Relativity Fest 2023 has been going on for the past two days, today’s the last day! Here’s what you can expect from Relativity Fest 2023 Thursday sessions!

The conference is being conducted at the Hyatt Regency Chicago for the second straight year and has had sessions Tuesday and yesterday. As usual, I’ve been covering educational sessions at the conference and reporting on whatever else seems interesting. Here are Relativity Fest 2023 Thursday sessions of note (location in parenthesis):

8:00 AM-8:30 AM CT

Digital Detectives: e-Discovery & Pop Culture Trivia Clash (Crystal A)

Let’s do what e-discovery specialists do best! Unleash your inner detective in the world of e-discovery, information governance, data privacy, and pop culture! Join us at the ACEDS coffee break session for a 30-minute trivia clash that will challenge and entertain. Navigate through intriguing questions on digital landscapes, legal compliance, privacy trends, and your favorite pop culture phenomena. Whether you’re a tech-savvy professional or a pop culture lover, this session is designed to spark curiosity and camaraderie. Engage with peers and embark on an information quest with the ACEDS team.

9:00 AM-10:00 AM CT

The International Panel (Crystal B)

This annual Relativity Fest gathering of international experts brings diverse viewpoints from across the globe. For 2023, we’ll have perspectives from Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Learn how e-discovery and data law professionals in various nations deal with issues ranging from cross-border discovery to the use of artificial intelligence by legal teams, and the impact of data breaches at scale on privacy law and for law firms. 

This session has been submitted for CLE accreditation.

Speakers: David Horrigan, Discovery Counsel & Legal Education Director, Relativity; Linda Sheehan, Head of intelligENS, ENS; Fiona Campbell, Director / Head of eDiscovery, Fieldfisher LLP; Jonathan Armstrong, Partner, Cordery; Simone Herbert-Lowe, Director and Founder, Law & Cyber.

10:15 AM-11:00 AM CT

Managing Burnout in the e-Discovery Industry (Michigan 1ABC)

Our industry is known for being creative, ever-changing, dynamic, inventive, complex, and… exhausting. After our panel on burnout last year, we heard so many stories about the burnout you’re facing, so we’re following up and ready to problem solve!

Join us for a workshop style session as we dive into burnout as a group, discussing how we can change the state of burnout in this industry, starting with you.

Speakers: Danny Frank, Sales Engineer, Relativity; Keith Willoughby, Incident Manager, Relativity; Maggie Burtoft, Principal, Discovery + Data Insights, Control Risks; Ruth Hauswirth, Special Counsel / Head of Litigation and eDiscovery Services & Information Retention Counseling, Cooley LLP; Stephanie Clerkin, Director of Litigation Support, Korein Tillery.

The Annual FTI-Relativity General Counsel Report (Crystal B)

The FTI-Relativity General Counsel Report provides insights from chief legal officers on issues facing organizations, and this fifth annual edition features expanded international coverage. In confidential interviews, chief legal officers are assured anonymity, allowing them to give unvarnished and candid commentary. In this session, you’ll get a preview of the 2024 report and learn what keeps general counsel up at night and what these legal leaders see as the big issues on the horizon.

This session has been submitted for CLE accreditation.

Speakers: David Horrigan, Discovery Counsel & Legal Education Director, Relativity; Ari Kaplan, Principal, Ari Kaplan Advisors; Wendy King, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting; Adam Weiss, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Legal Officer, Relativity; Christina Liwski, Assistant General Counsel, Nexus Pharmaceuticals.

1:30 PM-2:30 PM CT

Access to Justice (Crystal B)

In our first access to justice program in 2017, Relativity Fest welcomed James Sandman, who is now President Emeritus of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) and distinguished lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. For Relativity Fest 2023, Jim Sandman returns to Fest, joining a panel of legal professionals examining the state of access to justice in 2023, developments in the courts and Congress, and what the future holds for regulatory reform for lawyers.

This session has been submitted for CLE (ethics) accreditation.

Speakers: David Horrigan, Discovery Counsel & Legal Education Director, Relativity; James Sandman, Distinguished Lecturer and Director of the Future of the Profession Lab, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School; Kristen Sonday, Co-Founder, CEO, Paladin; Jaclyn Sattler (she/her), Relativity.

So, what do you think? Which Relativity Fest 2023 Thursday sessions are you attending? 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 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.