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

[EDRM Editor’s Note: In honor of Kaylee Walstad, this memorial article was first published here on August 21, 2025, and EDRM is grateful to Rob Robinson, editor and managing director of Trusted Partner ComplexDiscovery, for permission to republish.]

In Loving Memory of Kaylee Walstad (1962–2025)

With heavy hearts, we share that Kaylee Walstad, Chief Strategy Officer of EDRM and an unwavering champion of people in our profession, passed away unexpectedly on August 19, 2025, just one day before this webcast.

Kaylee’s impact on the eDiscovery and legal technology community is profound and immeasurable. She was instrumental in shaping this very session—helping to develop its topic and thoughtfully assembling the expert panel featuring David Horrigan, Tom O’Connor, Ryan Costello, and Mary Bennett. Her fingerprints are on every part of this discussion, and her spirit lives on in its message of continuous education, collaboration, and support.

Together with Mary Mack, CEO and Chief Legal Technologist of EDRM and her longtime collaborator, Kaylee helped guide the organization with unmatched vision and compassion. The two were a powerhouse of advocacy and innovation, dedicated to lifting the industry—and the people within it—to new heights.

A radiant force of encouragement, Kaylee made it her mission to lift others up—always ready with a word of affirmation, a moment of clarity, or a much-needed laugh. Her presence was a bright light that dispelled the darkness of fear, uncertainty, and doubt. She was a great friend to many, including the team at ComplexDiscovery, where she served not only as an advisor and contributor, but also as a confidant, collaborator, and tireless cheerleader. Many of our research, reporting, and writing efforts were made possible—and better—because of her.

Kaylee taught us not just how to work better, but how to be better. And while words fail to capture the depth of this loss, the lyrics of Oasis resonate now more than ever:

I can’t tell you the way I feel / Because the way I feel is, oh, so new to me.

Columbia, Definitely Maybe (Creation Records, 1994).

We honor Kaylee’s legacy not just through this webcast—which she would have wholeheartedly encouraged to go on—but through every act of mentorship, inclusion, and encouragement she inspired, carrying forward the light she so generously shared with all of us.

A Legal Education Presentation by HaystackID®

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 on-demand EDRM workshop, sponsored by HaystackID®, explores 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 share the go-to sources they rely on to stay current—case law, research, vendor updates, and more—and discuss which upskilling methods are in highest 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.

+ Original Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2025

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.

+ 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.

Read the original memorial article here.
Watch the webinar, which includes speaker reflections on Kaylee Walstad, here.

Source: HaystackID
Assisted by GAI and LLM Technologies per EDRM GAI and LLM Policy.