Celebrate, Connect, and Vote for the 2022 Innovation Award Finalists | Relativity Blog | Relativity

In Chicago, we know fall is coming when we break out the sweaters, switch from iced to hot coffee, and when Relativity Fest is around the corner. With August now coming to a close, it’s about that time again!

Every year, the Innovation Awards celebrate the curious change makers in tech who are making an impact at the individual, organizational, and industry levels. Read on to meet our finalists for this year’s individual Innovation Awards, and join us in congratulating and thanking all the nominees who continue to innovate and connect within our community.

See someone who inspires you? Vote for our winners by September 23.

The Innovation Award for Artificial Intelligence

Kelly Friedman, Senior Counsel & National Leader, Beyond eDiscovery, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Prior to joining BLG, Kelly spent over 20 years practicing litigation and providing advice and teaching in the areas of e-discovery, cybersecurity, and privacy. At BLG, she helps the firm enhance and improve upon their skills with AI through various learning programs. She created intensive lawyer trainings—such as Analytics for Attorneys—to help attorneys take advantage of the features in RelativityOne, as well as “Power Users” groups for associates to keep up with new functionality as it’s released.

In 2011, Canadian Lawyer Magazine recognized Kelly as one of “Canada’s 25 Most Influential Lawyers.” Every year since 2015, Kelly been acknowledged by Who’s Who Legal as one of Canada’s leading e-discovery lawyers.

Adam Rouse, Director and Sr. Counsel of eDiscovery Operations, Walgreens

Adam sees education and exposure as key ingredients to AI adoption, and he evangelizes the technology at every level—both within and outside his organization. At Walgreens, Adam created an AI Workshop to introduce interns to the technology, and he regularly hosts educational sessions for the legal department to help demystify AI and drive greater adoption.

Outside of Walgreens, Adam speaks at industry conferences and events about the future of AI, legal tech, and big data. He also works with a variety of organizations to advance the study of AI. For example, he’s partnering with Berkely Research Group and Northwestern University’s data science and law programs to further research advanced AI and the authoring of legal documents; he has partnered with BRG to create an “Ethics in AI” CLE course; and he is working with Reed Smith to author a CLE course about reducing costs and increasing efficiency in litigation with AI.

Justin Turnofsky, eDiscovery Review Technology Manager, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, & Garrison LLP

As a pioneer and leader in Paul, Weiss’s e-Discovery Analytics & Review Technology team, Justin advises lawyers and clients on using a variety of analytics tools, enabling them to obtain high-quality, efficient, and defensible results. He was part of the team that created one of the first   analytics departments in the law firm, ultimately leading to an AI adoption rate of 90 percent in the first year.

Justin is a Relativity Master and a Certified Trainer, allowing him to help colleagues learn and achieve their own certifications. He is also part of the EDRM Analytics & Machine Learning Working Group and regularly presents CLE trainings on using AI in legal.

The Innovation Award for Customer Experience

Adrian Agius, Legal Informatics Manager/Senior eDiscovery Consultant, Gilbert + Tobin and United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability Against Da’esh/ISIL Crimes (UNITAD)

As a Relativity Master and a Relativity Certified Trainer, Adrian brings knowledge and education to every customer interaction. Together with his team, he uses automation, scalable services, and the platform’s extensibility to transform and streamline the end user experience—and ultimately encourage clients to leverage the platform even further.

He and his team have also developed a program to help new users upskill on Relativity, ensuring that they are able to transfer e-discovery knowledge they already have with ease. Additionally, Adrian has also helped clients use RelativityOne for processes beyond e-discovery, including intellectual property investigations, data room management, as well as land right claims and environmental matters as part of the Justice for Change program.

Adrian received the Browning Marean Litigation Support Scholarship to attend ILTA and was also listed on the ILTA’s 2020 “Young Professionals to Watch” list for his work in the e-discovery community.

Owen Bourke, Partner, Clayton Utz

Owen loves building smart and responsive solutions with his clients. His core philosophy is to create a culture and environment that harnesses his team’s creativity and provides opportunity for their development. This year, he initiated a new training program called “Develop” to help his emerging leadership team form skills to coach and lead people and instil an inclusive culture with psychological safety at its core.

Owen’s team have won two Community Choice awards in recent years for their exceptional solutions, which go beyond e-discovery, and he is proud of the work they do with clients every day. Owen has been working with Relativity since 2009 and is an RCA and Relativity Expert.

