Paul Embley is the Chief Information Officer of the Nevada Supreme Court, Administrative Office of the Courts. He began his career in Silicon Valley working for the “who’s who” of high tech (along with several of the “who’s no longer”). After 25 years in the for-profit sector, Paul shifted to the public sector to work on integrated justice. He has gleaned broad product lifecycle expertise from diverse and challenging projects in US states and territories, Australia, many EU nations, and several emerging democracies including Haiti, Jamaica, and Nigeria. He has lead justice-related IT assessments and technology initiatives ranging from child welfare and terrorist watchlist to online dispute resolution. He continues to follow potential disrupters such as blockchain and machine learning/data science, looking for ways those disrupters might be used advantageously in courts and with justice partners. He is currently involved in both day-to-day and strategic initiatives for the Nevada courts.

For more than a decade, Paul facilitated the Joint Technology Committee (JTC) of the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) and National Association of Court Management (NACM). During his tenure, the JTC identified ODR as a priority technology for courts. Through white papers and case studies, the JTC was a key influencer, educating judges and court administrators, drawing attention to successes in fledgling ODR initiatives, and helping change the national conversation about access to justice. Paul oversaw a significant grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts that directly assisted US states with implementing and evaluating ODR. Paul also led a group of vendors, academics, and technical experts working to develop ODR technical standards and metrics. He also organized and hosted the highly successful 2019 International ODR Forum in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Through these and other ODR-focused initiatives, Paul has become an expert and respected resource on ODR in state and local courts. He has participated in panels and delivered presentations at international ODR gatherings including Liverpool, London, Auckland, and Zagreb; the 2020 United Nations Global conference on Judicial Integrity in Doha; and a wide variety of US technology conferences including SXSW. He is working and hoping for the day when justice is truly accessible to all.