Fear of the unknown takes hold before a case or investigation—what lurks in the unknowable black box of potentially relevant data? Early case assessment (ECA) tactics can help you get a handle on the key facts of a dataset so you can better assess risk and hone your strategy. Our panel will explore ECA’s evolution and resurgence, as well as various use cases for ECA and investigations tools—like negotiating protocols, launching an internal investigation, and meeting discovery obligations.

The webcast will discuss:

• Why ECA remains a vital piece of the e-discovery process
• Why “early case assessment” is often a misnomer
• How ECA helps eMerge with gap analysis and identification of additional custodians

Alison Grounds Managing Director Troutman Sanders eMerge Alison Grounds is a litigation partner in the Atlanta office of Troutman Sanders and the founder and managing director of the firm’s wholly owned subsidiary dedicated to leveraging legal and technical solutions to managing data in legal matters: Troutman Sanders eMerge. Alison leads a team of lawyers and technologists who collaborate with clients and case teams to provide matter-specific solutions to improve efficiencies in the handling of data in legal matters, including litigation and governmental investigations. Alison leverages her litigation experience to advocate on behalf of clients in relation to eDiscovery issues at hearings and depositions in state and federal courts around the country and consults with clients on all phases of eDiscovery. She is a frequent speaker and author on eDiscovery issues and has served on Georgia’s eDiscovery Task Force. In 2013, Alison was named Technology Advocate of the Year by the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) and was the inaugural recipient of the Monica Bay STEM Leadership Award in 2015.

Chris Haley Director of Legal Technology Troutman Sanders eMerge Chris Haley is director of legal technology at Troutman Sanders eMerge, where he uses decades of legal technology experience to consult with clients on effective ways to leverage advanced technology to improve efficiencies in all areas of the discovery lifecycle, as well as in other non-litigation matters. His resume also includes providing trial presentation services to clients on hundreds of trials. Chris oversees eMerge’s technology team, evaluates new technologies that may assist clients, ensures his team maintains the skills necessary to address the evolving landscape of eDiscovery, and designs and implements custom-tailored technical solutions to meet clients’ needs.

	Rene Laurens Senior Relativity Solutions Specialist kCura Rene Laurens is a member of kCura’s solutions team, assisting case teams with processing, searching, and analytics workflows. He has more than eight years of litigation support experience, specializing in e-discovery, databases, and project management.

Dean Gonsowski Vice President of Business Development kCura Dean Gonsowski is the vice president of business development for kCura, where he works closely with key enterprise customers, partners, and government agencies to enable them with more effective technology adoption for evolving e-discovery purposes. He also leads initiatives to empower and grow Relativity’s vibrant user community, while evangelizing customers’ day-to-day needs and identifying nascent trends. Dean has more than 20 years’ experience in litigation, e-discovery, information governance, and cybersecurity, and is a member of The Sedona Conference Working Group on Electronic Document Retention and Production (WG1), the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM), and the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). He also serves as an advisor to the Legal Technology Professionals Institute and on the steering committee of the EDI Leadership Summit.