Rest in Peace, Maureen Vilanova

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:

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.

5 comments

  1. I was also taken aback at this news. Gayle worked with Maureen on some projects at EDT and they were together in the booth at the last show Gayle and I attended together, Legal Tech NY 2020. Sad news indeed.

  2. Over the past 7+ years I’ve had wonderful privilege of getting to know Maureen both professionally and personally. From Day 1, Maureen was very kind, friendly and caring. She truly embodied what Community means, always an advocate in sharing ideas, learning, and connecting folks in the legal fields.

    May she rest in piece and continue to smile on all, as she often did at so WiE and ACEDS events. You’ll be missed Maureen.

  3. Beautiful tribute, Doug! I believe this is how we all felt. And, as always, you’ve put everything we need in one place. See you on Tuesday.

  4. Thanks, Tom, Erika, Brian and Darius for sharing your own comments and feelings about how saddened and shocked we all are at Maureen’s passing.

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