RelFest 2026 starts today, with sessions this afternoon! Here’s what you can expect from RelFest 2026 Tuesday sessions!

Relativity Fest is now officially “RelFest”, which is an annual conference designed to educate and connect the eDiscovery community The conference is being conducted at the Hyatt Regency Chicago for the fifth straight year and begins with afternoon sessions and activities today before a full day tomorrow and Thursday. As usual, I’ll be covering educational sessions at the conference and reporting on whatever else seems interesting. Here are RelFest 2026 Tuesday sessions – including one I’m in! (location in parenthesis):

1:30 PM-2:30 PM CT

The 13th Annual Judicial Panel (Grand Ballroom)

With a theme of “Preservation, Proportionality, Privilege, and Prompts,” the 13th Annual Judicial Panel will address issues ranging from traditional e-discovery to modern legal data intelligence with AI. Have advanced technologies, including cloud computing, made disaster recovery a non-issue or does global uncertainty make it more important than ever?  At the same time, have technological advances made complying with data preservation obligations easier or has the veritable cornucopia of data sources made preservation an even bigger challenge?  When does an obligation to preserve data run afoul of Rule 26’s mandate to keep discovery proportional to the needs of the case? Considering the last of the “Four Ps,” when does the attorney-client privilege or the protections of the work product doctrine apply to AI prompts – or do they even apply at all? Join us as leading judges return to address these vital issues of the day.

Speakers: U.S. Magistrate Judge William Matthewman, United States Magistrate Judge, United States Courts, Judge Michelle Rick, Judge, Michigan Court of Appeals, David Horrigan, Discovery Counsel & Legal Education Director, Relativity, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez, U.S. District Judge, Western District of Texas, Dr. Victoria McCloud, Judge (Ret.) & Company Director, Judiciary.

3:00 PM-3:45 PM CT

A Playbook for Building Effective AI Workflows around aiR (Grand Hall IJ)

As firms and organizations continue to move to Relativity aiR, they are increasingly utilizing aiR for their eDiscovery needs and are learning that outcomes can vary widely across matters. That variance is often tied back to workflow and can have a significant impact on outcomes. Drawn from real life matters, this session presents a playbook for building effective AI workflows around aiR. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for building successful workflows, driving adoption across their organization, and measuring and reporting ROI to stakeholders.

Speakers: Andrew Szwez, Wendy King, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting, Niles Rath, Director of EDiscovery, ArentFox Schiff LLP, Josh Zylbershlag, Director of E-Discovery Services, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garris.

3:00 PM-4:00 PM CT

Negotiation in the Age of AI: Rethinking ESI Protocols and Protective Orders (Regency D)

As generative AI becomes more common in discovery workflows, legal teams must address new questions in ESI protocols and protective orders around confidentiality, privilege, data handling, transparency, and acceptable use. This session will explore practical strategies for negotiating discovery agreements that account for how generative AI tools may be used in review and analysis, while managing risk and preserving defensibility. Panelists will discuss where parties are finding alignment, where disputes are emerging, and how to approach provisions related to protected data, work product, validation, and disclosure obligations. Attendees will gain a clearer view of how to negotiate terms that are both realistic and durable as courts, clients, and opposing counsel continue to evaluate the role of generative AI in litigation.

Speakers: Cristin Traylor, Head of Legal AI Consulting, Relativity, Manfred Gabriel, Partner, Holland & Knight, Laura Gottlieb Feldman, Associate Director, Paralegal and Discovery Attorney Programs, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Meredith Perlman, Partner, Hilgers PLLC, Andrea D’Ambra, US Head of eDiscovery and Information Governance, US Head of Technology, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP.

4:15 PM-5:00 PM CT

Bridging the Gap Between e-Discovery and Financial Investigations Using AI (Grand Hall IJ)

e-Discovery teams have mastered querying documents with AI, but the financial data at the heart of fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, bankruptcy, and liquidation cases often lives outside the review platform. In this session, we will explore how investigators can bridge that gap. Drawing on direct experience with investigations such as the Bernie Madoff case, our panel of experts will discuss best practices, describe where traditional document review ends and AI-driven financial analysis steps in, and how connecting the two reshapes investigation strategy and case outcomes. We will also demo the Sedra Solutions’ integration with Relativity aiR and show how teams can move seamlessly from documents into financial datasets — analyzing transactions, detecting hidden assets, and expanding the scope of discovery.

Speakers: Maribel Rivera, VP, Strategy and Client Engagement, ACEDS, Sam Taylor, Partner, Mintz Group, Joey Marks.

4:15 PM-5:15 PM CT

Case Law Update (Regency C)

In 2026, artificial intelligence continues to be an important issue in legal data intelligence case law, but where the past few years have focused on AI hallucinations, in 2026, we’ve seen the AI issues go from AI in legal research to AI in e-discovery. Are AI prompts protected by the attorney-client privilege or the work product doctrine? How has case law in 2025 and 2026 come down on e-discovery issues, such as failure to preserve, ESI and AI protocols, and sanctions? As always, we’ll also examine issues facing law firm practitioners, corporate counsel, and legal technology teams everywhere.

Speakers: David Horrigan, Discovery Counsel & Legal Education Director, Relativity, Doug Austin, Editor, eDiscovery Today, Honorable Andrew Peck, Senior counsel, DLA Piper, U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard, U.S. District Court, Kelly Twigger, CEO and Founder, Minerva26, Joy Heath Rush, CEO, International Legal Technology Association (ILTA).

Privilege on the Line: Does Using AI Waive It? (Regency B)

What happens to privilege when legal teams enter client or case information into an AI system? In this dynamic session, attorneys will argue both sides of the issue before a judge through a series of realistic scenarios that test where privilege, confidentiality, and technology intersect. As the facts shift from one example to the next, panelists will examine how courts, clients, and counsel may view disclosure risk, reasonable precautions, third-party access, and the practical realities of using AI in legal work. Part debate, part thought experiment, and part practical guidance, this session will give attendees a sharper understanding of how privilege arguments may play out and what legal teams should consider before using AI with sensitive information.

Speakers: Cristin Traylor, Head of Legal AI Consulting, Relativity, Anne McCray, Jeanne Somma, CCO & GC, Lineal, Colleen Kenney, Partner – Founder of eDiscovery and Data Analytics Group, Sidley Austin LLP, Kassi Burns, Counsel, King & Spalding, LLP, Michelle Six, Gunster.

The full agenda is here. Register to attend RelFest 2026 here. If you’re here at the conference, say hi!

So, what do you think? Which RelFest 2026 Tuesday 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.