It’s hard to believe we are two days away from Thanksgiving here in the United States. 2021 has flown by. Whatever your traditions are (or aren’t) for the holiday, it’s a day that really has us at eDiscovery Assistant thinking about all the things to be grateful for, and this year the list is long. So, as we head into the long holiday weekend, I wanted to share a five things we are grateful for and to say thank you to each of you.
YOU. We are so grateful that you value what we are doing enough to subscribe to or read this blog. We know how valuable your time is, and how many choices you have about how to spend it, and we appreciate you being here. Thank you.
Our eDiscovery and Legal Technology Community. It’s no secret that ediscovery has been a tough nut for the legal world to crack, and that’s in part due to the complexity and development of this area of the law. There had not been a “new” area of the law for decades until ediscovery (and now privacy and cybersecurity) came along, and the change in these areas is fast and continuous. Those of us in the trenches and in this community know and understand the value of what we do, and this is one AMAZING group of folks from around the world. Collaboration is the name of the game, more so than I have ever seen in my 25+ years of practice. We routinely call each other to see how to solve hard problems. And even more than that, our community is made up of super intelligent and fabulous humans. You are just great people, and it’s a pleasure to talk with you and help you solve problems. We love our job because we love the people we work with and that includes our entire community.
From law firms to startups to software companies to in-house counsel to professors, we are blessed to work with so many of you and look forward to continue doing so in the years to come. Huge shoutouts to our team of Deja Miller, Maribel Rivera and Mike Quartararo at ACEDS, Bill Hamilton and the entire planning committee of the UF eDiscovery Conference, David Horrigan at Relativity, Joy Murao and the team at Practice Aligned Resources, Doug Austin and eDiscovery Today, Ari Kaplan and his Virtual Lunch, and our professors who use eDiscovery Assistant with their classes. Thank you for making what we do every day fun.
We built eDiscovery Assistant and continue to grow it to help clients and their counsel learn how to use and leverage ESI effectively and economically. And our team loves hearing from you and what you want to see to make your practice easier. We practice ediscovery as well at ESI Attorneys, and we know the pressures you face. Thanks for working with us to help more folks be able to solve problems better and faster.
Legal Technology Companies. I have one word—WOW. If you would have told partners at firms ten years ago that there would be a legal technology industry, they would not have believed the scope of what is available to help clients manage and leverage information better. From review platforms to AI, to collection and authentication of social media, to using instant messages and organizing photos for use in litigation, to case management, document management, data breach and privacy platforms—the technology is constantly developing to address the needs of clients. Law firms and companies are innovating—and that’s not usually a term that’s applied to the law. We are considered dinosaurs. Well, you are changing that and we are grateful, and privileged to be a part of the legal tech space. The practice has to change to be sustainable and legal technology is helping us do that. YOU are helping us do that. Thank you.
Thanks to ALL of our colleagues at legal technology companies making the practice of law better every day. From the CEO’s to the developers, from the visionaries to the marketing teams, it’s HARD to be in the legaltech space. We applaud your efforts. Keep up the great work, and know that even though we want more features, as software developers ourselves, we know the work involved to make that happen, inform users about them, and make sure they are used. It’s a ton of work. We see you, and we are grateful.
Our Families. The last two years have been HARD. We’ve had to find new ways to juggle the mental challenges of working at home, taking care of children and parents, quarantining, not quarantining, not working 24/7 when at home, trying to figure out a new normal and make the best of a very, very difficult situation. We each found our coping mechanisms (or I hope you did, I’m still working on it as I miss seeing you all!). As as the world started to reopen, we are shutting back down. We are so grateful to our families for staying supportive as we work to build a company in a difficult industry (yes, it’s no secret lawyers are demanding and I can say that because I am too), and work with us to allow us to keep life moving forward. If you’ve changed jobs, congratulations. Hopefully, you’ve found some space to grow and find a new path forward. We are grateful for the opportunities and shifts that the pandemic has provided (or forced depending on your perspective) and look forward to working with you all to move the profession forward in a way that allows us to continue to help business and people solve problems.
Our Team. One of the reasons I’m blessed is the wonderful group of people who have joined our team. They are some of the best people I know and I am so grateful to get to spend my days with them (albeit virtually but hopefully in person soon!). Their upbeat attitudes and problem solving approaches coupled with their sense of humor and love of people makes everything worth it. Our team is not just employees, but partners, contractors, law students and all of you who we talk to and work with every day. Thank you for your attitudes, your smiles and your support. We are grateful.
We love being a part of the legal technology community and working every day to help advance the legal profession. Thanks for being a part of our journey. On this day of Thanksgiving, know that we value you and your contributions to our community, legal tech and us personally. May you have a holiday weekend filled with whatever makes you the happiest, and we look forward to celebrating the rest of the holiday season in 2021!
