I was shocked and saddened on Friday to find out that Maureen Vilanova, a colleague and friend of mine and many others in the legal and eDiscovery communities passed away last week.

I have only gotten to know Maureen over the past year, mostly during the weekly EDRM community calls that many of us participate in, as well as a couple of one-on-one calls as well.  Those calls have enabled me and others to get to know Maureen and other friends and colleagues in a more personal way that would normally not be possible in a true business setting.  I always found Maureen to be upbeat and positive and a delight to have a conversation with (even if she was dealing with her own struggles), and she was very supportive of others discussing their struggles and challenges on those calls.  She was also very interested in eDiscovery and legal education information, especially stories that related to ethics, very active on social media, and she found and forwarded me a couple of stories for inclusion in this blog, for which I was grateful.

It’s easy to take for granted as we meet people in this current virtual world that we will have the opportunity to meet in person someday, but that’s not guaranteed.  I regret that I didn’t have that opportunity to meet Maureen in person, but I am grateful that we did meet virtually at least and that I did get to know her over the past year.

Maureen has a memorial page here for those who knew her and would like to add a memory, or read the several memories already written about her.

According to Virginia Weeks (who also participates in our weekly calls and served as a board member together with Maureen for the Boston Chapter of Women in eDiscovery), Maureen also regularly supported and promoted several local Boston charities, including during her time as the Chair of the Charity Committee for the Boston Chapter of Women in eDiscovery.  Here are some of the charities that she supported if you would like to consider making a donation in her honor:

• Women’s Lunch Place – https://womenslunchplace.org/welcome
• My Sister’s House at The Dimock Center – https://dimock.org/  (See also: https://www.choosehelp.com/rehab/my-sisters-house-at-dimock-roxbury-massachusetts-30760)
• St. Francis House – https://stfrancishouse.org/about/

Rest in Peace, Maureen.  I will miss talking to you, especially on our Tuesday calls.

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.