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Michael Steele
Chief Information Officer at Fisher Phillips
Professional Background
Michael Steele is a highly accomplished technology executive with extensive experience in information technology and systems engineering. He currently serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm renowned for its expertise in corporate legal services. In his role, Michael is responsible for the strategic direction of the firm's technology initiatives, ensuring that they align with the business's overall goals while enhancing operational efficiencies.
Before his current role as CIO, Michael held the position of Director of Technology at Fisher Phillips, where he played a pivotal role in managing technological advancements and implementing innovative solutions to facilitate the firm's growth. His tenure at Fisher Phillips reflects his commitment to leveraging technology to improve legal processes and client service. Michael's leadership and technical expertise have been instrumental in enhancing the firm's digital capabilities.
Prior to joining Fisher Phillips, Michael served as the Director of Information Technology at James-Bates-Brannan-Groover-LLP, where he successfully oversaw all IT operations and initiatives for the firm. His ability to integrate technology into the day-to-day workings of a law firm demonstrated his understanding of both the legal landscape and technological advancements that drive efficiency in the industry.
Michael's journey began as a Site Support Manager at Epstein Becker & Green, P.C., where he managed IT support services and ensured that the firm's technology infrastructure ran smoothly. His expertise in troubleshooting and problem-solving helped the firm maintain high performance in its operations.
Earlier in his career, Michael gained valuable experience as a Network Systems Engineer at Apex Software and as a System Engineer at Adylis Technologies. In these positions, he honed his technical skills, focusing on system architecture and network infrastructure, which laid the groundwork for his successful career in IT leadership.
Education and Achievements
Michael's educational background is as impressive as his professional journey. He has pursued continuous learning and development throughout his career, staying abreast of the latest technological trends and advancements. This commitment to professional growth has positioned him as a thought leader in his field.
Michael is known not only for his technical acumen but also for his leadership skills. He has a proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams, fostering a collaborative environment that encourages innovation. His strategic vision and ability to drive change have been recognized by peers and industry leaders alike.
In addition to his managerial skills, Michael is passionate about mentoring the next generation of technology professionals. He is actively involved in various initiatives aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion in technology and legal sectors, underscoring his dedication to fostering a more equitable workforce.
Michael frequently shares his insights on technology in law through speaking engagements and thought leadership articles, contributing to discussions on the integration of technology in legal practices and advising firms on best practices for digital transformation.
Achievements
Throughout his career, Michael has achieved several key milestones. As CIO of Fisher Phillips, he successfully spearheaded a complete overhaul of the firm's IT infrastructure, significantly improving efficiencies and reducing operational costs. His efforts have played a crucial role in enhancing client satisfaction through improved service delivery and access to information.
Michael has also been responsible for implementing cybersecurity measures that protect sensitive client data and compliance with industry regulations—an essential aspect in the legal field. His initiatives in this area have not only safeguarded the firm but have also positioned Fisher Phillips as a leader in data security within the legal sector.
In summary, Michael Steele is a highly respected figure in the field of information technology, particularly within the legal industry. His extensive background and proven leadership skills have enabled him to drive innovation and operational excellence at every stage of his career. As he continues to shape the future of legal technology at Fisher Phillips, Michael remains committed to improving processes and outcomes for both the firm and its clients.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Clay is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Clay as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Clay offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Clay's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.