Early Involvement in the EDRM + Mastering Chat Data in eDiscovery

Session Overview:

Early Involvement in the EDRM + Mastering Chat Data in eDiscovery: A Game-Changer for Legal Teams

Join us for a powerful session that will transform the way you approach litigation support and eDiscovery—from early strategy to modern data review.

Part 1: Early Involvement in the EDRM – A Game-Changer for Litigation Support Professionals

Move beyond reactive litigation support and become a strategic driver of discovery success from day one. In this session, a veteran litigation paralegal—who has successfully led eDiscovery on billion-dollar class actions and global investigations—will share practical tactics to elevate your role within the EDRM lifecycle.

You’ll learn how early engagement during legal hold, preservation, and custodian interviews can uncover critical facts, streamline workflows, and build a defensible record before review even begins. Plus, walk away with:

· A framework for empowering litigation support earlier in the case lifecycle

· Practical guidance for building your custodian interview template

· Best practice advice to track preservation efforts with precision

Say goodbye to vague legal hold instructions and risky collection shortcuts. This session equips you to lead change in your organization and drive stronger, more defensible outcomes.

Part 2: Mastering Chat Data in eDiscovery – Tools, Tactics, and Real-World Insights

In today's digital-first workplace, chat platforms like Slack, Teams, and WhatsApp are rapidly becoming primary sources of evidence. Join our eDiscovery experts for a deep dive into the challenges and solutions surrounding chat and short message data—one of the most dynamic areas of modern litigation.

In this interactive session, we’ll explore:

· The explosion of chat data in litigation and what it means for legal teams

· Proven methods for preserving, collecting, and producing short message communications

· The critical importance of legal involvement early in the discovery process to ensure defensibility

· Cutting-edge tools and emerging tech that simplify review and accelerate production

Whether you're navigating your first chat-heavy case or looking to sharpen your team's approach, this session will equip you with actionable knowledge to stay ahead of the curve.

Speakers:

Taylor Ball

12 Years in the software industry with 6 years in the legal technology space with a focus on eDiscovery, data privacy and information governance.

Focused on partnering with both law firms and government entities in Western Canada and the West Coast US. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Experience across multiple legal technology vendors including Exterro, Zapproved, OpenText and TrustArc.

Experience implementing legal hold and eDiscovery programs, including migration plans from former providers.

Certified Information Privacy Manager and experience in Information Governance, GDPR, PIPEDA, CCPA and data privacy matters and has worked with clients on preparing retention and privacy policies.

Sara Fry, MBA

Manages the implementation and delivery of OpenText Core Legal Hold while driving business development and strategy partnerships.

A tech-savvy litigation paralegal and eDiscovery leader with 25 years of experience across the full EDRM.

Specializes in simplifying complicated workflows for greater adoptions – from preservation through trial.

Based in Calgary, Sara has helped numerous cross-border law firms and corporate legal teams align technology accelerators with legal strategies to save time, reduce costs and risk, and improve case outcomes.

Has successfully defended legal hold and preservations processes under legal scrutiny.

Sara has an Executive Master of Business Administration and completed her capstone in Amsterdam, focusing on global product innovation, entrepreneurship, and leading transformative change.

John Pilznienski

Former practicing attorney with over 20 years’ experience in eDiscovery and litigation support working in the Washington DC region.

Large-scale eDiscovery matters began as a reviewer and manager of Second Request document reviews, at one point managing a team of over 100 review attorneys, associates, and paralegals working in on an international merger utilizing two review platforms simultaneously.

Has evaluated or worked in over a dozen review platforms including:Axcelerate and Insight (including prior to joining OpenText), Relativity, Brainspace, NexLP, Disco and Everlaw.

Highly consultative and expertise in advising teams on applying AI/machine learning and analytics workflows.

Experienced with Information Governance, GDPR and data privacy matters and has worked with clients on preparing security and retention policies and recently helped a client set up an isolated Relativity environment to meet its stringent security and reporting requirements.

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