2027 Agenda

14th Annual UF Law E-Discovery Conference

Conference
Program

February 10–11, 2027 · Gainesville & online
Pre-conference events · February 9

Register for the Conference

The Practical E-Discovery Conference

Law.
Technology.
Practice.

All Day 1 and Day 2 educational sessions are available in person and virtually.

Program Highlights

Featured sessions

Agenda

Explore the 2027 UF Law e-discovery conference agenda, with sessions on AI, discovery practice, and access to justice. Join us in Gainesville or online.

Session details and scheduling are subject to change. The final agenda, along with the latest conference updates, will be available in the conference web and mobile app.

Tuesday, February 9

Pre-Conference Events

Virtual roundtables and an in-person panel and networking event.

Time (ET)Session or EventSession Type
10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Sponsor-Led Virtual Connection Roundtables

Virtual Only
Session details

Connect with sponsors and fellow legal professionals through interactive, sponsor-led discussions. Explore emerging trends in e-discovery, exchange practical insights, and choose among breakout rooms throughout the session. Topics and participating sponsors will be announced.

Roundtable
4:30–6:30 p.m.

NExT-Sponsored Panel & Networking

In Person Only
Session details

Join NExT for a panel and networking event with the e-discovery community. Students are especially encouraged to attend. All in-person conference speakers, sponsors, and attendees are invited. Location and additional details will be announced.

Sponsored by NExT — Network for Excellence in Tech Law
Panel

Wednesday, February 10

Day 1

All educational sessions are hybrid. Evening events are in person only.

Time (ET)Session or EventSession Type
Opens at 7:30 a.m.

Registration Check-In

In Person Only
Registration
7:30–9:00 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

In Person Only
Session details

Continental breakfast will be provided for in-person attendees from 7:30–9:00 a.m. Start your day with a bite to eat and conversation with fellow attendees before joining the program.

Meal Break
9:00–9:15 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

HybridProfessor William Hamilton · George Socha · Merritt McAlister
Session details

Session faculty

Professor William Hamilton

Professor William Hamilton

University of Florida Levin College of Law

George Socha

George Socha

SVP of Brand Awareness

Reveal

Merritt McAlister

Merritt McAlister

Dean

University of Florida Levin College of Law

Welcome to the 14th Annual UF Law E-Discovery Conference. Join colleagues in Gainesville and online as we open two days of practical education and conversation about the changing relationship between law, technology, and the delivery of justice. We’ll introduce the program, welcome our conference community, and set the stage for the discussions ahead.

Remarks
9:15–9:50 a.m.

If We Built the Justice System Today: How the Bench and Bar Can Rethink Justice with AI

Hybrid Hon. Maritza Dominguez Braswell
Session details

Session faculty

Hon. Maritza Dominguez Braswell

Hon. Maritza Dominguez Braswell

United States Magistrate Judge

United States District Court, District of Colorado

AI presents an opportunity to rethink how we practice law and deliver justice. Rather than simply using AI to work faster within existing processes, lawyers can help courts identify opportunities to simplify procedures, narrow disputes, and improve how cases are managed and resolved. This discussion invites practitioners to become partners in reimagining a justice system. That makes better use of both technology and human judgment.

Keynote
9:50–10:00 a.m.

Break

Break
10:00–10:50 a.m.

From Chatbots to Discovery Targets: Case Law Working to Keep Up with AI

Hybrid Kelly Twigger (Moderator) · Maria Salacuse · Tessa Jacob · Hon. Rukhsanah L. Singh
Session details

Session faculty

Kelly Twigger

Kelly Twigger

Moderator

Founder & CEO, Minerva 26; Principal, ESI Attorneys

Maria Salacuse

Maria Salacuse

Assistant General Counsel

EEOC

Tessa Jacob

Tessa Jacob

Partner

Husch Blackwell LLP

Hon. Rukhsanah L. Singh

Hon. Rukhsanah L. Singh

United States Magistrate Judge

United States District Court, District of New Jersey

Generative AI has moved from a hypothetical to the fastest-developing area of discovery law today, and the courts are already telling us what they expect.

This session opens the conference with a close look at the rulings that matter most from the past year, bringing defense, plaintiffs’, and judicial perspectives to the same table. We will move through the fault lines the case law is drawing right now: when a litigant’s own use of AI is protected work product versus discoverable material; how counsel and vendors are being ordered, or agreeing by stipulation, to disclose and validate the AI systems actually deciding what gets produced; the questions courts are asking when AI-generated content itself becomes evidence; and the proportionality fights over discovery aimed at an AI company’s own infrastructure and logs.

