Stellar Women In E-discovery

The e-discovery community is a global force for innovation and creativity—and our latest Stellar Women in e-Discovery nominee proves it. We took this episode of Stellar Women international—back to our co-host, Mila Taylor's, very special home town of Sydney, Australia. Mila and her Relativity colleague, Mary Rechtoris, had the opportunity to chat with the incredible Joanne Chua-Robertson from Deloitte. Joanne has thrived in the face of rejection, navigated the complexities of standing out in a small, rural town, and ultimately created a career for herself that is undeniably stellar. It was an added bonus for Joanne and Mila to bond over Australian culture and the vernacular that makes the country great, as well as the coined lingo that encourages everyone to “give it a go.”

Thinking about the women and men who have most impacted our lives and careers, several faces come to mind. Some we have explicitly thanked, while others may be unaware of how they played a part in shaping our professional and personal paths. Recognizing those who have done wonderful things to better the industry and careers of others is crucial. For this episode of Stellar Women in e-Discovery, Relativity's Mary Rechtoris spoke to Joy Murao and Tricia Johnson about why we need to elevate each other and celebrate those who are going out there and making a difference. We connected in May at the Women in e-Discovery first annual conference in Austin. This is the second episode of our Stellar Women in e-Discovery “On the Road” series.

This month, we added another stellar woman to the mix. She’s an Aussie, she specializes in social media, and you might have spotted her around the Relativity Community site. Plot twist—it’s our new cohost. Mila Taylor escorted Mary Rechtoris to the Women in e-Discovery conference in Austin. While there, the pair quickly discovered a shared interest in mentorship, empowerment, and exploring all the interesting facets that contribute to making a woman stellar. In this episode, we chatted with Jacy Schoen, VP of strategy and consulting and senior e-discovery counsel at Precision Discovery. From job losses to bosses who supported technological innovation, Jacy shares her career journey and outlines the events that shaped where she is today.

In May 2019, Women in e-Discovery hosted their first annual conference. Eager to put faces to email signatures, Relativity's Mary Rechtoris attended the conference and brought the Stellar Women in e-Discovery podcast “on the road” from Chicago to Austin. Despite torrential downpours, spirits were high as female leaders throughout the industry caught up with colleagues and soaked in a wealth of information on technology-assisted review, the art of negotiation, and artificial intelligence. Mary had the opportunity to catch up with two guests of Stellar Women in e-Discovery—Tricia Johnson and Joy Murao—for the podcast’s “On the Road” special edition series. In this episode, Tricia and Joy discuss what it means to be innovative in legal tech today and how they have paved a path of innovation throughout their careers.

No matter the industry or zip code, Tricia Johnson, director of marketing at QDiscovery, has found value in being part of a community. She has found a community in many facets of her life—through work, Women in e-Discovery, and her local dance studio. For Stellar Women in e-Discovery, Relativity's Mary Rechtoris chatted with Tricia, a Chicagoan and marketer, about finding a community within e-discovery, moving from one industry to the next, and why we should all go the extra mile to celebrate our team members, friends, and industry colleagues.

Jariya Laoriendee moved to London ready to make connections and participate in a one-year internship program. Little did she know, she would fall in love with the city, earn a master’s degree from the University of Westminster, and establish herself as a leader in e-discovery nearly 10 years later. Currently serving as associate director at Exiger, Jariya Laoriendee is our latest Stellar Women in e-Discovery nominee. Early on a Monday morning (or afternoon, for you UK readers), we chatted about the importance of channeling positive energy, how automation and analytics play a pivotal role in complying with new regulations, and why residents in a new country should “be bold, be brave, and explore.”

Today marks International Women’s Day, which celebrates the achievements of women throughout the world. The day also highlights what more society must do to truly achieve gender equality. In honor of today, we interviewed a female leader who is renowned for both her e-discovery expertise and her leadership skills: Mary Mack. As the executive director of the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS), Mary is mentor and friend to countless men and women in the legal tech space. For Stellar Women in e-Discovery, we caught up with Mary on why diversifying the e-discovery community is an uphill battle, how underrepresented groups can succeed in this competitive industry, and the importance of a formal mentor-mentee relationship. To see a transcript of this podcast, check out this blog post.

When it comes to being stellar, our latest Stellar Women in e-Discovery candidate, Chris Chalstrom, says it comes down to having a fabulous team. As president and CEO of Shepherd Data Services and CEO of Sadie Blue Software, Chris has armed herself with a dedicated team that strives to tackle issues impacting the e-discovery space—and make professionals’ lives easier as a result. Relativity's Mary Rechtoris had the opportunity to speak with Chris at Relativity Fest. Listen to their discussion to learn about what drew Chris to e-discovery, what spurred her to found Sadie Blue, and the key difference between yoga and Pilates. To see a transcript of this podcast and the original video recording, check out this blog post.

