2026 Agenda

Join us for enriching roundtable discussions at the 13th Annual UF Law E-Discovery Conference. These interactive sessions, designed to enhance collaboration and knowledge sharing, will highlight the conference agenda.

Attendees will be uniquely able to engage directly with our Luminary and Innovator sponsors and fellow legal professionals. Dive into meaningful dialogues, exchange best practices, and explore the latest trends in e-discovery.

These roundtables provide an intimate setting for networking, mentorship, and in-depth discussions on the evolving legal technology landscape and e-discovery.

The session will begin with a welcome from Professor Hamilton, followed by breakout rooms hosted by our sponsors.

Attendees can choose their breakout room and move between the others throughout a 1.25-hour discussion. Our roundtables are meant to be engaging discussions, so please come prepared to engage with other attendees and our presenters in the breakout room.

• GenAI in eDiscovery: Real-World Case Studies, Workflows, and What Actually Works presented by HaystackID
• From Small Matters to Complex Litigation: Insight ECI in Practice presented by eDiscovery AI

Welcome to the opening of the 13th Annual UF Law E-Discovery Conference. This year, we invite you to Own the Data. Earn the Seat.

Our kickoff session sets the tone for two days of insight, collaboration, and actionable learning designed to help you transform data into influence. As the lines between law, technology, and strategy continue to blur, e-discovery professionals stand at the center, analyzing information, connecting the dots, and shaping the direction of cases and organizations alike.

This welcome session introduces the conference theme and highlights what lies ahead: practical sessions, expert-led discussions, and innovative tools that help you master e-discovery, elevate your impact, and claim your voice at the table where strategy is set.

Join us as we begin this year’s journey toward transforming evidence into insight, knowledge into influence, and data into leadership.

Dawson Horn is a seasoned legal professional. His resume includes managing “bet the company” litigation, leading transactions, having a seat at the table during the early stages of eDiscovery, becoming a respected information governance strategist, and now leading a nonprofit focused on strengthening the legal tech space through education, innovation, and diversity.

Today, the profession is undergoing seismic shifts as new technologies develop at a rapid rate, established legal principles and societal norms are re-examined, and business—including the business of law—is adjusting. Recognizing that these changes generate excitement as well as anxiety, we have asked Dawson, as our keynote speaker, to use his unique perspective to discuss how our community of judges, lawyers, paralegals, service providers, and eDiscovery professionals are affected by these recent challenges. Dawson will discuss how approaches that led to past success—in the profession broadly as well as in individual careers—can be marshalled to overcome the uncertainties of the present.

Each year, this panel opens the conference panels by digging into the case law that’s actively reshaping how we handle discovery. From questions around hyperlinked files and mobile devices to recent sanctions decisions, these rulings aren’t just updates—they’re shaping how we argue, advise clients, and build strategy. Case law has always driven the issues in eDiscovery, and this year is no different. We’ll look at what’s new, what’s unsettled, and what’s coming next from the more than 5,000 decisions in 2025.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly emerging as a transformative force in Legal Operations, helping teams work smarter, reduce risk, optimize costs, and deliver measurable business value to their organizations. This panel will explore how Legal Operations leaders and their outside counsel are embracing AI to enhance collaboration, drive efficiencies, and reshape the delivery of legal services.

Take a break and enjoy lunch with fellow attendees at the UF Law campus. This is a great time to network, share insights from the morning sessions, and connect with peers, speakers, and sponsors in person before the afternoon discussions begin.

While in-person attendees break for lunch, virtual participants are encouraged to explore the Virtual Expo and connect with the sponsors supporting this year’s conference. Visit exhibitor booths, access resources, and engage with our partners to learn more about the tools and innovations shaping the future of e-discovery.

Nuts & Bolts Essentials is back, bringing you five high-level, rapid-fire insights in 8 to 10-minute segments covering critical e-discovery topics you need to know for your career and projects. Designed as a quick overview rather than a deep dive, each talk is crafted to whet your appetite with valuable tips, emerging trends, and essential skills for success in e-discovery.

• 1:00 PM – 1:10 PM Important Trends Driving eDiscovery Practices in 2026
  Step into the future of eDiscovery with a rapid-fire look at trends from eDiscovery Today’s State of the Industry Report, covering everything from generative AI breakthroughs to discovery of modern data sources to key business trends and much more.
• 1:10 PM – 1:20 PM From Chaff to Clarity: Cutting Data Effectively
  This presentation covers practical strategies to move internal investigations from chaos to clarity by quickly bucketing data, cutting excess early, and focusing review on the information that truly drives risk and decisions.
• 1:20 PM – 1:30 PM Tech-Powered Justice: Bold Moves for Access
  Access to justice needs bold innovation, resources, and strategy. From eDiscovery to AI, learn about technologies that are scaling pro bono work. We’ll discuss practical frameworks, real examples, and ethics considerations for practitioners.
• 1:30 PM – 1:40 PM Stand Out. Show Up. Shape Your Career: Mastering LinkedIn with Purpose
  You’ll walk away with practical, repeatable strategies to engage meaningfully, avoid the spam trap, and use LinkedIn’s evolving tools to amplify your presence within your organization and across the eDiscovery and legal community because owning your story isn’t always about chasing the next role. It’s about earning your seat every day.
• 1:40 PM – 1:50 PM Mapping Your Way Around the Course
  David Kilgore brings a rare perspective to e-discovery, after a decade as Corporate Counsel at Rackspace Technology, he now works trackside in IndyCar timing and scoring, operating the systems that capture and distribute high-stakes telemetry and timing data in real time. He’ll translate that “on the track” mindset into practical, career-friendly guidance for navigating complex data environments with speed, precision, and confidence.

