E-Discovery Leadership Conference 2025
by E-Discovery Leadership Conference
The E-Discovery Leadership Conference 2025 is a premier event dedicated to advancing the field of electronic discovery. Organized by leading experts in the industry, this conference brings together professionals from law firms, corporations, and government agencies to discuss the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in e-discovery.
Attendees can expect in-depth sessions covering key topics such as artificial intelligence in e-discovery, information governance, cross-border data transfers, and emerging challenges in data privacy. The conference features a diverse range of panels, workshops, and keynote presentations designed to provide practical insights and strategies for managing complex e-discovery projects.
In addition to educational sessions, the event offers ample networking opportunities, including an expo hall showcasing cutting-edge e-discovery solutions and services. Notable speakers include esteemed judges, seasoned litigators, and thought leaders in the field, providing attendees with valuable perspectives and experiences.
This conference is ideal for legal professionals, IT specialists, compliance officers, and anyone involved in the e-discovery process. Attending will equip participants with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the evolving landscape of electronic discovery effectively.
Speakers(31)
Amy Ambroson Reid
Director of Litigation Solutions & GTM at UnitedLex
Amy Ambroson Reid is the Director of Litigation Solutions & GTM at UnitedLex, focusing on strategic solutions that solve client legal challenges and bringing new solutions to market. With 16 years of experience in eDiscovery, Amy has expertise across the litigation lifecycle and specializes in creating customized centers of excellence for both corporate and law firm clients.
Chance Hodges
Legal Counsel – Privacy and Compliance at O’Reilly Auto Parts
Chance Hodges is Legal Counsel – Privacy and Compliance for O’Reilly Auto Parts, responsible for all aspects of the company's privacy program, including compliance with evolving state consumer privacy laws and implementation of responsible AI use. Prior to joining O’Reilly, Chance practiced litigation and served as in-house counsel for Ameriprise and U.S. Bank, handling transactional matters and advising on privacy and marketing regulations.
Daniel Gold
Principal, E-Discovery Managed Services Leader at BDO
Daniel Gold is the Advisory Leader of the E-Discovery Managed Services practice group and the creator of BDO's Athenagy™, a patent-pending business intelligence solution. With nearly 20 years of experience in the legal space, he consults with corporate law departments and law firms on leveraging technology to create collaborative and dynamic approaches to e-discovery.
Edward Rippey
Partner at Covington & Burling LLP
Edward H. Rippey is a litigation partner at Covington & Burling in Washington, DC. He leads two practices and handles complex cases worldwide. Ed is co-chair of the E-Discovery, Artificial Intelligence, and Information Governance practice, encompassing high-stakes litigations and investigations for multinational corporations. He is consistently ranked by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, and Lexology in Litigation E-Discovery.
Hon. Andrew J. Peck
Senior Counsel at DLA Piper LLP
The Honorable Andrew J. Peck served for 23 years as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of New York, including a term as Chief Magistrate Judge. Before his judicial appointment, he practiced commercial and entertainment litigation, including copyright and trademark matters, with extensive trial experience. He is now Senior Counsel at DLA Piper LLP.
Hon. Angel D. Mitchell
U.S. Magistrate Judge at U.S. District Court, District of Kansas
Appointed in 2019, Judge Angel D. Mitchell serves as a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the District of Kansas. Prior to the bench, she was a partner at Shook Hardy & Bacon, LLP, focusing on intellectual property litigation. Her experience includes representing Fortune 100 clients in patent, trademark, and copyright cases, as well as appellate litigation before the Federal Circuit and proceedings before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
Hon. Lisa J. Cisneros
Magistrate Judge at U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Magistrate Judge Lisa J. Cisneros joined the Court in September 2022, following fifteen years of practice as a litigator and attorney in government and public service. Since her appointment, she has presided over cases involving employment, copyright, trade secret, trademark, civil rights, and insurance. Judge Cisneros serves on the Local Rules and Community Education committees of the Court and has presented at the Sedona Conference Working Group on eDiscovery and Electronic Document Management.
Hon. Willie J. Epps, Jr.
Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge at U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri
Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr. serves as the Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Missouri. He began his legal career as an Air Force Judge Advocate and has held positions as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and Assistant Special Counsel for the Waco Investigation. Judge Epps is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association.
Hon. Xavier Rodriguez
U.S. District Judge at U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Judge Xavier Rodriguez holds degrees from Harvard University, the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs, the University of Texas Law School, and a Master of Laws in Judicial Studies from Duke University. Before the bench, he was a partner at Fulbright & Jaworski and served in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He has been involved with several charitable organizations across Texas.