Early in 2018, Stellar Women in e-Discovery began as a grassroots campaign to highlight and celebrate women in the e-discovery. We aimed to connect with individuals making their mark in the field through their career accomplishments as well as dedication to mentorship. We interviewed several women in 2018, including Mimi Singh, Joy Murao, Terra Ickes, Caitlin Grzymala, Judy Torres, and Peg Gianuca. The campaign has grown tremendously and even became an Innovation Award category at Relativity Fest 2018. In this final episode for 2018, April and Mary reflect on the conversations had and connections fostered this year. We also got to speak with Joy Murao—winner of this year’s Innovation Award in the Stellar Women category—and share our thoughts for the year ahead. To see a transcript of this podcast and its original publication materials, check out this blog post.

So many admirable e-discovery professionals will tell you they stumbled into this field, and Rebecca Grant—founder and CEO of icourts in Australia—is one of them. This corner of the legal world is lucky to have her. Brendan Ryan of Relativity had the good fortune to meet with Rebecca—as well as several other Stellar Women in e-Discovery nominees—during Relativity Fest for a special in-person edition of our series. Give it a listen to hear Rebecca’s thoughts on the role of technology and change in e-discovery, encouraging STEM career paths for young girls, and how to foster excitement for innovation on a legal team. To see the original video recording of this blog past, check out this blog post.

Consensus can be helpful, but you don’t want people to always agree with you—especially your teammates. According to Judy Torres, vice president of information technology for Advanced Discovery, diversity of opinion is crucial when building successful teams. Relativity's Mary Rechtoris chatted with Judy for this Stellar Women in e-Discovery podcast about the rise of automation in e-discovery, the value of mentorship, and why no message is ever truly deleted, which may come as an unwelcome surprise to many avid Snapchat users. To see a transcript of this podcast and a portion of Judy's nomination, check out this blog post.

An e-discovery practitioner by day, educator by night, Peg Gianuca recently moved from a law firm environment—and East Coast to West Coast—to join The Walt Disney Company as an in-house technical solutions manager. On this month's podcast, Peg chats with Relativity's April Runft to share what surprised her about moving in-house, why it’s vital that litigation support pros can “bridge the gap,” and how her science background and curiosity to get under the hood with legal tech keep the e-discovery magic alive. To see a transcript of this podcast and a portion of Peg's nomination, check out this blog post.

Fresh out of college and eager to make her mark, Caitlin Grzymala started her career at the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division and worked on some of the department’s largest cases. Nearly 11 years later, as a legal administrative officer at the DOJ, Caitlin continues to be inspired by the work that brings her unique projects day-in and day-out. After she was nominated by her colleague for Stellar Women in e-Discovery, Relativity's Mary Rechtoris spoke with Caitlin on how technology-assisted review (TAR) will continue to transform the e-discovery field, and how she is getting ready for her next big adventure: parenthood. To see a transcript of this podcast and a portion of Caitlin's nomination, check out this blog post.

Described by her colleague as a “trailblazing pioneer,” Esquify’s Director of Operations Terra Ickes is a leader in the industry whose innovative spirit and dedication to customer success undoubtedly make her stellar. During an interview for Stellar Women in e-Discovery, Terra spoke with Mary Rechtoris of Relativity about the current state of artificial intelligence in the e-discovery field and why being successful—in tech and in life—means you have to be a little scrappy. To see a transcript of this podcast and a portion of Terra's nomination, check out this blog post.

When Joy Murao began her career in litigation support in 1994, the world of discovery looked vastly different. The days of poring over paper documents have since been replaced by sharing files electronically; however, according to Joy, the more things change, the more they stay the same. What has held true throughout the years has been the importance of mentorship and empowering young professionals as they navigate their careers. Joy has been an inspiration and a leader to many in the field. Several of her colleagues and peers nominated her for Stellar Women in e-Discovery for her enthusiasm for education and ability to collaborate with her clients to solve challenges. Mary Rechtoris of Relativity chatted with Joy on her career, her aptitude for problem solving, and why we all should consider a lesson in improv. To see a transcript of this podcast and a portion of Joy's nomination, check out this blog post.

stel·lar adjective (informal) “Featuring or having the quality of a star performer; exceptionally good; outstanding” What does “stellar” look like in e-discovery? At Relativity, we recently launched a campaign asking the e-discovery industry to nominate the professional women in their world who personify “stellar.” What you’re telling us: stellar goes beyond navigating through tricky technical challenges, complex regulatory environments, overlapping projects, and the steady thrum of deadlines. Stellar means to make time in the chaos to mentor others, prioritize learning, celebrate the strengths of your team and colleagues across your organization, and be a champion for innovation—even if that means more work in the short term. According to her teammates, Mimi Singh, associate general counsel and director of e-discovery at Evolver, more than fits the bill of our Stellar Women in e-Discovery. April Runft from Relativity sat down with Mimi to learn more about keeping up—and keeping a sense of humor. To see a tra