Attendees leave with a working map of where the doctrine stands, where it is headed, and what to change in their own practice before the next ruling moves the ground again.

Panel
10:50–11:00 a.m.

Break

Break
11:00–11:50 a.m.

Capturing What’s About to Disappear: Practical Collection of AI and Collaboration-Tool Data

Hybrid
Session details

Generative AI chat logs and enterprise collaboration data (Teams, Slack, Copilot, Gemini) are now squarely within the duty to preserve — In re OpenAI Copyright Litigation settled that question for consumer ChatGPT logs in 2025, and Sedona’s WG1 is actively drafting discoverability guidance for GenAI information more broadly. But knowing something must be preserved doesn’t tell you how to actually capture it.

This session moves past the “is it discoverable” debate into the mechanics: where AI and chat-tool data actually lives (tenant-level admin consoles, Microsoft Purview, Google Vault, API logs), what platform auto-deletion defaults will destroy it before a hold is even issued, and what a forensically defensible collection of that data looks like once you’ve identified it. Attendees will leave with a platform-by-platform checklist for scoping legal holds on AI and collaboration tools, a set of questions to ask IT/vendors before negotiating an ESI protocol, and sample hold language that addresses prompts, outputs, and tool-call logs specifically.

Panel
11:50 a.m.–12:55 p.m.

Lunch Break

Session details

Take a midday break to connect with fellow attendees, speakers, and sponsors. Continue the morning’s conversations, compare notes on the sessions, and meet colleagues from across the e-discovery community before the afternoon program begins. In-person attendees can enjoy lunch together; virtual attendees can use this time to recharge before rejoining the program.

Meal Break
12:55–1:00 p.m.

Reconvene

Transition
1:00–1:50 p.m.

Nuts & Bolts

HybridSharika de Freitas (Moderator)
Session details

Session faculty

Sharika de Freitas

Sharika de Freitas

Moderator

VP, Legal Operations & Process Automation

Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.

Nuts & Bolts brings together five fast-paced, 10-minute presentations covering practical e-discovery tips, emerging trends, and essential skills. Each presentation offers a focused introduction to a topic, giving attendees useful insights and ideas to explore further. Individual presentation topics and speakers will be announced.

Lightning
1:50–2:00 p.m.

Break

Break
2:00–2:50 p.m.

Search: Back to the Future: Keywords to TAR to AI and Back Again

Hybrid
Session details

Full session details will be announced.

Panel
2:50–3:00 p.m.

Break

Break
3:00–3:50 p.m.

Beyond the Pilot: AI and the New Document Review Workflow

Hybrid Leonard Impagliazzo (Moderator)
Session details

Session faculty

Leonard Impagliazzo

Leonard Impagliazzo

Moderator

Associate

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

A year ago, generative AI in discovery was largely tested through discrete pilots focused on responsiveness review and basic document classification. Today, legal teams are beginning to deploy AI earlier, more broadly, and with greater operational discipline; using it for early case assessment, data mapping, investigations, issue and fact development, privilege analysis, review, and production. The focus has also shifted from prompting alone to defensible workflow design, including human oversight, validation, quality control, and documentation. This panel will examine how AI now fits alongside TAR, analytics, traditional review tools, and human expertise, and how those workflows should adapt as matters and technologies evolve.

Panel
3:50–4:00 p.m.

Break

Break
4:00–5:20 p.m.

The Annual Judicial Panel

Hybrid David Horrigan (Moderator) · Hon. Gary Jones · Hon. Maritza Dominguez Braswell
Session details

Session faculty

David Horrigan

David Horrigan

Moderator

Discovery Counsel and Legal Education Director

Relativity

Hon. Gary Jones

Hon. Gary Jones

United States Magistrate Judge

United States District Court, Northern District of Florida

Hon. Maritza Dominguez Braswell

Hon. Maritza Dominguez Braswell

United States Magistrate Judge

United States District Court, District of Colorado

Full session details will be announced.

Panel
5:20–5:30 p.m.

Day 1 Closing Remarks

Hybrid
Session details

Bring Day 1 to a close with a look back at the ideas connecting today’s discussions—from evolving case law and emerging data sources to search, AI-powered review, and perspectives from the bench. We’ll preview Day 2 and share reminders for the evening before in-person attendees gather for the networking reception.

