The LeanDiscovery® Blog is based on the principle that eDiscovery can be improved by lowering costs and delivering more value to enable better client outcomes.
Sitting with the C-Suite: Hal Blackman of IST Management Services
On September 4, I sat down with Hal Blackman, the founder and CEO of IST Management Services, via WebEx. IST calls itself the “Company with Passion,” and Hal and I covered lessons learned in technology adoption, electronic records retention, and considerations for outsourcing eDiscovery.
Hal has a business background and was hired by Marriott in 1981, where he learned the importance of employee empowerment. Hal founded IST in 1997, and states that the company is “obsessed in everything we do, from technology and process management, to people programs, and we will stop at nothing to make sure that we exceed the expectations of our clients.” read more…
Sitting with the C-Suite: Dean Gonsowski of ActiveNav
On August 27, I sat down with Dean Gonsowki, the Chief Revenue Officer of ActiveNav, via WebEx. In part one of my two-part interview with Dean, we covered his extensive background in the eDiscovery industry, how the industry grew and developed, and how the eDiscovery in 2020 compares with its roots. This is a great time to stop and reflect on where eDiscovery has been, and use that context to help consider where it is likely going.
Dean is a lawyer who has an almost 20-year history in the eDiscovery space, starting with the founding of S3 Partners in 2001. Dean’s experience spans from time at Fios, to Clearwell/Veritas, to Recommind/Opentext, to Relativity/kCura. Since 2018, Dean has been the Chief Revenue Officer of ActiveNav. read more…
Sitting with the C-Suite: Bob Rowe of Integreon
On August 21, I sat down with Bob Rowe, the CEO of Integreon, via WebEx. We started with his background in document review in antitrust litigation in the 1990s, which fueled his desire to drive efficiencies. We ended with today’s legal marketplace, and how COVID-19 has accelerated change that was already happening. Bob is a must-listen for his perspective on how managed service vendors integrate with outside and inside legal counsel to bring greater value and reduce waste.
Bob is a lawyer by training and started his career in Big Law after a clerking for a federal court. After his ten years of experience in private practice, he founded Nextra Litigation Solutions, which focused on handling document review projects and using metrics to drive better results. Nextra was sold to Huron Consulting Group in 2006, where Bob spent a decade in leadership before becoming the CEO of Integreon in March 2017. read more…
Sitting with the C-Suite – Merger Edition: Hal Brooks and Andrea Wallack of HaystackID
On August 12, I sat down with Hal Brooks, CEO of HaystackID, and Andrea Wallack, now President of HaystackID, via WebEx. Hal, Andrea and I covered HaystackID’s and NightOwl’s merger, which was announced on August 4, 2020. Hal will be returning to the show later in the year, to cover the combined entity in more detail; Andrea was the CEO of NightOwl prior to the merger. For this special preview, we discussed a variety of topics around the integration of the two companies, the expected benefits of the deal, planned service enhancements, the actual deal process, and much more.
Enjoy this special merger edition of the Sitting with the C-Suite series. read more…
Sitting with the C-Suite: Joan Davison of Hire Counsel and Mestel & Company
On August 7, I sat down via WebEx with Joan Davison, the CEO of Hire Counsel and Mestel & Company. Joan and I covered the business of document review and staffing, including how she views the role of CEO, how to use human capital strategies in the legal setting, and how to measure the effectiveness of the staffing solutions being implemented.
Joan has more than twenty years of expertise in operations management as well as business development, marketing, recruiting, and staffing. For fifteen years, Joan was in a leadership position at Staff Management, which did business as Seton Corp., ultimately being named the President as well as the Chief Operating Officer of Staff Management. read more…
Sitting with the C-Suite – Merger Edition: Wendell Jisa and Jay Leib of Reveal
On Monday, August 17, 2020, I sat down with Wendell Jisa, CEO of Reveal, and Jay Leib, the new EVP of Innovation and Strategy of Reveal, via WebEx. Wendell, Jay and I discussed Reveal’s acquisition of NexLP, which was announced on August 11, 2020. Jay was previously featured on this program, and extensively discussed NexLP’s history, strategy and vision. Wendell will be returning for a deeper dive in early October to discuss Reveal. This was our chance to cover this new integration, the vision and strategy, and what it means for the industry.
Enjoy this special merger edition of the Sitting with the C-Suite series. read more…
Sitting with the C-Suite: AJ Shankar of Everlaw
On July 30, I sat down with AJ Shankar, the chief executive officer of Everlaw, via WebEx. AJ and I covered a variety of topics relevant to both in-house counsel and outside counsel using eDiscovery and litigation support software, including the essence of Everlaw’s vision; creating a virtual war room that facilitates collaboration even while remaining socially distant; and the company’s pro bono program, “Everlaw for Good.”
Prior to founding Everlaw, AJ graduated from Harvard with an A.B. in Mathematics and Computer Science, and received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley in 2009. AJ co-founded Everlaw in 2011, seeing eDiscovery as a “fascinating, rich, [and] interesting problem that needed solving.” He wrote more about his history and the founding of Everlaw in his own blog post from June 28, 2016, available here. read more…
Sitting with the C-Suite: Rakesh Madhava of Nextpoint
On July 23, 2020 I sat down with Rakesh Madhava, the chief executive officer of Nextpoint, via WebEx. Rakesh and I covered a multitude of subjects, including how the eDiscovery landscape has changed from paper to digital, technology adoption within the legal industry, and how COVID-19 will permanently alter certain aspects about how law is practiced.
Rakesh has extensive litigation experience, first as a litigation paralegal at, among other law firms, Kirkland & Ellis, and then as a litigation data consultant at FTI Consulting in the late 1990s. He was also the creative director of Hubbard One, now a division of Thomson Reuters, in 2000, where he “cut his teeth” on internet-based technologies supporting the practice of law. In 2001, Rakesh founded Nextpoint, which has been an internet-based platform since its inception. read more…
Sitting with the C-Suite: Ian Wilson of Servient
On July 21, I sat down with Ian Wilson, the founder and chief executive officer of Servient, via WebEx. A former lawyer turned legal tech entrepreneur, Ian discussed a wide range of topics from the relationship of machine learning and searching, information governance implementation and what’s next on the horizon for Servient.
Ian handled complex commercial litigation in private practice. He founded technology-based company DiscSense in the early 1990s, which was later sold to West Publishing Company in 1998. Ian then went on to found Servient in 2013. read more…
Sitting with the C-Suite: Jay Leib of NexLP
On July 9, I sat down with Jay Leib, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of NexLP, via WebEx. Jay and I covered a broad range of topics regarding the application of artificial intelligence to eDiscovery, information governance and compliance activities.
Jay Leib founded NexLP in 2013 after many years in legal technology. Jay held management roles at numerous companies including DocuLex, FTI Consulting, and Ernst & Young. Prior to founding NexLP, Jay was the Chief Strategy Officer for Relativity. read more…