Ariyah Mandel, Gulfstream Legal Group, VP of Discovery Services

Ariyah puts education at the center of customer service. He believes the more a client understands a product and a process, the more the client will return for another positive experience. At Gulfstream Legal Group, he spearheaded an initiative to meet with Relativity clients twice per year to discuss active matters, new innovations, and how they can improve their workflows, and he also hosts regular onsite meeting with clients to train them on all aspects of Relativity and the suite of tools they may not be aware of.

Ari works closely with clients and his Gulfstream team members to ensure the effective delivery of services to agreed business outcomes, expectations, and service levels. He treats clients with the highest quality of service, often creating custom solutions to their challenges—whether it’s a new workflow for easing into Analytics or a custom-built script to help with privilege review.

The Innovation Award for Education and Mentorship

Andrew Pardieck, Law Professor, Southern Illinois University

Professor Pardieck is a professor of law at the Southern Illinois University School of Law, where he founded and directs the school’s eDiscovery Pro Bono Project, which is currently part of Relativity’s Justice for Change program. Professor Pardieck uses a variety of learning techniques in his courses, integrating hands-on exercises, plaintiff/defendant role play, and Relativity Academic Program materials to help students build their skills and competencies beyond doctrinal law. Over a decade ago, he created a standalone e-discovery course that’s been described as “cutting edge” and “one of the most robust in the nation.”

Lauren Roso, Engagement Director, ProSearch

Lauren is a strategic leader with a proven track record of creating and implementing client-centric solutions and revenue growth. She focuses on a people-forward approach to team building and mentors employees for superior performance and morale. In educating future leaders, Lauren focuses on the often intangible but impactful soft skills, helping her employees and colleagues focus on the items that are not always taught and sometimes seldom seen.

Vivek Sinha, Senior Director, Ankura

Vivek is an e-discovery consultant with nearly a decade of experience. He is the first Relativity Master in Asia, evangelizing the use of analytics in e-discovery projects amongst customers and colleagues. Vivek has trained several individuals using unique learning techniques and has developed multiple certification programs at Ankura to help verify his students’ skills. He’s always inspiring and encouraging his colleagues and mentees to never stop learning and has created multiple short, pre-recorded videos and quick reference guides on various topics to help.

The Innovation Award for Inclusion

Amber Crow, Senior Talent Management Specialist, TransPerfect Legal Solutions

As a senior talent management specialist at TransPerfect, Amber is focused on building diverse and equitable hiring processes and improving employee experience. She’s chair of the LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group and a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Committee, where she has helped bring changes forward, such as trans-inclusive health plans and private rooms for breastfeeding, prayer, or meditation.

Amber is very active in her community and volunteers her time with her passion project, The Queer Career Blog, which supports LGBTQ+ people with free career coaching. She also enjoys spending time with her wife and newborn twins, or tearing up the stage at a karaoke bar.

Analia Lemus, Senior Principal Consultant, DEI Leader, AST LLC

Analia is a positive force and authentic leader in DEI, change management, and digital transformations. Her cultural competence and global work tenure are key aspects of successfully generating a culture of equitability and belonging. She is passionate about lifting under-represented communities and developing pathways where anyone has access to unlimited possibilities. She leads the DEI strategy within her company, is an ERG leader, and a Latino Professionals national board member.

At AST, Analia instituted a monthly, organization-wide session called “Connecting Moments,” where speakers have open conversations about what it means to be a minority and how to increase minority hires within the company. Since 2019, AST has increased Latino and Black/African American hires by 46 percent.

Farrah Pepper, Chief Legal Innovation Counsel, Marsh McClennan

Throughout her career, Farrah has been a staunch advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, driving DEI initiatives internally and in the industry at large. As a woman in the law and mom of two young girls, Farrah has a deeply personal commitment to DEI. She dedicates her time, energy, and purchasing power to support DEI in all forms, including promoting gender parity.

At Marsh McLennan, Farrah sits on the Steering Committee for the Social Justice & Diversity task force, where one of her goals is to create more just outcomes in hiring and pay parity through legal purchasing decisions. She is driving a beta of a new tool to transform the industry’s approach to hiring and promoting diverse talent within law firms.

Farrah takes on many leadership roles to benefit the greater good and promote DEI in legal education, including sitting on the boards of directors for leading industry educational groups like CLOC and the College of Law Practice Management, as well as advisory boards for Legalweek and EDRM.

The Innovation Award for Security

Simone Herbert-Lowe, Director and Founder, Law & Cyber

Simone is the founder of Law & Cyber, specialising in cyber risk management and education. With a passion for protecting others from cybercrime, Simone is the author and presenter of specialist online courses, webinars, and face-to-face presentations. She has written more than 40 articles on the topics of professional liability and cyber risk, including for the Law Society of NSW Journal and the Australian Law Management Journal. Her goal is to educate 10,000 people about cyber risk resilience before 2023.

