Committee Leadership

Jennifer is a legal ethics attorney based in Pennsylvania, where she leads her own consulting and law firm marketing company, Jennifer Ellis, JD, LLC. She focuses on aiding attorneys in areas such as electronic discovery, practice management, and enhancing their marketing and online presence. Her prior experience includes tenure as an Associate at a Philadelphia area personal injury firm, where she not only practiced legal ethics but also managed the firm’s online presence and supervised its IT and security consultants. In her previous role as the Associate Director of Media Technology at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Jennifer was instrumental in organizing and presenting courses on a wide array of topics. She directed the creation and implementation of Simulcasting, which changed how PBI delivered education to lawyers throughout Pennsylvania. Her commitment to the Pennsylvania Bar Association is evident through her various leadership roles, including her past position as Chair of the Solo and Small Firm Section. Presently, Jennifer is the co-chair of both the Legal Career Transitions and Technology Committees, and she is an active member of the Executive Committee of WIP. Jennifer is a speaker and author throughout Pennsylvania and nationally on subjects related to law practice management, technology, ethics, and marketing. To connect with Jennifer and learn more about her work, visit her website at jlellis.net.

Attorney Daniel J. Siegel is a nationally recognized authority on ethics, technology, data protection and business workflow management, and the principal of both the Law Offices of Daniel J. Siegel, LLC and Integrated Technology Services, LLC. Dan provides techno-ethics counsel to solo, small and mid-sized law firms on cybersecurity, technology and other related issues. His practice includes representing of attorneys in disciplinary matters; providing professional responsibility guidance to attorneys and firms; serving as appellate counsel; and representing individuals in workers’ compensation and personal injury matters. Dan also consults with law firms and businesses on workflow management, implementation of paperless offices, and other productivity matters. Attorney Siegel is a prolific speaker and author, and serves as the Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Committee on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility, and Past-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Professional Development Board Chair. The author of 15 books, Dan is a columnist and frequent lecturer on a wide range of topics, including ethics, technology, substantive law, appellate law, and professional responsibility matters. You can reach Dan at [email protected].

Mr. Akers is recently retired from his position as Deputy General Counsel in the Governor’s Office of General Counsel (OGC). His responsibilities included managing business and technology aspects of OGC and its nearly 500 attorneys who serve over 30 executive branch Commonwealth agencies. Among his duties, he supervised OGC’s hiring, lawyer education and legal technology initiatives, and was responsible for oversight of outside counsel who perform legal services for OGC agency offices. He also served as Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and a number of boards and commissions. Mr. Akers’ principal areas of practice expertise are in contracts, information technology, intellectual property, and regulatory compliance. He has extensive experience with e-commerce, information privacy, and cybersecurity issues as well as with copyright and trademark law. Mr. Akers has represented private and public sector clients before regulatory bodies, and negotiated a variety of complex contracts, licenses and agreements. A member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Board of Governors, Mr. Akers serves as Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and recently accepted an additional adjunct position at Carlow University.  He received his Bachelor of Arts with honors from the University of Virginia and is a graduate of Harvard Law School.

Mr. Edger is a Senior Deputy Attorney General in Charge of the Harrisburg region of the Bureau of Consumer Protection with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Additionally, Mr. Edger also serves as an Instructor of the Commonwealth Investigator Training Program, conducted at the PSP Academy in Hershey, PA. Prior to joining the Attorney General, Mr. Edger was a Regional Managing Attorney at MidPenn Legal Services, a non-profit legal aid firm for over seven years, representing clients and overseeing all services in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and Fulton counties. Mr. Edger is also an Adjunct Professor at Widener University Commonwealth Law School, teaching in the areas of family law, property, employment law, and trial skills. Mr. Edger has been recognized for his accomplishment by receiving numerous awards throughout his career. In 2024 he was awarded the C. Dale McClain Quality of Life Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association for his leadership in providing volunteer opportunities to assist other individuals, providing others with a sustainable quality of life. He also received a Special Achievement Award in 2024 from PBA President Michael McDonald for his service as a co-Vice-Chair on the newly formed Technology Committee. In 2023 Mr. Edger received the Michael K. Smith Excellence Award from the PBA Young Lawyers Division for service to youth. He also received the PBA’s Pro Bono Award in 2022 for pro bono service to the bar and to the community. He was named a Rising Star by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers between 2019 and 2021. Mr. Edger was also named to the “Forty Under 40” list by the Central Pennsylvania Business Journal in 2019, and received the George E. Hoffer Service to Youth Award in 2018 from the Cumberland County Bar Association. Mr. Edger currently serves as the Zone 3 Governor of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, representing lawyers in nine counties throughout Central PA. He previously served as the Chair of the PBA Young Lawyers Division from 2021-22, and served a three-year term on the PBA Board of Governors. Mr. Edger is also one of three Statewide Directors of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Wills for Heroes program. Mr. Edger is currently President of the Cumberland County Bar Association. Mr. Edger graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Elizabethtown College and earned his Juris Doctor from the Widener University School of Law. He lives in Carlisle with his wife Katelynn and his sons Connor and Aiden.

Samuel G. Encarnacion is the First Assistant Public Defender of Lancaster County. He has a long-standing career with the Lancaster County Public Defender's Office, representing clients in criminal cases. Bilingual in English and Spanish, he is originally from the Dominican Republic, grew up in Puerto Rico, and moved to Texas in 1980. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and obtained his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law at Austin. He was also a partner with Spahn Encarnacion and represented injured plaintiffs with Haggerty Silverman. In addition to his legal practice, he has actively participated in various legal committees, including the Pennsylvania Bar Association Minority Bar Committee. He served as an at-large minority governor on the PBA Board of Governors. Furthermore, Sam chaired the PBA Insurance Fund and Trust for and for its tenure as Chair received the PBA Special Achievement Award. He was also a member of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Committee on Rules of Evidence and served as its chair. Recently, he was appointed as co-vice chair of the newly formed Technology Committee.