Let the games begin! Two great days of eDiscovery education start today! Here are the Wednesday 2026 UF Law eDiscovery conference sessions!

The 13th annual UF Law eDiscovery Conference conducted by the University of Florida Levin College of Law (UF Law) will be held today and tomorrow! This year’s conference features speakers, panels, and presentations from a broad group of global lawyers, eDiscovery and legal technology experts, and judicial officials. Once again, it’s literally a “who’s who” of eDiscovery experts once again this year!

With that said, here are the Wednesday 2026 UF Law eDiscovery conference sessions – all times ET – (including my Nuts & Bolts presentation at 1pm!):

8:45 AM – 9:00 AM

Conference Welcome & Opening Remarks

Welcome to the opening of the 13th Annual UF Law E-Discovery Conference! This year, we invite you to Own the Data. Earn the Seat.

Our kickoff session sets the tone for two days of insight, collaboration, and actionable learning designed to help you transform data into influence. As the lines between law, technology, and strategy continue to blur, e-discovery professionals stand at the center, analyzing information, connecting the dots, and shaping the direction of cases and organizations alike.

This welcome session introduces the conference theme and highlights what lies ahead: practical sessions, expert-led discussions, and innovative tools that help you master e-discovery, elevate your impact, and claim your voice at the table where strategy is set.

Join us as we begin this year’s journey toward transforming evidence into insight, knowledge into influence, and data into leadership.

Speakers: William Hamilton; George Socha.

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Enduring Truths in an Age of New Technology

Dawson Horn is a seasoned legal professional. His resume includes managing “bet the company” litigation, leading transactions, having a seat at the table during the early stages of eDiscovery, becoming a respected information governance strategist, and now, leading a non-profit focused on strengthening the legal tech space through education, innovation, and diversity. Today, the profession is undergoing seismic shifts as new technologies develop at a rapid rate, as established legal principles and societal norms are being re-examined, and as business—including the business of law—is adjusting. Recognizing that these changes generate excitement as well as anxiety, we have asked Dawson, as our keynote speaker, to use his unique perspective to discuss how our community of judges, lawyers, paralegals, service providers and eDiscovery professionals are affected by these recent challenges. Dawson will discuss how approaches that led to past success—in the profession broadly as well as to individual careers—can be marshalled to overcome the uncertainties of the present.

Speaker: Dawson Horn

10:00 AM – 10:50 AM

Current Case Law and the Strategic Edge in eDiscovery

Each year, this panel opens the conference panels by digging into the case law that’s actively reshaping how we handle discovery. From questions around hyperlinked files and mobile devices to recent sanctions decisions, these rulings aren’t just updates—they’re shaping how we argue, advise clients, and build strategy. Case law has always driven the issues in ediscovery, and this year is no different. We’ll look at what’s new, what’s unsettled, and what’s coming next from the more than 5000 decisions in 2025.

Speakers: Kelly Twigger (Moderator); Maria Salacuse, Sandra Metallo-Barragan, Hon. Xavier Rodriguez.

11:00 AM – 11:50 AM

How Legal Operations Professionals & Their Outside Counsel Leverage AI as a Force Multiplier

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly emerging as a transformative force in Legal Operations; helping teams work smarter, reduce risk, optimize costs, and deliver measurable business value to their organizations. This panel will explore how Legal Operations leaders and their outside counsel are embracing AI to enhance collaboration, drive efficiencies, and reshape the delivery of legal services.

Speakers: Nima Adabi; Val Charles-Pierre; Harsha Kurpad; Kelly Mickelson; Canaan Himmelbaum (Moderator)

1:00 PM – 1:50 PM

Nuts & Bolts Essentials: Must-Know Insights for Your E-Discovery Career

Nuts & Bolts Essentials session is back, bringing you five high-level, rapid-fire insights in 8 to 10-minute segments covering critical e-discovery topics you need to know for your career and projects. Designed as a quick overview rather than a deep dive, each talk is crafted to whet your appetite with valuable tips, emerging trends, and essential skills for success in e-discovery. With a fresh twist each year, this dynamic session ensures you leave with practical, must-know information to inspire your growth and support your professional journey.

Important Trends Driving eDiscovery Practices in 2026: 1:00 PM – 1:10 PM

Step into the future of eDiscovery with a rapid-fire look at trends from eDiscovery Today’s State of the Industry Report, covering everything from generative AI breakthroughs to discovery of modern data sources to key business trends and much more! 

From Chaff to Clarity: Cutting Data Effectively: 1:10 PM – 1:20 PM

This presentation covers practical strategies to move internal investigations from chaos to clarity by quickly bucketing data, cutting excess early, and focusing review on the information that truly drives risk and decisions.

