It’s back and better than ever! Or at least in person! Legalweek 2022 kicked off yesterday with a few sessions and extracurricular events. Here are Wednesday’s Legalweek 2022 sessions and activities!

You can still register for Legalweek 2022 here and the pricing is here. Each day, I’ll cover what’s going on at the conference in terms of sessions and selected other events. Today may be the busiest day in terms of sessions related to eDiscovery, information governance, cybersecurity and data privacy – so much so, I’d have to clone myself to catch them all!

Sessions

With that in mind, here’s a list of Wednesday’s Legalweek 2022 sessions of note you may want to check out (all times ET):

Wednesday’s Legalweek 2022 Sessions 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Opening Keynote: Amplified, Polarized & Digitized: Navigating the Current State of Communication with Dan Abrams

Dan Abrams, Chief Legal Affairs Anchor for ABC News, and CEO & Founder of Abrams Media

Wednesday’s Legalweek 2022 Sessions 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Thinking Upstream and Leading with Good Governance: How To Avoid Costly Inefficiencies in Each Stage of Your EDRM Process.

The convergence of Information Governance and eDiscovery can help organizations find relevant information faster—saving time and money. But an organizational approach is needed to align these disciplines to ensure efficiencies are achieved at every stage. Learn how intersecting Information Governance during each stage of the EDRM can lead to numerous downstream benefits.

Speakers: Hanifa Baporia, Senior Legal Counsel, Oracle; Sarai Schubert, Chief Operations Officer, IPRO; Julie Heller, Vice President, Knowledge Management & Information Governance, AIG; Taa Grays, Vice President & Associate General Counsel of Information Governance, MetLife.

Beyond TAR 2.0: Exploring the Current State of TAR

Technology-assisted review has come a long way since its early introduction as predictive coding. While each version has its merits and place, it is important to understand that in order to select the right approach for your discovery needs, one must truly understand the underlying process and variables such as time and cost. However, has the time come to move beyond TAR and what does that look like for discovery professionals?

This session will:

• Explore the present state of TAR 2.0
• Seek to understand what exists beyond TAR and provide practical tips to identify the best tech-enabled approach for your matters
• Offer predictions into the future of TAR and beyond

Speakers: Hon. Andrew Peck, Senior Counsel, DLA Piper; Andrea L. Dambra, Head of eDiscovery & Information Governannce, Norton Rose Fullbright US; Bobby Malhotra, eDiscovery Counsel, Munger Tolles & Olson; Jeanne Somma, Chief Legal Officer & Global Head of Managed Review, Lineal Services; Michael D. Sarlo, Chief Innovation Officer, HaystackID; Cat Casey, Chief Growth Officer, Reveal-Brainspace.

Computer Forensics in the Era of the Cloud

For many law firms, digital forensics is brought to uncover evidence that was originally hidden or deleted. However, the proliferation of SaaS-based applications, darknets, and blockchains is constantly keeping computer forensic scientists on their toes. As society continues to embrace and onboard new technologies into everyday life, the need for digital forensics will only continue to grow, but what will that look like? This session will:

• Explore the growing role of Computer Forensics in Litigation
• Discuss the interplay between preserving eDiscovery data and digital forensics
• Spotlight the changing landscape of digital forensics and the necessary adjustments required as the adoption of cloud technologies exponentially grows

Speakers: Jordan Thompson, Deputy General Counsel and Privacy Officer, NYIT; Scott Milner, Partner and Co-leader of the eData Practice, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP; Anand DaHarry, Sr. Director, Discovery Solutions, TrustPoint.One; David Cross, Managing Director, Data Technology & Digital Forensics, Ankura.

Leveraging eDiscovery Expertise for Incident Response Matters

Law firms and their clients across industries are seeing a significant increase in cyber incidents. Leveraging familiar eDiscovery and Analytics tools can be an integral part of effectively responding to these incidents.  However, it is imperative to understand what makes these matters unique (including scope and workflow) to ensure a strong and defensible outcome all while often under time and cost pressures.

