A2J Tech Employee Spotlight Series: David Nonemaker and Victoria Pan
Welcome back to our Employee Spotlight Series!
At A2J Tech, we believe in more than just showcasing the intellectual prowess of our team; we're here to highlight the vibrant personalities that are the heartbeat of our mission. This series offers a window into the lives of our dedicated team members, each of whom is deeply committed to making justice accessible to all.
Find out where our employees are from, their hidden talents, beloved pets, favorite books and movies, and maybe pick up a new favorite holiday recipe along the way!
This week we are introducing David Nonemaker, Senior Developer, and Victoria Pan, Legal Innovator and Project Manager.
David Nonemaker
How did you get into legal tech?
Fresh out of university and paralegal school, I got my first exposure to legal work as a policy writer and consultant for school districts. Keeping policy manuals up to date for several hundred school districts can be quite a task, and our organization needed to find a way to automate the process as much as possible. With the modest technical skills I had at that time, I developed a method to automate the creation and updating of policy manuals for the many school districts we supported. Through this experience, I discovered I enjoyed developing custom technology solutions, so I went back to school to earn a second degree in Computer Information Systems. Now armed with my past legal experience and a new set of technological abilities, I transitioned into a company specializing in the development of legal technology solutions.
Why is access to justice important to you?
I firmly believe that access to justice should not be a privilege reserved for those with ample financial resources, but a fundamental right accessible to everyone, regardless of their economic status. The ability to seek legal assistance and protection is crucial to ensure that all individuals can defend their rights and liberties. In the context of the legal tech industry, this principle takes on added significance. We have the opportunity, and indeed the responsibility, to leverage technology to bridge the gap between the legal system and those who are often marginalized or overlooked. By making legal resources more accessible and understandable, we can empower individuals to advocate for themselves and make informed decisions, thereby fostering a more just and inclusive community. This commitment to broadening access to justice resonates deeply with me, as it aligns with my core values of fairness, equity, and social responsibility.
If you weren’t working for A2J Tech, what would you be doing?
In this busy and complicated world in which we live, sometimes I just feel like heading off to the Caribbean for some much-needed R&R. In my fantasy world, I envision myself residing in a charming abode nestled just steps away from a pristine, sun-kissed tropical beach. From my doorstep, I'd gaze out upon the endless expanse of crystal blue waters where I'd be teaching SCUBA diving to periodic visitors and share with them the hidden wonders beneath the waves.
For a more realistic job, however, if I weren't working at A2J, I'd probably be freelancing and developing new custom technology solutions in the legal industry.
A2J Tech has employees all over! Where are you based out of?
Known by many as the Gateway to the West, Saint Louis, Missouri, is where I currently rest my head. I've lived in Missouri all my life and grew up in Kansas City (Missouri, not Kansas!) before jaunting over to Columbia, Missouri, for my academic studies. Although…maybe someday, I'll get to say I'm out of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (see fantasy job above for more details.)
A2J Tech does a weekly employee trivia! What topic would you be best at?
Well, I know what topic I'd be worst at – popular culture – because I usually lose in this category. I might do well in geography or mathematics, though.
What’s your favorite holiday recipe?
Hmm. That's a tough one because I don't cook much, and by "not much," I mean to say hardly at all. I do greatly enjoy, though, a tenderly cooked turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy, if I could only find someone to cook it for me…
Do you have any pets?
I have two cats. I've had the first one, Fiona, for two years. She knows she's the queen of this castle, and that I'm her subject. Here she is now, peacefully lounging under the undecorated Christmas tree:
Othello is my second cat, well, kitten actually. I've only had him for two months, and he's about 7 months old. He was a stray, I felt badly for him, so I took him in. Wow, you should have seen how Fiona first regarded him! I didn't think they'd ever get along. They do pretty well now, as long as Othello knows that she's the queen, and as long as he doesn't pounce on her when she's trying to sleep. Here he is now – the reason the Christmas tree remains undecorated:
What is your favorite book or movie?
Hmm. Another tough one. I don't really read or watch movies much anymore. Let me peruse my dusty bookshelf to see if any bring up a fond memory…I found two books that I remember liking. 1) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (fiction), and 2) Henry VIII: The King and His Court by Alison Weir (nonfiction). I've always enjoyed reading history books and historical fiction books.
What do you listen to while working remotely?
I'm usually listening to 90’s alternative music while working, unless deep concentration is required; in which case I work in silence, with an occasional purr of sleepy cats in the background.
What’s one place you’d really like to visit?
I've always wanted to visit the Pyramids of Giza in Northern Egypt.
What’s a surprising fact about you?
My dad was an airline pilot and flight instructor, so we lived in Athens, Greece, for six months while he was there training pilots. While there we visited many of the holy sites in Israel.
What’s your Meyers-Briggs alignment?
Mediator: INFP
Victoria Pan
How did you get into legal tech?
I had always been into technology growing up – I remember entering kids’ coding competitions and building those Lego robot kits with my dad, but all of that eventually fell by the wayside as I made my way into law school. I was looking for an externship and had a good friend who externed with A2J Tech, and it seemed like a perfect match for all my interests! I’ve been on the A2J Tech team ever since.
Why is access to justice important to you?
Coming from an immigrant family and seeing how the justice system treats people who aren’t fluent in not only English but also American culture or social cues really opened my eyes to the everyday injustices that go on every day around us that we take as “normal.” It’s important to me that we take steps, no matter where or who we are, to call out those injustices and to recognize them for what they are.
If you weren’t working for A2J Tech, what would you be doing?
If I wasn’t working at A2J Tech, I would be practicing somewhere in the criminal law or immigration (or “crimmigration”!) area. But in an alternate universe where I wasn’t working in the legal industry, I would probably be working in creative writing! A dream would be working on the writing for a video game, too.
A2J Tech has employees all over! Where are you based out of?
I’m in Nashville, Tennessee (but not a country music fan, crucially.)
A2J Tech does a weekly employee trivia! What topic would you be best at?
My teammates know that for some reason I am a wealth of absolutely useless information, which is why I host the employee trivia, but I think my best category so far has been “Desserts,” which honestly makes a lot of sense given my lifestyle.
What’s your favorite holiday recipe?
I love to bake and cook, and my most requested dessert is a 6-ingredient flourless chocolate cake. My most requested savory recipe for holiday gatherings is also oddly my easiest: carrots slow-roasted at 375 degrees Fahrenheit with LOTS of oregano, lemons, as many cloves of garlic as your heart desires, and one yellow onion, until the carrots soften (about an hour, give or take).
Do you have any pets?
I have a very chatty orange creamsicle cat named Fifi!
What is your favorite book or movie?
I was an English major in college and one of my favorite pastimes is recommending books to people based on their interests. Some of my favorites are The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood or The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje.
What do you listen to while working remotely?
I listen to a lot of classic or indie/alternative rock – teammates who have driven with me on one of our kiosk installation trips have called it “teen boy rock” – and a variety of podcasts, including Sporkful, Strong Songs, Triple Click, and Kill James Bond.
What’s one place you’d really like to visit?
One of my bucket list places to visit is the Belvedere Gallery and Museum in Vienna.
What’s a surprising fact about you?
I’ve always been musical, and I used to play the lever harp, among other instruments! I was also classically trained in voice growing up.
What’s your Meyers-Briggs alignment?
I’m an INTJ!
