You don’t hear the word “classy” very much when you’re talking about eDiscovery, but Zapproved’s Second Annual E-Discovery Awards held just before the Legaltech Conference was definitely classy … and elegant … and even graceful.
We’re getting excited for tonight’s awards ceremony! The luminaries of corporate #ediscovery are going to shine this evening. #EdiscoveryHeroes pic.twitter.com/iwi5HsESYu
— Zapproved (@Zapproved) January 29, 2018
The dinner at Tavern on the Green was excellent, the company was delightful, and the award recipients were gracious. Even the nametags were classy – no safety pins or outrageous neck straps.
This their second year, Zapproved and their sponsors pulled out a number of stops for the dinner. Emcee Brad Harris even wore a tuxedo and got the crowd riled up and excited for the night.
A sincere note of thanks to our sponsors for helping to make tonight’s upcoming Corporate E-Discovery Hero Awards possible. @gethanzo @code42 @D4discovery @NightOwldms @HBR_Consulting #EdiscoveryHeroes #ediscovery pic.twitter.com/LDbrkCIsmu
— Zapproved (@Zapproved) January 29, 2018
One of the first awards was the “Smooth Operator Hero Award” which meant I couldn’t get an image of Michael Jackson out of my mind.
The Smooth Operator award recognizes those who have streamlined eDiscovery workflows. And although he didn’t wear a hat or glove like Michael, the award went to Eric Lieber and his team at Toyota.
The Smooth Operator award goes to Eric Lieber from @Toyota for streamlining e-discovery workflows, making litigation response feel nearly effortless. #EdiscoveryHeroes #ediscovery pic.twitter.com/Z2zJi7QMJi
— Zapproved (@Zapproved) January 29, 2018
The Trailblazer Award recognizes new ideas being applied to the world of eDiscovery and that award went to Cortney Starble at CBRE.
The Trailblazer award goes to Cortney Starble from @CBRE for her new ideas, processes and use of technology. #EdiscoveryHeroes #ediscovery pic.twitter.com/L0WFZzYbvh
— Zapproved (@Zapproved) January 29, 2018
The Pinncale Aware goes to individuals outside corporate legal teams, and this year it was collectively presented to the Hon. James Francis, the Hon. Frank Maas and the Hon. Andrew Peck for their individual contributions in providing direction to the bar and corporate legal teams about how to handle the rapidly changing demands of electronic discovery in civil litigation.
The Pinnacle Award, given to individuals outside of corporate legal teams, has been presented to the Hon. James Francis, the Hon. Frank Maas and the Hon. Andrew Peck for their #ediscovery contributions. #EdiscoveryHeroes pic.twitter.com/cL41aO5lmv
— Zapproved (@Zapproved) January 29, 2018
The Guardian Award is for those who protect their organizations through building defensible and secure processes. This year the Award went to Mike Stinson and the team at ConocoPhillips.
Mike Stinson from @conocophillips wins the Guardian award for protecting his organization from risk by building defensible and secure processes and systems. #EdiscoveryHeroes #ediscovery pic.twitter.com/Q1vW14kc2z
— Zapproved (@Zapproved) January 30, 2018
Lastly, the Maximizer Award recognized those who “excel at doing more with less” and wa given to Dawn Radcliffe at TransCanada.
The Maximizer award, recognizing those who excel at doing more with less, goes to Dawn Radcliffe from @TransCanada. #EdiscoveryHeroes #ediscovery pic.twitter.com/3iGBuhfgQQ
— Zapproved (@Zapproved) January 30, 2018
Not to take ANYTHING away from these Award recipients, but honestly the highlight of the evening was Craig Ball’s interview with world-renowned presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. First, Craig Ball’s eloquent and suave introduction of Ms. Goodwin had her swooning with glee, due to Craig’s smooth-as-butter preparation and slide presentation.
@craigball is chatting with world-renowned historian @DorisKGoodwin about leadership traits at the second annual Corporate E-Discovery Hero Awards – it’s a great night! "That is the best introduction I've ever had." -Doris Kearns Goodwin #EdiscoveryHeroes #ediscovery pic.twitter.com/TH8Zi9lZVP
— Zapproved (@Zapproved) January 30, 2018
That just set the wonderful tone for the interview, which has Ms. Goodwin sharing some fascinating and absorbing tales about President Johnson, the history of Lincoln, the interaction of President Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor, and just a whole litany of enthralling pieces of history.
I was fortunate to attend the first E-Discovery Hero Awards last year at Legaltech, and it was lovely in a stately auditorium. But this year was a step above on the classy scale, and I’m excited to see what they have in store for everyone next year.