As mobile devices become the primary hub for personal and professional communications, the challenges of preserving and collecting electronically stored information (ESI) from these sources have grown exponentially. This panel will explore the evolving landscape of mobile device discovery, focusing on practical strategies, legal standards, and emerging technologies for defensible ESI preservation and collection. Panelists will address the unique issues posed by mobile data—including ephemeral messaging, cloud storage, privacy concerns, and proportionality—while offering guidance for both plaintiff and defense counsel.

Why this panel?
With the conference theme highlighting the power and responsibility of data stewards, this session will empower legal professionals to own the complexities of mobile ESI. Drawing from recent Sedona Conference guidance, real-world case studies, and hands-on experience, the panel will provide actionable insights for navigating preservation pitfalls, negotiating protocols, and leveraging new tools—all while maintaining defensibility and transparency.

Join us for a fast-paced mock sanctions hearing where our panelists will step into the roles of judge, counsel, and eDiscovery consultant to argue the high-stakes consequences of failing to preserve data. Using a lively hypothetical, the panel will explore sanctions issues from both the plaintiff and defense perspectives, highlighting how courts grapple with spoliation, intent, and proportional remedies.

This year’s hearing tackles timely scenarios impacting the profession including the failure to preserve departing employee data, the loss of communications on encrypted platforms like Telegram, mishandling ephemeral messaging apps such as Slack or Teams auto-deletions, and inadequate preservation of third-party data from vendors and contractors. Attendees will walk away with practical strategies to mitigate risk, sharpen preservation protocols, and avoid becoming the cautionary tale in the next sanctions order.

Are the rules judges interpret adequate in an era of artificial intelligence where documents have morphed into data and evidence is often not what it appears to be? With perspectives from state and federal courts, the Annual Judicial Panel for 2026 will examine the AI effect on the law and on how judges do their jobs.

Do the Federal Rules of Evidence need amending to deal with AI deepfakes? After over a decade, is it time for another major e-discovery overhaul of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure? What about state courts?

Join us for an always-lively discussion as leading jurists address the vital issues of the day in law and technology.

Join us as we wrap up an engaging first day of the 13th Annual UF Law E-Discovery Conference. We’ll reflect on key insights, highlight standout moments, and share a preview of what’s ahead on Day 2. This brief session brings everyone together—both in-person and virtual attendees—to close out the day with inspiration and momentum around our theme, Own the Data. Earn the Seat.

Close out Day 1 with a relaxed networking reception for in-person attendees. Enjoy light refreshments and conversation with fellow professionals, speakers, and sponsors. It’s the perfect opportunity to continue the day’s discussions, build new connections, and recharge for an exciting Day 2 of the UF Law E-Discovery Conference.

Welcome back to Day 2 of the 13th Annual UF Law E-Discovery Conference. We’ll kick off the day with key highlights from Day 1 and a look at what’s ahead: dynamic sessions, expert discussions, and hands-on insights designed to help you turn data into influence. Whether you’re just starting out or leading strategy, this is your opportunity to deepen your expertise and continue learning how to Own the Data and Earn the Seat.

Managing AI-Generated Evidence and Hallucinations in Modern Litigation

Artificial intelligence now affects not only how evidence is created and managed, but also its authenticity and reliability, sometimes improving clarity, sometimes undermining it. In this focused one-hour program, retired U.S. District Judge Paul Grimm tackles the two issues that matter most right now: AI-generated or altered evidence and AI hallucinations in filings and opinions.

With questions from Judge Ralph Artigliere and Rose Hunter Jones, Judge Grimm will translate doctrine into practice: how to evaluate authenticity and reliability when data may be synthetic or edited, how to frame and decide admissibility challenges, and how to apply case management that sets clear expectations for disclosure, authentication, and preservation. He will then turn to the responsibilities of counsel and the court when generative tools are used in drafting, including verification of citations and facts, appropriate sanctions when things go wrong, and proportional guardrails for chambers and law offices.

You will leave with concrete takeaways you can implement on your next matter: practical language for protocols and orders, triage steps when AI is suspected, and ethical checkpoints for teams using AI. Designed for judges, litigators, and eDiscovery professionals.

Too often, practitioners focus on pushing buttons without fully understanding the “why” behind their work. We will explore the essential problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication skills that must come before the technical execution of eDiscovery tasks. The panelists will demonstrate how mastering these foundational skills leads to better decisions, stronger collaboration, and long-term professional growth.

Join us for a scenario-driven discussion that will ensure practitioners at every level bring real value beyond functional execution.

