At Relativity Fest this year, I spoke with Johnathan Hill, Global Program Manager for Social Impact and Community Engagement Lead at Relativity, to discuss Justice for Change, a social impact initiative that provides free access to Relativity’s software to support pro bono legal work.

Genesis of Community Engagement at Relativity

Hill’s path to leading the Justice for Change program at Relativity was unplanned. While at LinkedIn, he recognized how bias could shape access to opportunity. Noting that it was not a platform where “every person can win.” Hill felt a personal commitment to addressing such gaps, stating, “I am never okay with gaps being open that we do not attempt to close.”

That commitment led to a pivotal conversation with LinkedIn’s then SVP of Sales Mike Gamson – who would soon become Relativity’s CEO. Hill shared his candid perspective on how major platforms were failing to serve impoverished communities.Three and a half months after that conversation, Gamson reached out with a new opportunity: to bring that same drive for expanding access and fostering inclusion to Relativity.

Hill took what he describes as an “intelligent risk,” stepping into the legal tech industry – a field entirely new to him at the time. His first role was to lead recruitment for the Relativity Fellows Program, an initiative designed to provide technology career opportunities to individuals from non-traditional backgrounds. The program has successfully hired 30 fellows, many of whom are still with the company.

The Launch and Mission of Justice for Change

The Justice for Change program was born out of both a societal moment and Hill’s personal mission. Just three months into his tenure at Relativity, the murder of George Floyd became a catalyst for action. As a Black man working in an organization closely tied to the justice system, Hill felt compelled to act.

Hill approached CEO Mike Gamson, proposing that Relativity could “do something here.” Gamson’s positive response paved the way for what would become Justice for Change.

Hill stresses that the program’s impact is the result of collaboration: “It is not a program that I believe I built alone. It is a program that many people have invested their time, love, and energy into.”At its core, Justice for Change is guided by a simple philosophy: it is not about “saving the world” but uplifting the organizations already engaged in critical front-line work. Hill explains, “There are organizations that have been there for 50 years already doing that work. Let’s just go uplift them. Let’s help them leverage a tool that we know works so they can continue to do their good work.”

Program Growth, Scope, and Impact

In its first five years, Justice for Change has far exceeded its initial expectations in both scale and scope. What began with the modest goal of supporting five cases per year has exploded in scale: Relativity recently celebrated the program’s five-year anniversary, having supported over 250 cases!

Hill attributes the program’s considerable growth to its expanding scope. Originally, Justice for Change was expected to focus primarily on cases related to law enforcement accountability. In practice, however, the program’s work has broadened to meet the diverse needs of nonprofit partners. Today, supported cases span a wide range of issues, including wrongful convictions, environmental rights, asylum and immigration, domestic violence, disability advocacy and prison reform.

Tangible Client Impact

The program has had tangible impact on its clients on multiple levels. At its core, it gives under-resourced clients a fighting chance for justice.

Hill highlights the high stakes and urgency in pro bono cases. In one case, the program helped shorten the time a child had to remain in an abusive home during legal proceedings from a potential 18-24 months down to just six months.

Equally crucial is the human element – theempathy and compassion of the people involved. “People are choosing to sign up and take on these cases,” Hill notes. “They’re choosing to care,” highlighting that the program’s success is as much about passion as it is about process.

Operational Framework and Client Profile

Justice for Change follows a structured process to identify and support its unique client base.Hill explains that the program uses a formal, grant management-style application process to evaluate potential matters.

Each case is assessed through a merit-based rubric to determine if Relativity’s software can provide true value – particularly in cases that are document-intensive, require collaboration, or are time-sensitive. Relativity also conducts conflict checks to ensure it is not on the other side of a potential matter.

The program’s clients are typically small, mission-driven nonprofits, often with fewer than 15 employees and annual budgets under $2 million. These teams are primarily composed of paralegals and litigation support professionals rather than a large team of attorneys.Justice for Change also supports pro bono departments at large law firms as well as solo practitioners.

These clients are often on the plaintiff side, facing well-funded opposing counsel. They lack the resources and expertise to manage complex e-discovery, with basic concepts like ESI protocols presenting major hurdles. Relativity and its ecosystem of partners step in to provide crucial training and support, helping to “even the playing field.”

The Role of Artificial Intelligence

Justice for Change participants receive the most advanced, general availability (GA) versions of Relativity’s AI tools, such as Relativity aiR for Review and Relativity aiR for Privilege. We don’t want to give you a watered-down version or a light version,” Hill emphasizes. “You’re going to get the same benefit and power of our tool that all of our commercial customers get.”

The program has seen rapid uptake of its AI tools for this use. An internal goal of 10 active Relativity aiR deployments on pro bono cases in 2025 was exceeded ahead of schedule, reaching 15 deployments by June of the prior year.

The adoption of AI tools is designed to be mutually beneficial.Pro bono participants gain enhanced efficiency and insight, while Relativity learns from the unique workflows and document types encountered in these cases, helping to improve its products. Hill describes utilizing AI as a way to “supercharge” the work of these under-resourced organizations.

Future Vision and Broader Social Commitment

Hill’s forward-looking strategy for Justice for Change focuses on scaling impact, deepening partnerships, and advocating for broader participation in pro bono work.

• Exponential Scale: The program aims to continuously increase the number of matters supported.
• Pervasive AI: AI tools are expected to become a standard part of every Justice for Change workspace.
• Expanding the Pro Bono Community: The program aims to encourage more partners to get involved and to shift perceptions of who participates in pro bono, explicitly uplifting the contributions of litigation support professionals alongside attorneys.
• The Ultimate Goal: While acknowledging that society is not there yet, Hill ultimately envisions a world with no injustices, so that we don’t need programs like Justice for Change. The immediate objective is to reduce injustice by increasing the number of people willing to get involved.

Relativity’s commitment extends well beyond providing its products:

• Philanthropic Investment: The company makes financial donations to organizations like the Innocence Network.
• Practical Support: Relativity has funded the scanning of paper documents for organizations, a critical preliminary step before e-discovery can begin.
• Educational Outreach: Relativity introduces high school students to the field of legal technology and demonstrates its impact.
• Industry Leadership: Hill encourages competitors to increase their social impact efforts, framing it as a “competition for good.”

Conclusion

Justice for Change demonstrates the power of combining purpose, technology and community. What began as a response to a societal injustice has grown into a five-year journey of measurable impact, supporting hundreds of under-resourced legal teams and leveling the playing field for nonprofits and solo practitioners.

By pairing Relativity’s most advanced solutions with strategic guidance and hands-on support from its partner ecosystem, the program is redefining the role that legal technology companies can play in social impact efforts.

Looking ahead, the challenge and opportunity lie in scaling this model: expanding participation, increasing case volume and inspiring the broader tech community to see pro bono work as a platform for meaningful change.

So, what do you think? What do you think the state of eDiscovery is? Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Note: This write-up from a recorded interview was prepared with the assistance of NotebookLM from Google and reviewed and edited by both Johnathan and me for accuracy.

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.