Key Takeaways:

• Why Cyber isn’t just another standard eDiscovery exercise
• Utilizing Analytics Tools to Fit the Need
• Using new resources to solve unique data changes

Speakers: James Jansen, Global Lead, Cyber Incident Response Services, Consilio; Ellen Blanchard, Director of Discovery and Information Governance, T-Mobile; Sumera Khan, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP; Moira Errick, Litigation Support Program Manager, Stripe

Legal Operations at the Crossroads: The Convergence of eDiscovery and Contract Analytics

As a key stakeholder at the intersection of legal, technology, and business, legal teams are playing a critical and strategic role bridging these siloed functions and driving efficiency and transformation in the process. In this session, we’ll discuss the Cimplifi-commissioned research conducted by Ari Kaplan Advisors based on interviews with 31 legal operations leaders. The research is focused on key trends in legal operations and the next frontier for the legal department, contract analytics and lifecycle management, which is ripe for digital transformation and on the precipice of converging with eDiscovery. We’ll explore the AI and workflow philosophy behind this convergence and the relevant factors that will prepare the legal operations team for this initiative. We’ll also discuss career advancement and growth opportunities for the lawyers, legal professionals, and legal technologists that enable the legal department to thrive during times of transformation.

Key Takeaways

• Driving value in the legal department by driving change.
• Accelerating the legal department (beyond eDiscovery) with people, process, and tech.
• Achieving digital maturity from eDiscovery to contract analytics.

Speakers: Marla Crawford, General Counsel, Cimplifi; Ari Kaplan, Principal, Ari Kaplan Advisors.

Wednesday’s Legalweek 2022 Sessions 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Practical Information Governance: Balancing Risk, Compliance & Innovation

There’s so much to gain from an Information Governance Program, yet organizations can’t let potential benefits outweigh their organizational priorities. This session will offer best practices on how to balance developing processes for desired outcomes with institutional requirements. 

Speakers: Jeanne Somma, Chief Legal Officer & Global Head of Managed Review, Lineal Services; Lauren Barnes, Director, Information Governance, S&P Global; Dean Brown, CEO, IPRO

The Time for Change Has Come: Streamlining Privilege Review

Given the sheer amount of discoverable data that’s out there, the ability to distinguish actual from pseudo privileged information is nearly impossible without the application of “smart” auto-extraction & sifting tools. With communication channels and data sources constantly evolving, is the tedious approach keyword search approach to privilege review still the right option? It does get the job done but with the power of data science & automation at your disposal, why not save time and money? This session will:

• Consider the current methods of privilege identification and their limitations
• Delve deeper into the process of privilege review with the use of AI and Analytics tools
• Offer insights into the future of Privilege review automation tools and their impact on human intervention

Speakers: George Socha, SVP of Brand Awareness, Reveal-Brainspace; David Stanton, Litigation Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP; Michelle Six, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis; Rachel Tausend, Partner, K&L Gates; Rose Jones, Partner & Director of eDiscovery Project Management & Technology, King & Spalding.

Regulators Always Ring Twice: Responding to a Government Request

Government investigations can be unpredictable, political, and often public. If handled incorrectly, they can last for many years and spiral into multiple Congressional, criminal, or regulatory investigations at the state and federal levels, and generate serious reputational harm. It is essential all organizations have a strategic government response plan in place and take a proactive approach to these investigations, but what does that look like? This session will:

• Analyze the emerging trends and current areas of focus within government investigations
• Highlight the best practices every organization should implement to handle the nuances that come with every government investigation
• Uncover prevention methods and programs designed to avoid, deter and detect fraud and ensure the investigators don’t knock on your door

Speakers: Shana Simmons, General Counsel, Everlaw; Krista Ellis, Managing Director and Counsel, Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank; Briordy Meyers, Director, Senior Counsel eDiscovery (U.S.), Boehringer-Ingelheim; Aaron C. Mahler, Partner, Buckley LLP.

We Have a Privacy Policy in Place, Are We Compliant?

