[EDRM Workshop] Building eDiscovery Expertise: Where Education Begins—and Never Ends

In a discipline as dynamic as eDiscovery, expertise isn’t just earned once—it’s continuously built. But what does it really mean to be “educated” in eDiscovery, and how do professionals at different stages of their careers acquire and maintain the knowledge they need to stay effective?

This upcoming EDRM workshop, sponsored by HaystackID®, will explore the core elements of eDiscovery education, from formal learning and workplace experience to the role of CLEs, webcasts, panels, and independent study. Leading industry experts will share the go-to sources they rely on to stay sharp—case law, research, vendor updates, and more—and discuss which upskilling methods are most in demand today.

Whether you’re new to the field or guiding a team through professional development, you’ll gain actionable strategies to support continuous learning and long-term growth.

Expert Details

+ Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2025
+ Time: 11 AM CDT / 12 PM EDT
+ Registration Link

Expert Panelists

+ Ryan Costello 

Senior Managing Director, Advisory Services, HaystackID

Ryan Costello is HaystackID’s Senior Managing Director of Advisory Services. Having worked across diverse locales such as Washington, D.C., Rome, Brussels, and Dublin, Costello is bringing his global perspective to help HaystackID’s clients maneuver this changing terrain, from how to best use emerging new technologies to ensuring their data is secure. Ryan began his career as an independent law professional, working with Project Counsel and Project Counsel Media before taking on Prosearch’s privacy accountabilities as Engagement Director and Head of Data Privacy Services. Ryan earned his JD in English and Journalism at Elon University and his JD from the New England School of Law. He holds the CIPP for the US and the EU, as well as the management certificate, CIPM.

+ David Horrigan

Discovery Counsel & Legal Education Director, Relativity

David Horrigan is Relativity’s discovery counsel and legal education director. An attorney, award-winning journalist, law school guest lecturer, and former e-discovery industry analyst, he has served as counsel at the Entertainment Software Association, reporter and assistant editor at The National Law Journal, and analyst and counsel at 451 Research. The author and co-author of law review articles as well as the annual Data Discovery Legal Year in Review, David is a frequent contributor to Legaltech News, and he was First Runner-Up for Best Legal Analysis in the LexBlog Excellence Awards. His articles have appeared also in The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, The New York Law Journal, Texas Lawyer, The Washington Examiner, and others, and he has been cited by media, including American Public Media’s Marketplace, TechRepublic, and The Wall Street Journal. Horrigan serves on the Global Advisory Board of ACEDS, the Planning Committee of the University of Florida E-Discovery Conference, and the Resource Board of the National Association of Women Judges. He is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia, and he is an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional/US.

+ Mary Mack

CEO, Chief Legal Technologist, EDRM

Mary Mack leads the EDRM, a project-based organization, and is the former Executive Director of a certification organization. Mack is known for her skills in relationship and community building as well as for the depth of her eDiscovery knowledge. Frequently sought out by media for comment on industry issues, and by conference organizers to participate, moderate a panel, lead a workshop or deliver a keynote. Mack is the author of A Process of Illumination: The Practical Guide to Electronic Discovery, considered by many to be the first popular book on eDiscovery. She is the co-editor of the Thomson Reuters West Treatise: eDiscovery for Corporate Counsel. Mack was also recently honored to be included in the book; 100 Fascinating Females Fighting Cyber Crime published by Cyber Ventures in May 2019. Mack has been certified in data forensics and telephony. Mack’s security certifications include the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and the CIAM, Certified Identity and Access Manager.

+ Tom O’Connor

Director, Gulf Coast Legal Technology Center

Tom O’Connor, a nationally known consultant, speaker and writer in the area of computerized litigation support systems, is a New England native who graduated from The Johns Hopkins University in 1972 with a BA in Political Science. After attending law school for one year at the University of Notre Dame, Tom returned to Baltimore and undertook a career as a paralegal specializing in complex litigation. He later earned a J.D. at an evening law school program. Tom’s consulting experience is primarily in complex litigation matters, where he has worked with firms of all sizes, most recently the Plaintiffs in the BP litigation. He has also been appointed as a technical consultant by various federal and state courts on cases dealing with large amounts of electronic evidence. Tom is a frequent lecturer on the subject of legal technology and is also a prolific writer, with numerous articles in legal publications and several books, most recently the self-published “EDiscovery for The Rest of Us”.

+ Mary Bennett [Moderator]

Senior Director, Content Marketing, HaystackID; Senior Director, Content and Community Initiatives, EDRM

Mary Bennett, HaystackID’s Director of Content Marketing, focuses on the power of storytelling to educate the legal technology industry on pressing issues impacting practitioners. With nearly 10 years of content marketing experience, Bennett joined HaystackID after working at an agency to help B2B tech startups grow their marketing engines through content that drove audiences through the marketing funnel. Before her agency experience, Bennett worked at Chicago-based Relativity as a Senior Producer on the Brand Programs team. She was a founding member, host, and producer of Relativity’s Stellar Women program and producer of the company’s documentary series, On the Merits. In her role, Bennett crafted and socialized important stories that elevated the eDiscovery community and illustrated technology’s potential to make a substantial impact.

About EDRM

Empowering the global leaders of e-discovery, the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) creates practical global resources to improve e-discovery, privacy, security, and information governance. Since 2005, EDRM has delivered leadership, standards, tools, guides, and test datasets to strengthen best practices throughout the world. EDRM has an international presence in 145 countries, spanning 6 continents. EDRM provides an innovative support infrastructure for individuals, law firms, corporations, and government organizations seeking to improve the practice and provision of data and legal discovery with 19 active projects.

About HaystackID®

HaystackID® solves complex data challenges related to legal, compliance, regulatory, and cyber requirements. Core offerings include Global Advisory, Cybersecurity, Core Intelligence AI™, and ReviewRight® Global Managed Review, supported by its unified CoreFlex™ service interface. Recognized globally by industry leaders, including Chambers, Gartner, IDC, and Legaltech News, HaystackID helps corporations and legal practices manage data gravity, where information demands action, and workflow gravity, where critical requirements demand coordinated expertise, delivering innovative solutions with a continual focus on security, privacy, and integrity. Learn more at HaystackID.com.

Assisted by GAI and LLM technologies.

Source: HaystackID