Hon. Young B. Kim
U.S. Magistrate Judge at U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Judge Young B. Kim is a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. Born in South Korea, he emigrated to the United States at age 11. His legal career includes roles as an Assistant Cook County Public Defender, law clerk for District Judge Charles R. Norgle, Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago, and Administrative Judge at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Appointed as a magistrate judge in 2010, he enjoys presiding over citizenship naturalization ceremonies.
Jillian Dent
Partner at Stueve Siegel Hanson
Jillian Dent is a partner at Stueve Siegel Hanson in Kansas City, representing individuals in consumer, privacy, and products class-action litigation. She is experienced in e-discovery and has led efforts in data breach, privacy, and dairy products cases. Jillian has negotiated ESI protocols, managed the collection and production of plaintiff information, and reviewed defendant-produced information.
John Benson
Consultant
John Benson has over seventeen years of experience in eDiscovery and litigation-related digital forensics. A SANS Forensics challenge coin holder, he is a founding member of SecKC and part of the DEF CON Speaker Operations and Photography teams. He is a member of the Missouri Bar Association, the Sedona Conference Working Group on Artificial Intelligence, and is a professional photographer.
John J. Pappas Jr.
E-Discovery Consultant at UnitedLex
John J. Pappas Jr. is a lawyer and experienced e-discovery consultant, specializing in commercial litigation, products liability, construction litigation, insurance casualty, and all aspects of e-discovery. After eighteen years in the practice of law, John advises clients on e-discovery strategies and admissibility of electronic evidence. He is a member of the EDRM Global Advisory Council and co-chair of the Seventh Circuit eDiscovery Pilot Program.
Kristy Bird
Global Director and Co-Lead of Tech Collective at Consilio
Kristy Bird is a Global Director and Co-Lead of Consilio’s Tech Collective, bringing over 15 years of experience in eDiscovery. An attorney licensed in New York and New Jersey, she enhances client value through consultation, education, and process improvements across the EDRM, data privacy and security, and flexible legal talent. Kristy specializes in creating efficient discovery strategies and providing technical expertise.
Lea Malani Bays
Partner at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd
Lea Malani Bays is a partner at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd in San Diego, specializing in complex securities litigation on behalf of investors. She focuses on electronic discovery issues from preservation through production and provides counsel to the firm’s e-discovery team. Lea has experience in post-production discovery through trial preparation for a wide range of litigation.
Leeanne Mancari
Co-Chair of E-Discovery, AI, and Information Governance Practice at Covington & Burling LLP
Leeanne Mancari is co-chair of Covington & Burling LLP's E-Discovery, AI, and Information Governance Practice and a Chambers-ranked e-discovery litigator and advisor. She guides clients on all aspects of national and international discovery and frequently serves as lead e-discovery counsel on large-scale and highly-publicized litigations. Leeanne formulates efficient and effective workflows for all phases of data preservation, collection, review, and production.
Lenora Gray
Data Scientist at Elevate
Lenora Gray has over 15 years of experience in law firm project management and matter support roles, leveraging her organizational skills, research capabilities, and knowledge of analytics and technology. As a Data Scientist at Elevate, she works with project teams to understand client business needs and deploy analytics solutions, including designing analyses of structured and unstructured data sets and building predictive models.
Maura R. Grossman, J.D., Ph.D.
Research Professor and Director of Women in Computer Science at University of Waterloo
Maura R. Grossman is a Research Professor and Director of Women in Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, as well as an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. She is also Principal at Maura Grossman Law, an eDiscovery law and consulting firm. Maura's scholarly work on TAR has been widely cited in case law, and she has served as a court-appointed special master, mediator, and eDiscovery expert in high-profile cases.
Mike Gaudet
Senior Managing Director at J.S. Held
Mike Gaudet is a Senior Managing Director in J.S. Held’s Global Investigations practice, specializing in Digital Investigations & Discovery. With over 20 years of project experience, he provides solutions for corporations, law firms, government agencies, and insurers related to data discovery and governance challenges. Mike is an expert eDiscovery practitioner and technologist with a master’s degree in Computer Science & Engineering.
Moira Sweazey
In-House Discovery Counsel at Capital One
Moira Sweazey is in-house discovery counsel at Capital One, leading the company’s Legal Hold Program and managing litigation matters as part of Capital One’s Litigation Discovery team. Her team manages in-house preservation, collection, processing, review, and production processes. Moira advises on the entire discovery process, including early case investigations and ESI protocols.