Privacy Policies and Privacy Programs are unique to each organization. Understanding your data privacy risk and where your data is located should be the starting point to creating a Privacy Policy and Privacy Program. Learn about your data privacy risk by using various assessments and techniques, including data mapping and data privacy assessments.

Three Takeaways:

• Locate your data and what type of data you have before creating a Privacy Policy or Program.
• Understand the principles under GDPR and CCPA and take a practical approach to creating your Privacy Policy and Program.
• Why data mapping and Data Privacy Assessments are important tools to assess your data privacy risk.

Speakers: Jerry McIver, Senior Project Manager, Data Privacy, Consilio; Tom Matzen, Esq, President, Matzen Consulting Group; Bobby Malhotra, eDiscovery Counsel, Munger Tolles & Olson; James Monagle, Partner, Mullen Coughlin.

Using AI to Drive Profitability, Maintain Compliance and Gain a Competitive Advantage

Artificial intelligence is becoming a must-have for any forward-thinking legal department, helping lawyers to quickly and comprehensively understand growing volumes of documents. Join industry experts, Matthew Forsyth, VP and Deputy General Counsel at IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Jackie O’Neill, Director of Project Management, Global Risk at Liberty Mutual, and Jordan Galvin, Global Legal Innovation Supervisor at Mayer Brown, in discussion with Eleanor Weaver, CEO of Luminance. This panel will look at how AI is enabling organisations around the world to enhance and expedite the entire spectrum of document reviews. With Luminance now able to assist lawyers across a range of matters, from taking a first pass review of any incoming contract to reviews of executed agreements and AI-powered investigations and litigation, this panel will discuss the role of advanced technology in driving profitability, maintaining compliance and gaining a competitive advantage.

Three key takeaways:

• Learn how AI is helping lawyers gain a deep, rapid understanding of documents across the spectrum of legal matters
• Understand how AI can be a key component of innovation strategies for law firms and companies alike, enhancing profitability
• Hear first-hand how AI assists lawyers in quickly responding to incoming claims or questions, ensuring their client or business is in the best possible negotiating position

Speakers: Eleanor Weaver, CEO, Luminance; Matthew Forsyth, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, IDEXX; Jordan Galvin, Global Legal Innovation Supervisor, Mayer Brown; Jackie O’Neil, Director of Project Management, Global Risk, Liberty Mutual.

Wednesday’s Legalweek 2022 Sessions 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Build, Adapt & Execute Your Information Governance, Privacy, and eDiscovery Strategy

The ongoing trend of information disciplines coming closer together is continuing  – with Information Governance serving as a new connective tissue for Privacy, Compliance, and eDiscovery. As the pace of information overload continues to grow, now more than ever, professionals in each of these disciplines are becoming more reliant on automation—and strong processes for successful collaboration and results. Learn from top experts in these fields as they discuss the impact of information overload, the continuation of the convergence of disciplines, and the strategies for process automation in each of these information disciplines.

Speakers: Nick Inglis, Director of Information Governance, IPRO; Linn Freedman, Chair of Data Privacy & Security Team, Robinson + Cole.

The Great Resignation: What Does This Mean For Your Data?

The Great Resignation has contributed to a record-setting number of employees leaving their jobs, reconsidering their employment, or leaving the workforce altogether. Amidst this shift is the challenge for employers to safeguard the sensitive information handled by former employees while mitigating risk around user-driven data exposure and exfiltration.

Key Takeaways:

• Actionable steps organizations can take to secure their data
• How to leverage technology to mitigate risk and better prepare to the changing workplace

Speakers: Tim Anderson, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting; Scott McVeigh, Industry Principal, Onna; Paul Renehan Jr, Senior Director, Information Governance Services, Epiq.

In addition to Wednesday’s Legalweek 2022 sessions, there are also more happy hours and events (including the Legalweek reception at 4:30pm sponsored by Onna and the ACEDS Happy Hour at 5:30pm) to enable attendees to network (something that’s much more difficult to do at a virtual conference, just sayin’).

So, what do you think?  Are you attending Legalweek 2022 this week? If so and if you see me, say hi!  And please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the authors and speakers themselves, 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.