Steve Errick, a legal tech and publishing veteran who was formerly chief operating officer at Fastcase and head of the Legal Research Information Division at LexisNexis, has joined the American Arbitration Association as senior vice president and chief development officer.

In this new role, Errick will guide various strategic initiatives, develop services and products, and oversee the AAA’s marketing efforts, the AAA said.

He will have a specific focus on projects related to the impact that evolving technology and artificial intelligence will have on alternative dispute resolution, including  alliances, joint ventures, and strategic mission-driven acquisitions.

Bridget McCormack

The appointment of Errick follows that of Bridget M. McCormack, former chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, who took over in February as the AAA’s president and CEO. In her former role as chief justice, McCormack had been a leading voice on modernizing the court and justice systems to expand access to justice.

“Steve’s leadership, relationships, and expertise in the legal market generally and the legal tech market specifically will fast-track our strategy implementation,” McCormack said in a statement. “Steve puts innovative ideas into service and drives growth.”

Following the April merger of Fastcase and vLex, Errick was chief global content officer at vLex, where he led global content teams, managed service partners, and led the Fastcase and vLex data and content integration efforts.

Previously, he had been chief operating officer at Fastcase since 2017, where he launched a number of publications and product lines, resulting in substantial revenue growth for the company.

At LexisNexis from 2010 to 2016, Errick oversaw the Legal Research Information Division as vice president and managing director, in charge of the development of a large portfolio of legal research tools.

He also held executive positions at Wolters Kluwer and Thomson Reuters.

Errick, who had previously served as a member of the AAA’s board of directors, said he had been honored to serve in that role and watch McCormack carry forward the AAA’s mission by embracing innovation and transformation.

Errick said that in McCormack’s vision and competitive spirit, he sees parallels to other innovative and entrepreneurial organizations he has worked for or with, such as Fastcase, The Florida Bar and the American Immigration Law Association.

“The AAA team is likewise about to transform arbitration and mediation, aligning with and acquiring services, building AI data workflow tools and technologies to best serve arbitrators, businesses and the courts,” Errick said. “The AAA has embraced being an innovator as the best path in serving the AAA’s mission to provide education, technology and effective service solutions. I am thrilled to be a part of that transformation and program.”

[Disclosure: I am an arbitrator on the AAA’s labor relations panel.]

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.