Planning committee

After working as an attorney and litigator focused on complex international litigation, Meribeth joined EY Forensic & Integrity Services in 2017.

Bringing a decade of experience in forensic technology and IT support, she serves as a subject matter resource for eDiscovery services.

At EY Forensic & Integrity Services, she oversees Litigation and Disputes offers as well as eDiscovery and is EMEIA Field of Play Leader for Legal and Investigations – managed document review (MDR) and data privacy. Meribeth consults general counsel offices, law firms and litigators all over the world in pressing issues of managing data properly.

She earned a Juris Doctor of Law and MBA from St. Mary’s University and is a solicitor of England & Wales.

How Meribeth is building a better working world

“The age of data has arrived. Data will fuel the global economy and therefore peace, prosperity and growth – as the oil did in the 20th century.

Major corporations will obtain as much data as possible to help better target consumers. What most companies are missing are scenarios in which litigation hits. When you need to find out what actually happened in cases of fraud or non-compliance, oceans of data can turn into restless waters.

With all these oceans of data accumulating by the minute, it becomes harder and harder to manage, segregate, preserve and handle all the data correctly.

Not being able to properly collect, process and review information can turn the dream of big data into a huge nightmare for anyone involved in the digitalized society.”

Suzanne H. Clark graduated from the University of Florida and began her legal career in 2002. She received her Certified eDiscovery Specialist (CEDS) designation from ACEDS in 2014 and transitioned to a full-time focus on eDiscovery where she has become a nationally recognized speaker and panelist in eDiscovery education. Suzanne works remotely from Jacksonville as Discovery Counsel for the Mass Torts Section of Beasley Allen Law Firm’s Montgomery home office. Suzanne’s role at Beasley Allen is to assist the 36 mass torts attorneys with discovery, especially relating to ESI. In furtherance of this concentration, she has earned the Mass-Tort MDL Certificate from the Bolch Judicial Institute at Duke Law.

Suzanne is a frequent lecturer at eDiscovery educational events, including the annual University of Florida College of Law eDiscovery Conference where she serves on the Planning Committee. Further, from 2019 to 2020, Suzanne served as an Associate Professor at Samford University, Cumberland School of Law, where she taught ESI I: Introduction to E-Discovery and ESI II: Discovery to students earning their Master of Studies of Law. She also served as faculty for The Sedona Conference eDiscovery Negotiation Training (eDNT) Program in 2022.

Suzanne co-founded the Jacksonville chapter of ACEDS in 2014, which was later recognized as national Chapter of the Year for its vibrancy and outreach, and continues to serve on the board. She also serves as a Board Member of Complex Litigation eDiscovery Forum (CLEF). In past service, for two years, Suzanne chaired the Jacksonville Bar Association’s Legal Technology Committee.

Sharika de Freitas is a legal technology leader with over 20 years of experience bridging law, technology, and innovation. Her career spans both law firms and corporate legal departments, where she has guided teams through the design and implementation of transformative legal systems and processes. She currently serves as Vice President, Legal Operations and Automation at Madison Square Garden Entertainment.

Canaan Himmelbaum serves as a Global Managing Director of Consilio, LLC overseeing business development and consulting services for the Consumer Brands Vertical. Himmelbaum leverages his years of experience in the food and beverage industry working in-house as Litigation and eDiscovery Counsel at Glanbia, PLC where he worked on large scale eDiscovery, litigation and M/A matters. He advises and consults with Clients that are part of Consilio’s Food/ Beverage/Consumer Products and Antitrust Groups, as well as consults on planning and budgeting, internal investigations, class actions, recalls and information governance.

David Horrigan is Relativity’s discovery counsel and legal education director and adjunct professor of law at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University.

The recipient of the 2025 Mattie Belle Davis Award from the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) and the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA), David has served as an attorney, journalist, law school guest lecturer, and information governance industry analyst. A former reporter and assistant editor at The National Law Journal, David is the author and co-author of academic law review articles and over 500 articles and reports on legal issues. He has been a contributor to Legaltech News for 24 years, and his articles have appeared also in The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, The New York Law Journal, The Washington Examiner, and he has been cited by media, including American Public Media’s Marketplace, TechRepublic, and The Wall Street Journal.