Nathaniel Giddings
Partner at Hausfeld LLP
Nathaniel Giddings is a partner at Hausfeld LLP in Washington, DC, focusing on antitrust, consumer, and e-discovery. He has litigated complex class actions from inception through trial and has extensive experience negotiating and litigating party and non-party discovery issues.
Robert Keeling
Partner at Redgrave LLP
Robert Keeling is a Partner at Redgrave LLP and a nationally recognized authority on eDiscovery, with deep experience in high-stakes, data-intensive matters, investigations, and regulatory enforcement. He leads the firm's Second Request practice, advising clients on discovery compliance in antitrust reviews by the DOJ and FTC. Robert is consistently ranked by Chambers USA and Global and is a leading thinker on applying AI and generative AI to complex eDiscovery challenges.
Robin Perkins
Founder and Chair of eDiscovery Practice Group at Kutak Rock
Robin Perkins is the founder and Chair of Kutak Rock's eDiscovery Practice Group and maintains an active litigation practice. She is an active member of the Sedona Conference Working Group 1 and serves on the ESI Rules Committee for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Robin regularly counsels clients in all aspects of eDiscovery and has managed projects involving terabytes of data.
Sarah Alt
Chief Information Officer at Phelps Dunbar LLP
Sarah Alt is an accomplished professional in ethical artificial intelligence with extensive information technology expertise. As the Chief Information Officer for Phelps Dunbar, she spearheads strategies for people, processes, and technology to drive innovation and client value. Sarah is an IAPP certified AI governance professional and has contributed to ethical guidelines and standards for IEEE and NIST.
Sean Wiederkehr
Solution Architect at Everlaw
Sean Wiederkehr is an expert eDiscovery practitioner with a record of success helping clients give and get the discovery they need. As part of Everlaw's Solution Architect team, he assists law firms and corporations in validating their technical requirements and highlighting the value of the platform. Sean has 18 years of experience in the eDiscovery space, covering a broad spectrum of practice areas.
Steve Davis
Private Investigator at Purpose Legal
Steve Davis has over 30 years of experience performing and supervising investigations for governmental agencies, corporations, individuals, and law firms involving civil and criminal matters. He is a Licensed Private Investigator in Texas and the Private Security Company Manager for Purpose Legal. Steve has testified on behalf of clients over 50 times relating to investigative findings on both causation and damages.
TJ Hadley
Senior Customer Success Manager at Everlaw
TJ Hadley, Esq. is a seasoned legal and technology professional with over 15 years of experience spanning litigation, eDiscovery, and customer success. She currently serves as a Senior Customer Success Manager at Everlaw, advising Am Law 200 firms on technology adoption, workflow optimization, and data security. TJ has authored customer success strategies for new product launches and regularly presents on the intersection of law, technology, and client value.
Tessa K. Jacob
Partner and Founder/Co-Chair of eDiscovery Solutions Group at Husch Blackwell
Tessa K. Jacob has practiced law at Husch Blackwell for 29 years, where she is a partner and founder/co-chair of the firm’s eDiscovery Solutions group. She has served as lead eDiscovery counsel in numerous class actions and investigations by the DOJ, SEC, and FERC. Tessa frequently speaks on eDiscovery issues and serves on advisory boards for the National eDiscovery Leadership Institute and the University of Florida eDiscovery Conference.
Thomas C. Gricks
Lead Strategy Consultant at OpenText
Tom Gricks is a prominent eDiscovery lawyer and one of the nation's leading authorities on the use of technology-assisted review (TAR) in litigation. He advises corporations and law firms on best practices for applying technology to reduce the time and cost of discovery. Tom has more than 30 years of experience as a trial lawyer and in-house counsel.
Trace Johnson
Associate General Counsel and Director of Transactions and Litigation at O’Reilly Auto Parts
Trace Johnson is Associate General Counsel and Director of Transactions and Litigation for O’Reilly Auto Parts. He and his team handle review of all contractual matters, maintenance of intellectual property interests, and oversight of employment claims, labor matters, ADA Title III claims, and commercial litigation. Prior to joining O’Reilly, Trace practiced with various Springfield firms for 18 years.
Zachary Cincotta
Associate Discovery Counsel at Google LLC
Zachary Cincotta is an Associate Discovery Counsel with Google LLC in Atlanta, engaged in international regulatory inquiries and complex litigations. He advises on all facets of the discovery process, including early case investigations, discovery strategy, protective orders, and ESI protocols. Prior to Google, he advised clients in the entertainment industries on intellectual property and contract negotiation.
Event Details
- Date
- November 19-20, 2025
- 2 days
- Location
- 🇺🇸 St. Louis, United States
- Audience
- Legal professionals, IT specialists, compliance officers