L&C’s online cyber education courses emphasize the escalating rates of cybercrime globally and industry-specific trends to help educate participants as to why data breaches can cause so much damage and the role that human error plays. L&C’s courses have been endorsed by leading professional bodies in Australia.

Brannon Millard, Director of Security & Infrastructure, Troutman Pepper eMerge

Brannon leads the eMerge ISMC, guiding ISO 27001 compliance, and chairs the Data Security and Handling Committee, which oversees security-related initiatives across the organization. With over 20 years of experience in security, and a passion for studying human behavior, Brannon accounts for often overlooked factors, empowering him to produce more robust solutions for eMerge and their clients.

Brannon understands that prevention starts with education. As such, he conducts security education and training efforts for new team members, ensures that the entire eMerge team completes mandatory security awareness trainings, tracks and responds to phishing test results, and has helped attorneys and technologists transition to a more secure password management platform. As part of these efforts, Brannon also educates and motivates colleagues to incorporate safer security practices into their personal lives.

Inés Rubio, Senior Director, FTI

Inés is a dedicated technology, privacy, governance, and security practitioner. She encourages customers to think beyond their present-day data difficulties, proactively creating the opportunity to discover new and useful solutions that will address challenges across their e-discovery, security, and governance needs.

Inés played a key part in the rollout of FTI Technology’s Privacy Breach Response solutions, and she is currently helping to drive and lead a growing team of digital risk experts within FTI Technology’s practice in Ireland. Inés is also involved as a member and thought leader with several industry associations and holds OneTrust Certified Professional, CIPP/E, CIPM, Relativity Expert, and Prince2 Practitioner certifications. Inés was the recipient of the 2019 “Security Leader” award by the Women in Tech Awards, organized by the Dublin Tech Summit.

The Innovation Award for Stellar Women

Anya Korolyov, Vice President of Cyber Incident Response and Custom Solutions, HaystackID

Anya Korolyov uses her background in the legal industry to help not only her clients, but also women in e-discovery. A lawyer who once worked massive healthcare, antitrust, and patent cases, she heads HaystackID’s cyber breach incident response group. As a leading woman in the field, she is raising up others; the number of women in her rapidly growing division has doubled since she took charge.

Anya is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at HaystackID and serves as co-leader of both the Women’s Group and Immigrants’ Group initiatives. Anya is an active member of the Women in eDiscovery Chicago chapter, and she continues to pursue engagement opportunities within the national group.

Lauren Roso Engagement Director, ProSearch

Lauren is a strategic leader with a people-forward approach to team building. She makes people a priority and works hard to foster relationships, formally and informally, with women in the profession—both within her organization and across the broader e-discovery industry.

For two years, she led the Professional Development Committee of DC Eco Women, where she worked with others to create networking and career development events. Though she didn’t realize it at the time, this experience was the start and foundation of her passion for supporting others in their career and professional development.

At ProSearch, Lauren spearheaded the creation of an advisory board of industry professionals to provide feedback and give outside perspectives to continue driving the industry forward. She is also involved in women’s groups such as Women in eDiscovery and Stellar Women, and she is always looking for opportunities to connect women at every intersection possible—to not only strengthen networks, but to also strengthen individuals.

Allison Stanton, Director & Associate General Counsel, eDiscovery & Information Governance, Meta (Formerly Facebook)

Throughout her career in private practice, at the Department of Justice, and now at Meta, Allison has been intentional and consistent in identifying growth opportunities for women and developing women into successful leaders in the profession. At Meta, Allison has built a diverse and highly technical team of data scientists that’s 50 percent female—a rare feat in technology, let alone in Silicon Valley.

Alison is always looking for ways to help the next generation of women leaders and specialists thrive. Upon entering Silicon Valley, she advanced qualified women—often minority women—into roles of leadership and recognition. Additionally, Alison runs Manager Circles at Meta to help support women leaders across the organization. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she also established Leadership Circles to provide mothers—who were leaving the workforce at rapid rates—a safe space to be seen and heard.

Who will win? The power is in your hands! Cast your vote for the 2022 Innovation Awards now through Friday, September 23, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. CT. Then, watch the Innovation Awards on Thursday, October 27 at 4:45 p.m.—live at Relativity Fest in Chicago—to see who will take home the trophies.

Don’t have your ticket yet? Don’t worry—registration is still open.