Links, modern attachments, shared documents—the descriptors for files exchanged through email and collaboration platforms continue to grow with no clear consensus on what to call them or how exactly to handle them. Despite their wide use, why are they a persistent challenge for eDiscovery and data governance teams? Beyond semantics, links and attachments raise bigger questions about how to manage collaboration data as it proliferates in the evolving workplace. Michael Blank, Corporate Counsel – eDiscovery, at DISH, and Lisa Lukaszewski, Of Counsel at Gunster, join Law & Candor to discuss how the issues with links and collaboration data continue to transform—including changes to ESI protocols—how recent legal decisions are contributing to the debate, and best practices for tackling these persistent challenges.

Although the novel and often comical uses of generative AI have captured more recent headlines—think philosophical conversations with a chatbot or essays written in seconds using AI—there are big changes happening across sectors of the economy thanks to adoption of new tools and programs, including the legal and healthcare spaces. Recent case law and legislation highlights the new landscape emerging in healthcare litigation with potential long-term implications. Lighthouse welcomes Ty Dedmon, Partner at Bradley who leads their healthcare litigation team, to assess how generative AI is impacting litigation and what we can do to prepare, and to share advice on leverage AI innovation while minimizing the risk.

As the demands of modern data, litigation, investigations, and data privacy continue to grow in scale and complexity, solutions for them need to adapt accordingly. Although there is a lot of noise around the latest generative AI promises or capabilities for eDiscovery, often legal teams and counsel merely need solutions that can effectively scale to their matters at hand. Deploying platforms or technology intended only for larger or more specific matters can be cumbersome and drain resources, leaving teams ill equipped for the variety of projects they encounter. Lighthouse’s Brooks Thompson, Executive Director of Spectra Operations and Support, joins the podcast to provide some practical advice and use cases for scaling and diversifying your eDiscovery platform and technology to make them more comprehensive.

Continuing a more aggressive posture toward corporate mergers, the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission recently announced new HSR rules that dramatically change and expand the amount and type of information that needs to be submitted with HSR filings. How will this impact future M&A activity and Second Requests? Brian Rafkin, counsel in Akin’s antitrust and competition practice, joins to examine the new HSR rules and their potential implications. He also shares best practices for utilizing technology and workflows to manage increased scrutiny and pressure on deals.

In demanding and highly contentious litigation or investigations it can often feel like it’s every person for themselves without much room for partnership. However, this is a lost opportunity. The relationship between the strong trio of corporate counsel, law firms, and legal technology providers is often an unacknowledged key to overcoming critical challenges. By sharing key information, balancing workloads, and building on each other’s expertise, these partners can work together to solve modern data challenges and the toughest matters. Law & Candor welcomes Michael Bohner, Managing Discovery Attorney at Cleary, and Justin Van Alstyne, Head of Discovery and Information Governance at T-Mobile, to explore the practical aspects of this partnership, including balancing responsibilities, employing technology, and building relationships.

June 19th is a day for celebration and a recognition of the continued fight for freedom and equity for African Americans. While progress has been made in recent years, there is still more that organizations in the legal and legal technology industries can invest in to meaningfully contribute to greater equity. Law & Candor welcomes Oral Pottinger, partner at Mayer Brown, and Stacy Ybarra, Chief Marketing Officer at Lighthouse, to discuss how grassroots campaigns, allyship, equitable pay policies, and executive visibility and sponsorship can contribute to greater equity in the workplace.

In 2021, Juneteenth became the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was recognized in 1983. It was a significant acknowledgement at the national level, but Juneteenth has had a long and rich history in the African American community as a day of celebration and remembrance—of both the history of emancipation, and the past, present, and future fight for freedom. In a special release of Law & Candor, we commemorate Juneteenth with guest hosts Duval Miller and Reem Saffouri as they speak to African Americans in the legal space. In episode one, Ronique Richburg, Review Manager at Lighthouse, joins to explore the history of Juneteenth, discuss its significance today, and celebrate the success of African Americans in the legal and legal technology industries.

To keep up with the big data challenges in modern review, adopting a technology-enabled approach is critical. Modern technology like AI can help case teams defensibly cull datasets and gain unprecedented early insight into their data. But if downstream document review teams are unable to optimize technology within their workflows and review tasks, many of the early benefits gained by technology can quickly be lost. Lighthouse’s Mary Newman, Executive Director of Managed Review, joins the podcast to explore how document review teams that adopt a technology-forward mindset can provide better review results now and in the future.

As we continue to grapple with a strange and unpredictable economic environment, establishing your legal and information governance priorities can be daunting. While directing investment and energy into the most urgent matters is a reflex during a down economy, neglecting more long-term data issues and risk can be detrimental. How do you balance these interests with already strapped resources? Lica Patterson, Senior Director of Global Advisory Services at Lighthouse, joins the podcast to discuss how assessing short and long-term risk can inform a more strategic information governance program. She also shares how the right technology and teams contribute to accomplishing goals and evolving your program.

Collaborative technology—great for employee productivity but often challenging for legal and IT departments. Balancing the risk and reward requires a deep understanding of ever evolving updates while proactively managing those changes. As organizations adopt cloud-based enterprise software like Microsoft 365, previous change management and governance approaches are often no longer sufficient. Emily Dimond, Managing Senior Counsel, eDiscovery, at PNC Bank, shares practical strategies for managing updates in M365, including recent changes to transcripts and loop components, and how to develop a strong governance program equipped for today’s dynamic landscape.