A frequent speaker on issues of law and technology, David has been the moderator of the RelFest Judicial Panel since its inception in 2014, and he has been the moderator of the University of Florida Law E-Discovery Conference Judicial Panel since 2018. David holds a juris doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, he is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia, and he is an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional/US.

Tessa leads Husch Blackwell’s cutting edge eDiscovery Solutions team and has spearheaded the firm’s efforts to provide consistent, defensible and repeatable eDiscovery solutions for our clients.

She is responsible for establishing and implementing best practices for eDiscovery as well as providing the related education and training for our attorneys and litigation technology staff.

A practicing attorney for 29 years, Tessa’s strong understanding of the substantive and strategic aspects of litigation informs the counsel she provides to clients and case teams on all aspects of eDiscovery. She works with clients and case teams to create strategic, cost-effective and defensible discovery plans.

Tessa is knowledgeable in both the legal and technical aspects of eDiscovery. She has vast experience in using and assessing the value of using data mining tools, technology assisted review and various review platforms. She provides discovery management to our clients, including legal hold implementation, identification, preservation and collection of client data as well as assessment of risks and costs of specific discovery strategies.

Tessa has served as lead eDiscovery counsel in class action cases and has led eDiscovery efforts for numerous companies that were the target of government investigations by the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Her skills in early case assessment, search term development and strategy, and the use of analytics and technology assisted review not only saved clients’ money but helped to ensure early favorable results.

Tessa’s experience in handling eDiscovery in active litigation and her understanding of the legal and technical issues that complicate discovery makes her uniquely qualified to assist clients in creating legal hold processes and ordinary course processes. She has assisted numerous companies of varying sizes in a variety of industries in creating and implementing such plans. Her practical approach focuses on creating a repeatable, defensible process that causes minimum interruption to a company’s daily business.

Tessa frequently speaks on issues related to eDiscovery and is on the advisory boards for National eDiscovery Leadership Institute and the University of Florida eDiscovery Conference. She was recently appointed to the Sedona Conference Working Group 1 Steering Committee for a three-year term. Prior to that, Tessa was the co-editor-in-chief of the Sedona Conference, Commentary on Rule 45 Subpoenas to Non-Parties, Second Edition, 22 SEDONA CONF. J. 1 (2020). Tessa is also rated by Chambers and Partners under E-Discovery & Information Governance, USA Guide 22. She is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law where she teaches a semester-long, upper level eDiscovery course. Tessa also serves on Husch Blackwell’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She founded and runs the firm’s unique Diversity Liaison Program, a one-on-one mentoring, coaching, and sponsorship program for over 100 racially diverse and LGBTQ+ attorneys.

Judge Jones has served as a United States Magistrate Judge for 27 years, first for the Middle District of Florida and then for the past 15 years for the Northern District of Florida. Judge Jones currently also serves as a magistrate judge in the District of Columbia through an inter-circuit assignment and as a magistrate judge on recall for the Southern District of New York. Judge Jones received a B.A. in 1975 from Boston University, a J.D. in 1981 from the University of Miami School of Law and an LL.M degree in International Law from New York University School of Law in 1983.

Following graduation from New York University Judge Jones practiced commercial litigation in Florida for eighteen years, first as an associate and then as a partner at a large multi service firm in Miami, Florida. Thereafter, for approximately ten years, he practiced complex commercial litigation as a name partner in a Miami firm he founded.

Judge Jones was the first magistrate judge appointed to the Financial Disclosure Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, where Judge Jones served with distinction for six years. Judge Jones recently served for five years as a member of the Magistrate Judges Advisory Committee of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. In addition to his government service Judge Jones also serves on the advisory council for the EDRM, and for the past thirteen years, has served on the planning committee for the University of Florida Levin College of Law annual eDiscovery conference. Judge Jones frequently participates as a panelist for various educational conferences concerning eDiscovery issues in federal courts. Judge Jones also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Purdue Global Law School, where he teaches Constitutional Law.