Remarks
5:30–6:30 p.m.

Networking Reception

In Person Only
Session details

Keep the conversations going after Day 1. Join fellow in-person attendees, speakers, and sponsors for a relaxed hour of networking—an opportunity to follow up on a session, exchange ideas, and make new connections across the e-discovery community. After the reception, head out for dinner on your own with new colleagues or familiar friends.

Reception
After 6:30 p.m.

Dinner on Your Own

Meal Break

Thursday, February 11

Day 2

All educational sessions are hybrid. Evening events are in person only.

Time (ET)Session or EventSession Type
Through noon

Registration Check-In

In Person Only
Registration
7:30–9:00 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

In Person Only
Session details

Continental breakfast will be provided for in-person attendees from 7:30–9:00 a.m. Start your day with a bite to eat and conversation with fellow attendees before joining the program.

Meal Break
8:45–9:00 a.m.

Day 2 Welcome

HybridProfessor William Hamilton
Session details

Session faculty

Professor William Hamilton

Professor William Hamilton

University of Florida Levin College of Law

Welcome back for the second day of the UF Law E-Discovery Conference. We’ll reconnect our in-person and virtual audiences, reflect on key themes from Day 1, and introduce a program exploring how AI is changing legal services, professional education, and access to justice. The morning continues with a fireside chat with Bennett Borden.

Remarks
9:00–9:50 a.m.

Fireside Chat with Bennett Borden

Hybrid Bennett Borden · George Socha (Moderator)
Session details

Session faculty

Bennett Borden

Bennett Borden

Founder and CEO

Clarion AI Partners

George Socha

George Socha

Moderator

SVP of Brand Awareness

Reveal

Full session details will be announced.

Fireside Chat
9:50–10:00 a.m.

Break

Break
10:00–10:50 a.m.

The New Economics of eDiscovery: How Legal Operations and AI Are Changing the Model

Hybrid
Session details

eDiscovery is undergoing a fundamental economic shift. As Legal Operations teams face increasing pressure to control legal spend, improve efficiency, and demonstrate measurable value, traditional eDiscovery models built around data volumes, hourly review, and labor-intensive workflows are being challenged by new technologies, AI, alternative staffing models, and evolving approaches to service delivery and pricing.

This panel will explore how Legal Operations is changing the way organizations think about the economics of eDiscovery, from collection and early case assessment through review, analysis, and production. Panelists will examine how AI can create meaningful efficiencies, where technology can fundamentally change workflows rather than simply accelerate existing processes, and how organizations can rethink the balance of people, process, technology, and outside counsel.

The discussion will also explore whether traditional eDiscovery pricing and service models need to evolve as technology changes the amount and type of work required, and how legal departments can measure whether these changes are actually delivering meaningful value.

Panel
10:50–11:00 a.m.

Break

Break
11:00–11:50 a.m.

The Business of Law: Economics and Education in an AI-Powered Profession

Hybrid
Session details

As AI executes tasks that once fueled the billable hour, traditional firm economics and the training pipeline are on a direct collision course. Bringing together corporate buyers, firm leaders, educators, and service providers, this panel tackles the existential questions of a shifting profession: how will students and junior professionals learn to practice, who pays for that training, and how will firms and ALSPs continue to make money? Join us for a candid discussion on the broader changes in how legal services are valued and billed, whether corporate clients have an obligation to help fund the industry’s talent pool, and how to manage the risk of de-skilling the next generation of legal technology practitioners.

Panel
11:50 a.m.–12:55 p.m.

Lunch Break

Session details

Take a midday break to connect with fellow attendees, speakers, and sponsors. Continue the morning’s conversations, compare notes on the sessions, and meet colleagues from across the e-discovery community before the afternoon program begins. In-person attendees can enjoy lunch together; virtual attendees can use this time to recharge before rejoining the program.

Meal Break
12:55–1:00 p.m.

Reconvene

Transition
1:00–1:50 p.m.

Nuts & Bolts

HybridSharika de Freitas (Moderator)
Session details

Session faculty

Sharika de Freitas

Sharika de Freitas

Moderator

VP, Legal Operations & Process Automation

Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.

Nuts & Bolts brings together five fast-paced, 10-minute presentations covering practical e-discovery tips, emerging trends, and essential skills. Each presentation offers a focused introduction to a topic, giving attendees useful insights and ideas to explore further. Individual presentation topics and speakers will be announced.