Tech-Powered Justice: Bold Moves for Access: 1:20 PM – 1:30 PM

Access to justice needs bold innovation, resources, and strategy. From eDiscovery to AI, learn about technologies that are scaling pro bono work. We’ll discuss practical frameworks, real examples, and ethics considerations for practitioners.

Stand Out. Show Up. Shape Your Career: Mastering LinkedIn with Purpose: 1:30 PM – 1:40 PM

You’ll walk away with practical, repeatable strategies to engage meaningfully, avoid the spam trap, and use LinkedIn’s evolving tools to amplify your presence within your organization and across the eDiscovery and legal community because owning your story isn’t always about chasing the next role. It’s about earning your seat every day.

Mapping Your Way Around the Course: 1:40 PM – 1:50 PM

David Kilgore brings a rare perspective to e-discovery, after a decade as Corporate Counsel at Rackspace Technology, he now works trackside in IndyCar timing and scoring, operating the systems that capture and distribute high-stakes telemetry and timing data in real time. He’ll translate that “on the track” mindset into practical, career-friendly guidance for navigating complex data environments with speed, precision, and confidence.

2:00 PM – 2:50 PM

Mobile Devices: Owning the Data, Owning the Case

As mobile devices become the primary hub for personal and professional communications, the challenges of preserving and collecting electronically stored information (ESI) from these sources have grown exponentially. This panel will explore the evolving landscape of mobile device discovery, focusing on practical strategies, legal standards, and emerging technologies for defensible ESI preservation and collection. Panelists will address the unique issues posed by mobile data—including ephemeral messaging, cloud storage, privacy concerns, and proportionality—while offering guidance for both plaintiff and defense counsel.

Why This Panel?

With the conference theme highlighting the power and responsibility of data stewards, this session will empower legal professionals to “own” the complexities of mobile ESI. Drawing from recent Sedona Conference guidance, real-world case studies, and hands-on experience, the panel will provide actionable insights for navigating preservation pitfalls, negotiating protocols, and leveraging new tools—all while maintaining defensibility and transparency.

Speakers: Sean Lanterman; Michelle Newcomer; Matthew Rasmussen; Jon Rowe; Suzanne Clark (Moderator).

3:00 PM – 3:50 PM

Sanctions Showdown: When Data Disappears, What are the Consequences

Join us for a fast-paced mock sanctions hearing where our panelists will step into the roles of judge, counsel, and eDiscovery consultant to argue the high-stakes consequences of failing to preserve data. Using a lively hypothetical, the panel will explore sanctions issues from both the plaintiff and defense perspectives, highlighting how courts grapple with spoliation, intent, and proportional remedies.

This year’s hearing tackles timely scenarios impacting the profession including: the failure to preserve departing employee data, the loss of communications on encrypted platforms like Telegram, mishandling ephemeral messaging apps (think Slack/Teams auto-deletions), and inadequate preservation of third-party data (vendors, contractors). Attendees will walk away with practical strategies to mitigate risk, sharpen preservation protocols, and avoid becoming the cautionary tale in the next sanctions order.

Speakers: Kelly McNabb; Ashley Picker-Dubin; Hon. Rukhsanah Singh; Cristin Traylor; Scott Milner (Moderator).

4:00 PM – 5:20 PM

The Annual Judicial Panel: From Rules to Robots

Are the rules judges interpret adequate in an era of artificial intelligence where documents have morphed into data, and evidence is often not what it appears to be? With perspectives from state and federal courts, the Annual Judicial Panel for 2026 will examine the AI effect on the law and on how judges do their jobs. 

Do the Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) need amending to deal with AI deepfakes? After over a decade, it is time for another major e-discovery overhaul of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP)? What about state courts? 

Join us for an always-lively discussion as leading jurists address the vital issues of the day in law and technology.

Speakers: Hon. Patricia Barksdale; Hon. Gary Jones; Hon. William Matthewman; Hon. Xavier Rodriguez; Hon. Julie Sneed; Hon. Danyelle Taylor; David Horrigan (Moderator).

5:25 PM – 5:30 PM

Day 1 Closing Remarks

Join us as we wrap up an engaging first day of the 13th Annual UF Law E-Discovery Conference. We’ll reflect on key insights, highlight standout moments, and share a preview of what’s ahead on Day 2. This brief session brings everyone together—both in-person and virtual attendees—to close out the day with inspiration and momentum around our theme, Own the Data. Earn the Seat.

Speaker: William Hamilton

Here’s the full agenda, including the Wednesday 2026 UF Law eDiscovery conference sessions.

So, what do you think? What do you think of the Wednesday 2026 UF Law eDiscovery conference sessions? 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.