2019 Corporate Ediscovery Hero Award Winners Include ExxonMobil, PayPal, Sprint, and Duke Energy
The awards ceremony, presented by Zapproved, honored innovative in-house ediscovery professionals in a celebration that featured noted journalist Bob Woodward
PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Zapproved LLC, developer of the leading litigation response platform specifically for in-house legal teams, today announced the winners of the 2019 Corporate Ediscovery Hero Awards, which recognize in-house legal representatives who have demonstrated excellence in electronic discovery practice.
From a competitive field of 20 finalists representing a wide array of Fortune 1000 companies, winners were chosen in four categories:
-Robert Levy of ExxonMobil was the recipient of the Guardian Award, given to those who protect their organizations from risk by building defensible and secure processes for ediscovery and litigation response.
-Sonya Judkins of Sprint was the Maximizer Award winner, given to those who have implemented processes and systems to streamline workflow, control costs, and save time.
-Cecil Lynn of PayPal received the Trailblazer Award, which recognizes innovators who leverage new ideas, processes, and technology solutions.
-Michelle Spak of Duke Energy was selected as the Smooth Operator Award winner, given to those who have streamlined ediscovery workflows, making litigation response feel nearly effortless.
The honorees were announced at a festive ceremony held at New York City's famed Edison Ballroom. Winners were selected by an independent panel of judges comprised of peers, past winners, federal judges, and ediscovery experts in a confidential process.
Also toasted at the awards ceremony was the Honorable John M. Facciola, who received the Hon. Shira Scheindlin Lifetime Achievement Award, given in recognition of a career that has advanced the practice of electronic discovery. The former United States Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court of Columbia has had a profound impact on ediscovery, including his decision on Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington v. Executive Office of the President, where he ordered the Executive Office of the President to preserve media that was improperly deleted from White House servers, and Equity Analytics v. Lundin, where he concluded that expert testimony was required to evaluate search methodology in ediscovery production. Judge Facciola was introduced by his fellow judge and friend, the Honorable Paul W. Grimm, in a moving tribute.
One of the highlights of the evening was a spirited discussion between trial lawyer and prominent ediscovery voice, Craig Ball, and featured guest, Bob Woodward, the celebrated, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author. The pair provided a far-reaching conversation touching on current events, politics, and journalism before a captivated audience.
"Our community is indebted to the transformative work and accomplishments made by all of our deserving nominees. This year's winners delivered standout examples of innovation and progress, and we're honored to have the opportunity to recognize their contributions in pushing ediscovery practices forward. We all collectively benefit from their efforts and expertise," said Brad Harris, Distinguished Fellow of Ediscovery at Zapproved, who served as ceremony host.
The Corporate Ediscovery Hero Awards were generously supported by sponsors, including Zapproved, ARMA, The Cowen Group, DLA Piper, Smarsh, and Stout. Additional interviews and information on the Corporate Ediscovery Hero Award winners will be available at Zapproved's Corporate Ediscovery Resource Center.
About the Hero Awards
The Corporate Ediscovery Hero Awards, presented by Zapproved, honor experts and legal professionals who demonstrate excellence in ediscovery strategy, technology, process, teamwork, and overall influence and achievement. An esteemed panel of federal judges, top in-house ediscovery practitioners, and national experts review and select the finalists each year.
About Zapproved LLC
Zapproved is the developer of the Z-Discovery platform, enterprise-class software designed specifically for corporate legal teams to take control of ediscovery from the moment litigation is anticipated until the matter is resolved. Our powerful yet intuitive system equips teams to confidently reduce reliance on outside providers, dramatically lower costs, and simply build a better process. Backed by ironclad security and unrivaled customer support, our software is trusted by more corporate legal teams than any other.
SOURCE Zapproved
Share this article