Relativity Fest 2024 concludes today, with sessions this morning. Here’s what to expect for Relativity Fest 2024 Friday sessions!

The conference is being conducted at the Hyatt Regency Chicago for the third straight year and concludes with a half day this morning. As usual, I’ve been covering educational sessions at the conference and reporting on whatever else seems interesting. Here are Relativity Fest 2024 Friday sessions of note (location after the title):

9:00 AM-10:00 AM CT

The 11th Annual Judicial Panel: Politics, Free Speech, and the Judiciary, Grand Ballroom

2024 is an election year in the United States, and the United Kingdom had landmark elections on July 4. Rarely has the influence of politics affected the judiciary more than it has today. ABA Model Rule of Judicial Conduct 2.4 provides, “A judge shall not be swayed by public clamor of fear of criticism.” But is that even possible in today’s polarized and often toxic political climate? In this political climate, an assassination attempt on a former president has affected the nation, while US Marshals Service data indicate serious threats against federal judges doubled in Fiscal Year 2023 to a total of 457. Are these threats the result of toxic politics and free speech becoming reckless rhetoric? Are laws, procedural rules, and legal ethics mandates enough to protect judges and allow them to do their jobs? Does our Brave New World of artificial intelligence help the situation? These challenges are not limited to the United States. A longtime member of the Relativity Fest Judicial Panel — the United Kingdom’s first transgender judge — has received political backlash, including threats. Join us on the final day of Relativity Fest for what may be the most important Relativity Fest Judicial Panel ever.

Speakers: U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard, U.S. District Court; Hon. Justice Tanya R. Kennedy, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department; U.S. Magistrate Judge William Matthewman, United States Magistrate Judge, United States Courts; Dr. Victoria McCloud, Dr, Judge, England and Wales (Ret.); U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez, U.S. District Judge, Western District of Texas; David Horrigan, Discovery Counsel & Legal Education Director, Relativity.

10:15 AM-11:00 AM CT

So You’ve Been Breached — Now What?, Regency C

Data breaches are increasing in their scale and frequency across all industries; it’s not if, it’s when you’ll have to deal with one within your organization. In this panel discussion, we’ll talk through multiple perspectives on dealing with a data breach soup to nuts: managing it, succeeding in an investigation, responding, recovering, and bouncing back.

Speakers: Marcin Swiety, Chief Security Officer, Relativity; Pat Kellerman, Managing Director, PwC; Linda Sheehan, Head of intelligENS, ENS; Jason Pickens, Vice President Cybersecurity, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Technologies Addressing the Justice Gap: AI + Pro Bono, Grand Hall GH

Join Relativity and pro bono leaders for an insightful session on the transformative potential of AI in pro bono work. This discussion will explore AI’s emergence in the legal sector, its implementation in pro bono initiatives, and the responsible use of AI to enhance legal services for underserved communities. Whether you are part of an in-house legal team, a general counsel’s office, or a nonprofit organization, you’ll gain valuable insights on how AI can revolutionize the delivery of legal aid and significantly amplify the reach and effectiveness of pro bono work. Join us to learn from leaders and explore the future of AI in the pursuit of justice.

Speakers: Kate Kennedy, Marketing Director, Page One, Inc.; Melissa Weberman, Counsel | Head of eData, Arnold & Porter; Sydnee Mayers, Senior Product Manager, Microsoft; Jennifer Westropp, (she/her/hers), Global Head of Talent and Community Enablement, Relativity.

Hot Topics in Data Privacy, Regency D

Pull up a chair and join us for a wide-ranging session on all the hottest data privacy topics on the minds of our expert panelists. From the intersection of AI and data privacy, new US state AI and data privacy laws, the possibility of federal data privacy legislation, the status of the US-EU Data Privacy Framework, and more, we’ve got it all right here.

This session has been submitted for CLE accreditation.

Speakers: Mark Bussey, Senior Counsel Data Protection and Commercial Transactions, Relativity; Taryn Crane, Privacy & Data Protection Practice Leader, BDO; Jamie Rubin, (Mr. ), Co-Managing Partner, InfoLawGroup LLP.

11:30 AM-12:15 PM CT

Transforming Opportunity into Action – Legal Data Challenges and AI, Grand Ballroom

While AI continues to contribute to the very data challenges it’s intended to solve, legal professionals are looking to each other to determine how we make sense of all this in practice. Now that “the why” behind improving efficiency and effectiveness in the legal industry is clear, have we cracked what the opportunity is, where the risks are, and who is equipped to lead the charge? In this session, Legal Data Intelligence (LDI) project founders and industry luminaries will discuss and debate the impact of AI and how reorienting our traditional approaches toward the underlying legal data challenges can create a cross-functional sweet spot that unlocks greater value from the important work we all do.

Speakers: Bobby Malhotra, Litigation Partner, Winston & Strawn LLP; Farrah Pepper, Chief Legal Innovation Counsel, Marsh McLennan; Omar Haroun, CEO & Co-Founder, Cicero; Jeremiah Weasenforth, Legal Analytics Director, Edward Jones; Rob Beard, Chief Legal and Global Affairs Officer, Mastercard.

How to Effectively Navigate Supply Chain Risk with Today’s Security and Legal Requirements in Mind, Grand Hall GH

Your biggest security risk today–and one of your biggest legal risks–might not be something you control directly. As supply chain attacks increase in frequency and scale, having the proper security protocols and transparency into your supply chain is vital. In addition, how your security and legal teams work together is vitally important, especially when it comes to preserving the protections of the attorney-client privilege and the work product doctrine. In this session, we’ll discuss the five things you should do today to satisfy your security requirements upstream and downstream of in your supply chain to decrease your attack surface and legal risk.

This session has been submitted for CLE accreditation.

Speakers: David Horrigan, Discovery Counsel & Legal Education Director, Relativity; Marcin Swiety, Chief Security Officer, Relativity; Jenna Rooney, Director of Client Services | Data Breach, Arete Incident Response; Amie Taal, Stratagem Tech Solutions Limited; William Belt, Managing Director, Advisory, CDS.

So, what do you think? Which Relativity Fest 2024 Friday 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.