Rose is dedicated to understanding and managing the intersection of legal and technical issues that now largely dominate American and global litigation, data breach response, and government investigations. She devotes her entire practice to crisis management, eData, and technology. Rose is ranked in Chambers USA and Chambers Global as one of the world’s top lawyers in e-discovery litigation practice. According to Chambers USA, Rose is a “seasoned counsellor to clients on diverse e-discovery concerns as they relate to government investigations” while Legal 500 notes “Rose Jones is particularly experienced in cross-functional collaboration, advising businesses on information governance, data privacy and security, and discovery.”

Scott is a Chambers ranked litigator and legal entrepreneur who has practiced at the intersection of law, technology, and design for nearly two decades. Scott is the global practice leader of Morgan Lewis’s eData practice, a data-driven practice that is transforming the delivery of legal services by leveraging people, processes, and technology to reimagine the work lawyers do. While at the helm, Scott has assisted in developing industry-leading best practices and strategies for sensible, defensible information governance, discovery, and litigation readiness.

With an increased focus on artificial intelligence (AI), Scott counsels clients in the areas of AI and IG including drafting and revising AI policies, counseling on AI use cases in the areas of eDiscovery, cyber, internal investigations, privacy and IG, development of best practices for creation of QC, QA and validation protocols when using AI and supporting clients who are developing and rolling out generative AI to support legal and impact on maintaining privilege and potential waiver.

Sharing almost two decades of experience in eDiscovery, Scott is a trusted thought leader in the industry, frequently speaking and writing articles on topics in the AI including the Ethics of AI, legal data intelligence (LDI), discovery, data incident response, IG, innovation, and disruption space. Scott is one of LDI’s founding members, was recognized as an AI Visionary, a finalist as an Attorney Tech Evangelist, recognized as a Legal Technology Trailblazer, Scott’s LATHOS application won the Tech-Enabled Litigation Department of the Year award at the 2022 Legalweek’s Leaders in Tech Law Awards, our eData Tech Stack won the E-Discovery Technology and Innovation award in the law firm category at the 2024 Legalweek’s Leaders in Tech Law Awards, our OffComm platform won the Litigation Technology and Innovation award at the 2025 Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards while Scott was a finalist for Innovator of the Year in the law firm category.

Mike Quartararo is the President of the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS), the world’s leading organization for training and certification in e-discovery. For more than 25 years, Mike has been training lawyers, paralegals and legal support professionals at law firms, corporate legal departments, and the government. He is the author of the book Project Management in Electronic Discovery, now in its second edition, and he has been consulting in e-discovery, information governance, project management and legal technology for two decades.

Following 10 years as a paralegal, database specialist, and project manager at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP and another 10 years as the director of litigation support at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, Mike launched a successful consulting practice that provides advisory services to corporate legal departments and law firms.

He has been an adjunct instructor and guest lecturer at law schools and paralegal schools across the U.S., and he frequently writes and speaks at legal industry events on e-discovery, project management, legal technology topics.

A graduate of the State University of New York, he also attended law school in London. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS).

Dan Regard is the Founder and CEO of iDiscovery Solutions (iDS), a leading consulting firm specializing in data analytics, digital forensics, and electronic discovery for complex litigation and investigations. Under his leadership since 2008, iDS has grown into an internationally recognized expert services firm that helps law firms, corporations, and government agencies manage, analyze, and interpret data in high-stakes matters. Combining deep expertise in computer science, law, and data strategy, iDS leverages advanced technologies and proven methodologies to uncover facts, manage risk, and deliver clarity from complexity. The firm’s professionals—many of whom are recognized experts and testifying consultants—serve clients worldwide in disputes, compliance, and investigations where data and truth intersect.

Maribel Rivera is a marketing and community strategy leader who helps people, brands, and organizations build visibility, trust, and opportunity. With deep experience across eDiscovery, legal, nonprofit, and professional services communities, she brings together marketing strategy, experience design, relationship-building, and personal branding to help individuals and companies grow with intention.

