Than Never or Before Its Time?," University of Miami - School of Law, Law Without Walls (March 2015)
  • "New Techniques to Manage Legal Teams, Improve Lawyer Communication and Report Successes," Association of Corporate Counsel, Tennessee Chapter (Knoxville) CLE (February 2015)
  • Guest Lecturer – University of Tennessee, College of Law - Leadership Practicum (February 2015)
  • "Legal Project Management Training Boot Camp, Stage 4: Evaluating & Closing the Project," American Bar Association Business Law Section, Center for Professional Development, Law Practice Division Webinar (January 2015)
  • "Legal Project Management For Lawyers – The Ethics of Legal Project Management," Practising Law Institute, New York (January 2015)
  • "It's a New World - Use Legal Project Management to Conqueror It!," ABA Litigation Section Leadership Meeting, Nashville, Tennessee (September 2014)
  • "Legal Project Management: Prepare for Changes in the Practice of Law," American Bar Association webinar (August 2014)
  • "Three Secrets of Pricing, Predictability and Profitability," Thomson Reuters Vantage Conference, New York (June 2014)
  • Guest Lecturer – Michigan State University School of Law - Legal Project Management Bootcamp (May 2014)
  • Guest Lecturer – Vanderbilt School of Law - Legal Project Management (March 2014)
  • "Legal Project Management For Law Firms – Developing a Breakdown of a Matter in Order to Build a Budget," Practising Law Institute, New York (January 2014)
  • "Legal Project Management – Adjusting New Demands in the Legal Services Market," Atlanta Bar Association, Corporate Counsel Section CLE, Atlanta (November 2013)
  • "Maintaining the Work . . . Practically: LPM Lessons from the Trenches," Legal Marketing Association: P3 Conference, Chicago (October 2013)
  • "Alternative Rocks! Non-Traditional Approaches to Legal Project Management," International Legal Technology Association, Las Vegas (August 2013)
  • "CLE Marathon: Fundamentals of Legal Project Management," Mississippi College School of Law (July 2013)
  • "Legal Project Management & Process Improvement," Thomson Reuters/West LegalEdCenter (May 2013)
  • "Working with Corporate Counsel to Manage Budgets, Timelines and Expectations," Stinson Morrison Hecker, LLP – CLE for Stinson University (February 2013)
  • "Using LPM to Keep AFAs Profitable," International Legal Technology Association Webinar (January 2013)
  • "Legal Project Management for Lawyers," Practising Law Institute, New York (January 2013)
  • "New Strategies for Increasing Your Book of Business in a Changing Legal Environment," National Bar Association, Gateway to Success: Navigating a Legal or Corporate Career in a Global Economy (October 2012)
  • "Using Legal Project Management for Competitive Advantage," West Webcast (August 2012)
  • "Legal Project Management – Working with Outside Counsel to Manage Budgets, Timelines and Expectations," Welsh, Carson Anderson & Stowe CLE, New York (June 2012)
  • "Implementing a Legal Project Management Office," Project Management Institute (PMI), Legal Project Management Community of Practice (May 2012)
  • "Legal Project Management – Implementation and Technology," International Legal Technology Association Conference (August 2011)
  • "Navigating the Real Estate Issues Associated with the Mississippi's Katrina Disaster Recovery Programs," seminar, Mississippi Bar Association's Real Property and Government Law Section (June 2011)

Practices

Industries

Education

  • Mississippi College School of Law, J.D., 1997, cum laude
  • Louisiana State University, M.L.A., 1991
  • University of Tennessee, B.S., 1988, cum laude

Admissions

  • Mississippi, 1997
  • Tennessee, 2007

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