Lightning
1:50–2:00 p.m.

Break

Break
2:00–2:50 p.m.

Guardrails or Gridlock: The Great Divide on AI Regulation

Hybrid
Session details

Full session details will be announced.

Panel
2:50–3:00 p.m.

Break

Break
3:00–3:50 p.m.

Bridging a Justice Gap: How Technology Is Expanding Access to Justice

Hybrid Michael Quartararo (Moderator) · Johnathan Hill · Robert Ambrogi · Joy Heath Rush · David Cohen · Kristen Sonday
Session details

Session faculty

Michael Quartararo

Michael Quartararo

Moderator

President

ACEDS

Johnathan Hill

Senior Manager, Social Impact

Relativity

Robert Ambrogi

LegalTech Journalist and Podcaster; Co-Founder, LawNext

LawSites/LawNext

Joy Heath Rush

CEO

ILTA

David Cohen

CEO

ATJustice

Kristen Sonday

Co-Founder and CEO

Paladin

Ideally, in a fair and democratic society, it is easy to imagine access to justice as a fundamental right of all people regardless of who or where they are, their station in life, or how much money they have. Yet, countless examples make clear this is not the case. In the gap are people who need legal advice; people facing healthcare challenges, suffocating debt, tax issues, or an eviction notice; or family and estate issues; everyday people with common legal problems they mostly did not ask for that require them to navigate complex legislation and court rules, government administrative structures, and of course, the risk of mounting legal fees that they cannot afford. For years, the courts, legal aid organizations, and law firms have tried to reduce the disparity, but it’s not nearly enough.

This panel discussion will feature legal and technology professionals who are passionate about access to justice and will explore how technology can enable new approaches to legal service delivery and help bridge the gap by raising awareness, educating the public, and providing resources for those who need them.

Panel
3:50–4:00 p.m.

Break

Break
4:00–4:50 p.m.

The AI-Powered Pro Se Litigant: When Access to Justice Meets the Administration of Justice

Hybrid
Session details

Generative AI is giving individuals unprecedented ability to research the law, draft pleadings, develop arguments, and navigate the courts without a lawyer. But what happens when the barriers to filing litigation become dramatically lower?

Generative AI is fundamentally changing what it means to represent yourself in court. Individuals who once may have struggled to identify a cause of action, understand procedural requirements, conduct legal research, or draft a complaint can now use readily available AI tools to produce pleadings, motions, discovery requests, and legal arguments that may look remarkably similar to work prepared by lawyers. In important ways, this development has the potential to expand access to justice by making legal information and assistance available to people who cannot afford traditional legal services.

But increased access also presents a new and complicated set of challenges. AI can make it easier not only to pursue legitimate claims, but also to generate voluminous filings, multiply arguments, pursue legally unsupported theories, overwhelm opposing parties with discovery, and present courts with authorities or factual assertions that are inaccurate, misleading, or entirely fabricated. Unlike attorneys, pro se litigants are not subject to professional licensing requirements or the same ethical and disciplinary structures governing lawyers’ use of technology.

This panel will focus on the consequences of this emerging generation of AI-assisted pro se litigation for courts and opposing parties. The discussion will examine what judges and court personnel are already encountering; the practical and financial burdens created when AI enables litigants to generate increasingly sophisticated, voluminous, or repetitive pleadings, motions, and discovery; and the challenges lawyers face in responding efficiently and proportionately. The panel will also consider how existing procedural rules, sanctions, filing requirements, and judicial case-management tools apply to AI-assisted pro se litigants and whether courts may need new approaches to manage this growing phenomenon while protecting the integrity and efficient administration of the judicial process.

Panel
4:50–5:00 p.m.

Conference Closing Remarks

Hybrid
Session details

Join our in-person and virtual conference community for a final reflection on two days of learning and discussion. We’ll draw together key themes, thank the speakers, sponsors, attendees, and organizers who made the conference possible, and encourage participants to carry these conversations into their own work. We’ll also share final reminders for the closing reception that evening.

Remarks
6:30–9:30 p.m.

Closing Reception

In Person Only
Session details

Celebrate two days of learning and connection with the UF Law e-discovery community. All conference attendees are invited to join us in person for an evening of music, food, and beverages from 6:30–9:30 p.m. Reconnect with people you met during the conference, continue conversations with speakers and peers, and make new connections in a relaxed, social setting.

Reception