National eDiscovery Leadership Institute 2025
The National eDiscovery Leadership Institute (NeLI) is a premier educational event dedicated to advancing the understanding and practice of electronic discovery (eDiscovery) among legal professionals. Organized by the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Law, NeLI has been providing high-quality educational opportunities since its inception in 2014. The 2025 conference is scheduled for September 11-12 at the UMKC Student Union in Kansas City, Missouri.
The 2025 agenda features a comprehensive range of topics pertinent to eDiscovery. Sessions include a mock client interview addressing issues like Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies and artificial intelligence (AI) integration, a mock meet and confer focusing on AI in document review and mobile device collection, and discussions on evolving state privacy laws and their impact on eDiscovery. Additionally, the conference will host a judicial panel providing insights into recent developments and ethical considerations in the discovery process.
Attendees will have ample opportunities for networking, including a reception and plated dinner on the first day. The event will also feature notable speakers such as Hon. Lisa J. Cisneros, Hon. Young B. Kim, and Hon. Andrew J. Peck (ret.), offering valuable perspectives from the bench and bar. These sessions are designed to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among participants.
Legal professionals involved in litigation, compliance, and information governance are encouraged to attend NeLI 2025. The conference offers a unique platform to stay abreast of the latest trends and challenges in eDiscovery, gain practical insights from industry leaders, and earn Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits, enhancing both professional development and practice effectiveness.
Speakers(25)
Amy Ambroson Reid
Director of Litigation Solutions & GTM at UnitedLex
Amy Ambroson Reid focuses on strategic solutions that solve client legal challenges and brings new solutions to market. She has 16 years of experience in eDiscovery across the litigation lifecycle.
Chance Hodges
Legal Counsel – Privacy and Compliance at O’Reilly Auto Parts
Chance Hodges is responsible for all aspects of O’Reilly’s privacy program, including compliance with evolving state consumer privacy laws and implementation of responsible AI use.
Edward H. Rippey
Partner at Covington & Burling LLP
Ed Rippey is a litigation partner at Covington & Burling in Washington, DC. He leads two practices and handles complex cases worldwide, including high-stakes litigations and investigations for multinational corporations.
Hon. Andrew J. Peck (Ret.)
Retired Magistrate Judge at U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
The Honorable Andrew J. Peck served for 23 years as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of New York. Before his appointment to the bench, he was in private practice focusing on commercial and entertainment litigation, including copyright and trademark matters.
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 joining the bench, she was a partner at Shook Hardy & Bacon, LLP, focusing on intellectual property litigation.
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 law.
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 and sits in Jefferson City. He began his legal career as an Air Force Judge Advocate and has held positions as a partner at two law firms and head of litigation at a financial services firm.
Hon. Xavier Rodriguez
U.S. District Judge at U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
Judge Xavier Rodriguez received his bachelor's degree from Harvard University and his J.D. from the University of Texas Law School. Before assuming the bench, he was a partner at Fulbright & Jaworski and served in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
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. He began his legal career as an Assistant Cook County Public Defender and has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, prosecuting and litigating both civil and criminal cases.
Jillian Dent
Attorney at Stueve Siegel Hanson
Jillian Dent is an attorney at Stueve Siegel Hanson, specializing in complex litigation and eDiscovery matters.
John Benson
Consultant
John Benson has over seventeen years of experience in eDiscovery and litigation-related digital forensics. He has consulted with some of the largest corporate law departments and law firms across the country.
John J. Pappas Jr.
Lawyer and eDiscovery Consultant at UnitedLex
John J. Pappas Jr. is a former litigator and trial attorney specializing in commercial litigation and all aspects of e-discovery, including data collection, processing, and advanced search and analytics.
Lea Malani Bays
Partner at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd
Lea Malani Bays is a partner at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd, specializing in complex securities litigation. She focuses on electronic discovery issues from preservation through production and provides counsel to the firm’s e-discovery team.
Leeanne Mancari
Partner at Covington & Burling LLP
Leeanne Mancari is co-chair of the firm's E-Discovery, AI, and Information Governance Practice. She guides clients on all aspects of national and international discovery and frequently serves as lead e-discovery counsel on large-scale litigations.
Lenora Gray
Data Scientist at Elevate
Lenora Gray has over 15 years of experience in law firm project management and matter support roles. As a Data Scientist at Elevate, she works with project teams to understand client business needs and deploy analytics solutions.
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. She is also Principal at Maura Grossman Law, an eDiscovery law and consulting firm.
Moira Sweazey
In-House Counsel at Capital One
Moira Sweazey serves as in-house counsel at Capital One, providing legal guidance on various matters, including eDiscovery and information governance.
Robert Keeling
Partner at Redgrave LLP
Robert Keeling is 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.
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. She regularly counsels clients in all aspects of eDiscovery, ranging from data retention to collection, review, and production.
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 CIO for Phelps Dunbar, she spearheads strategies for people, processes, and technology to drive innovation and client value.
Sean Wiederkehr
Solution Architect at Everlaw
Sean Wiederkehr is an expert eDiscovery practitioner with 18 years of experience. He assists law firms and corporations in validating their technical requirements and highlighting the value that Everlaw's platform can bring to their organizations.
Steve Davis
Presenter at Purpose Legal
Steve Davis is a presenter at Purpose Legal, focusing on issues surrounding mobile device collections, modern attachments, targeted phone collections, and BYOD policies.
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 a strong understanding of the legal, technical, and strategic aspects of eDiscovery.
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.
Trace Johnson
Associate General Counsel and Director of Transactions and Litigation at O’Reilly Auto Parts
Trace Johnson and his team handle review of all O’Reilly contractual matters, maintenance of O’Reilly’s intellectual property interests, and oversight of various litigation matters.
Event Details
- Date
- October 21, 2025
- Location
- 🇺🇸 Kansas City, United States
- UMKC Student Union
- Pricing
- Varies by tier
- Audience
- Legal professionals involved in litigation, compliance, and information governance.
- CLE Credits
- CLE accreditation pending