As Vice President of Strategy and Client Engagement at ACEDS, Maribel works across strategic partnerships, chapters, membership, events, and community engagement to support professionals throughout the global eDiscovery ecosystem. Her approach is rooted in connection: building spaces, campaigns, and experiences that help people learn, grow, and form relationships that create long-term value.

As the founder of her own marketing and events consultancy, Maribel has helped professionals strengthen their personal brands to pursue new jobs, promotions, speaking opportunities, and broader visibility. She has also helped companies clarify their messaging, build revenue-generating campaigns, and strengthen their market presence in ways that supported growth, investment, and acquisition opportunities. Her work has consistently pushed beyond traditional marketing, emphasizing community, trust, and human connection as drivers of business growth.

Maribel is also a speaker, writer, mentor, and advocate whose work spans marketing, leadership, personal branding, GenAI, eDiscovery, DEI, and community impact. She has been honored with the 2025 Women in eDiscovery Catalyst for Change Award, the inaugural Relativity Fest Innovation Award in the Inclusion category, and the inaugural F.I.E.R.C.E. Woman honor.

Nirav Shah serves as Corporate Counsel – eDiscovery at The Home Depot, where he provides critical legal guidance to the in-house team, manages external counsel and vendors, and advises on best practices in eDiscovery. His role encompasses overseeing eDiscovery across various legal domains, including commercial litigation, class actions, general liability, intellectual property, employment, tax, and real estate. Nirav directs the implementation and execution of legal hold and preservation processes, ensuring The Home Depot’s compliance and readiness for legal proceedings.

Nirav is widely acknowledged as a thought leader in legal technology. His passion for sharing his expertise and mentoring others is evident in his numerous speaking engagements at conferences, educational forums, events, and webcasts, which are testaments to his significant influence in the industry. Nirav’s commitment to shaping the future of eDiscovery education is further demonstrated by his role on the Planning Committee for the University of Florida Law E-Discovery Conference.

Before joining The Home Depot, Nirav practiced with Troutman Sanders as a Senior Discovery Attorney, where he honed his skills in managing complex eDiscovery processes. He also served as a Director within FTI Consulting’s Technology group, further establishing his expertise in legal technology solutions.

Nirav Shah’s educational journey includes dual degrees in Mathematics and Organizational Studies from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. His unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation in eDiscovery is evident in his career achievements and significant contributions to the legal community.

Nirav’s dedication to the legal field extends beyond his professional roles. He is actively involved in various volunteer activities and passion projects, demonstrating his commitment to giving back to the community and fostering the next generation of legal professionals.

George Socha is responsible for increasing market awareness and adoption of Reveal’s platform globally. Additionally, George is tasked with guiding the product roadmap and consulting with Reveal customers on effective deployment of legal technology. In 2005, he co-founded the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) whose frameworks and content have empowered a generation of legal professionals. He has worked for over three decades as a lawyer, advisor and court-approved expert. George received his JD from Cornell Law School and his BA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Kelly Twigger is a visionary leader at the intersection of law and technology, bringing over two decades of experience as a practicing attorney, software developer, and entrepreneur to her role as CEO and Founder of Minerva26. Her unique blend of legal expertise and technological innovation has earned her recognition as a Fastcase 50 Honoree for legal innovation and an ABA Woman in LegalTech, positioning her as a driving force in the LegalTech industry.

Kelly’s expertise and influence in the field are further evidenced by her co-authorship of “Electronic Discovery and Records and Information Management,” a seminal work widely used for eDiscovery education across the country. She served as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Law School, hosts the influential “Case of the Week” video series, and is a long-standing member of the University of Florida eDiscovery Conference planning committee. These positions reinforce her status as a trusted authority in the field and provide valuable industry connections.

Kelly’s tenacious approach to business, honed through years of litigation and strategic planning, ensures that Minerva26 stays ahead of market trends and consistently delivers value to its users. Her ability to “think six moves ahead” in legal strategy translates directly to her business acumen, positioning the company for long-term success and market leadership.