As collaboration platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, and Zoom replace email in the modern workplace, they’ve become central to investigations and discovery, but they bring unique challenges. This session explores how to identify, collect, review, and produce data from these dynamic systems. With insights from in-house, private practice, and government, attendees will learn how to preserve ephemeral messages, reconstruct context, navigate technical hurdles, and meet legal standards. If your matters involve chat, reactions, or cloud-based teamwork, this session is essential.

Take a break and enjoy lunch with fellow attendees at the UF Law campus. This is a great time to network, share insights from the morning sessions, and connect with peers, speakers, and sponsors in person before the afternoon discussions begin.

While in-person attendees break for lunch, virtual participants are encouraged to explore the Virtual Expo and connect with the sponsors supporting this year’s conference. Visit exhibitor booths, access resources, and engage with our partners to learn more about the tools and innovations shaping the future of e-discovery.

Day 2 of Nuts & Bolts Essentials keeps the future-ready momentum going with five high-level, rapid-fire 8–10 minute presentations on what’s happening now—practical AI in eDiscovery, how it pairs with proven analytics, and the accountability and ethics that keep your work defensible—setting the stage for an afternoon focused on AI.

Our Nuts & Bolts session is designed as a quick overview rather than a deep dive. Each talk is crafted to whet your appetite with valuable tips, emerging trends, and essential skills for success in e-discovery. With a fresh twist each year, this dynamic session ensures you leave with practical, must-know information to inspire your growth and support your professional journey.

• 1:00 PM – 1:10 PM Excel, The Original eDiscovery Analytical Tool
  Long before AI entered review workflows, Excel was doing the heavy lifting—and still is. Learn how Excel powers eDiscovery analytics with 10 practical project management tips and tricks, and why the most powerful tools aren’t always the newest.
• 1:10 PM – 1:20 PM Before AI, There Was AI
  GenAI has entered the chat. NLP and the rest of AI would like a word. A fast, practical look at how proven AI methods can be feathered with GenAI to create tech-enabled delivery of services that are right-fit for legal.
• 1:20 PM – 1:30 PM Introducing AI to your Team. Or how your opponent will beat you using AI
  Thinking about AI as a tool that can achieve greater efficiency is not enough. AI has the potential to provide litigators rapid access to information that has been hard to reach because it was buried in huge data volumes. Understanding what that means for litigation strategy, tactics, and budgeting will drive adoption.
• 1:30 PM – 1:40 PM From Uncertainty to Possibility: A Framework for AI Flourishing
  Drawing on 30 years leading legal teams through tech disruptions, this talk from Ruth Hauswirth explores why AI success depends on human flourishing, not solely efficiency, presenting four pillars for human-centered AI adoption that prioritize psychological safety, curiosity, and sustainable growth.
• 1:40 PM – 1:50 PM The Appellate View of GenAI: Ethics and Disciplinary Consequences
  Justice Kennedy will discuss when GenAI misuse constitutes professional misconduct, the referrals to attorney grievance committees that followed, her experience as a member of a judicial panel that imposed discipline for such misconduct, and practical guidance on responsible AI use to avoid disciplinary consequences.

Generative and agentic AI are reshaping legal practice, but adoption requires more than enthusiasm—it demands strategy, governance, and trust. Legal professionals continue to wrestle with skepticism around accuracy, ethics, and workflow disruption, even as clients and competitors push ahead.

This panel will examine how law firms and legal departments can move from hesitation to structured adoption by focusing on practice-aligned use cases, repeatable workflows, clear governance, and effective change management. Attendees will gain practical insights into balancing innovation with risk, building internal confidence, and ensuring AI enhances rather than undermines the lawyer’s role.

The use of generative AI to enhance document review is one of the most talked-about advances in eDiscovery. Lots of discussion, however, doesn’t necessarily mean clarity.

Join us as we examine the state of GenAI for review, lay out the elements that rapidly are becoming table stakes, and discuss the capabilities emerging with the rapid development and growing adoption of GenAI for review. Our speakers will share their experiences, insights, and suggestions, providing you with valuable tools to help you assess options, chart paths, and perhaps begin using one of the growing number of options available today.

Are AI prompts discoverable? Do they resemble search terms or review guides? Are we on the verge of repeating the TAR transparency debate, and can we get it right this time? Join us for an exciting mock oral argument featuring seasoned experts from both sides of the “v”. Afterwards, we will delve deeper into the strategies for safeguarding privilege, confidentiality, and privacy when leveraging AI.

Join us as we close the 13th Annual UF Law E-Discovery Conference with reflections on two days of learning, collaboration, and inspiration. We’ll recap key insights, celebrate the community that makes this conference thrive, and look ahead to the future of e-discovery. Leave empowered to apply what you’ve learned, champion data-driven strategy, and continue to Own the Data and Earn the Seat.

Don’t make early plans or rush to leave Gainesville. Our first-ever Closing Reception is the perfect way to unwind and connect.

Join attendees, speakers, and sponsors for a casual offsite evening of networking, conversation, and fun. Dress down, leave your laptops behind, and enjoy three hours of relaxed connection as we wrap up the 13th Annual UF Law E-Discovery Conference together.