Legal All-Star – David Skrede – Boardman Clark

David Skrede is a jack-of-all trades.

As IT manager for Boardman Clark, Skrede wears a number of hats. He helps employees troubleshoot their tech problems, maintains security, implements new technology and tackles a multitude of other projects.

Some of the projects that Skrede has led include: updating the firm’s hardware and network infrastructure; implementing seamless solutions for working remotely; and converting the firm to a new core legal software suite for timekeeping, billing, and accounting.

“David is highly skilled in the area of IT, but the progress he has made for the firm would not be possible without his commitment to hard work,” said Nick Sayers, Boardman Clark’s communications director. “He is typically one of the last people in the office (at the end of the day) and works on many projects after-hours or on weekends to limit the impact of changes or updates on others.”

“I have worked with a number of IT individuals over my nearly 30 years with the firm,” added Sarah Zylstra, an attorney and member of the firm’s executive committee. “David is unique in that he understands and thinks about how attorneys and other staff do their jobs and tries to tailor things to their individual needs instead of just applying a one-size-fits-all generic approach to a problem.”

Skrede has worked for Boardman Clark for more than nine years, and when the pandemic hit in spring 2020, he had to help the company change the way they do work in the blink of an eye.

“Covid was one of the biggest challenges and caused a large change in behavior,” he said. “Work from home switched from being the exception to being the new normal in a blink. Remote work has created new security and availability challenges to keep everyone working.”

Outside of work, Skrede enjoys traveling, trying new foods and hanging out with family.