Every week, the Array team reviews the latest news and analysis about the evolving field of eDiscovery to bring you the topics and trends you need to know. This week’s post covers the period of August 17-23. Here’s what’s happening.
Tributes to Kaylee Walstad
The eDiscovery community suffered a tremendous loss last week with the news that Kaylee Walstad died unexpectedly in her sleep Aug. 19. She was 62.
Most recently, Kaylee was chief strategy officer of EDRM, and as Rhys Dipshan of Legaltech News writes, she “strived to create a place where those in the e-discovery industry could share ideas, network and connect on neutral ground” and many credit her “with creating an enduring e-discovery network and pushing e-discovery education forward.”
Craig Ball called Kaylee a “tireless cheerleader, stalwart friend, and steady heart. She showed up for everyone—eager to listen, to soothe, to lift burdens from others’ shoulders. She was generosity and kindness incarnate. Wise and warm, radiant and real, she was simply one of a kind.”
Right before her death, Kaylee was a podcast guest with her friend and EDRM colleague Mary Mack, chief legal technologist at ERDM. As Mary said in a LinkedIn post: “Kaylee very seldom allowed light to be shown on her, she preferred shining it on others… It is a blessing to hear Kaylee’s voice, talking about her joy in life, her family, and why she loved our eDiscovery, legaltech and greater EDRM community.”
In that podcast, Kaylee said of her work: “Our thing is to make a difference, to help make a difference in each person’s life, in the ability to have resources, grow a career, find a job. … And as you all may well remember, beginning of March of 2020, [the] world shut down. And at that point, Mary literally called me and said, ‘We have to have a community call. The community is going to need a place to gather, talk about what’s happening, get support, give support.’ That was 286 weeks ago, over five years. … We show up – whether it’s a holiday or not. Heart work. The EDRM and all the different things that we do, we love our trusted partners. We love the community. It gives me, personally, endless energy and joy.”
We at Array join our colleagues in mourning the loss of our friend and valued community member and send support to Kaylee’s family and loved ones at this difficult time.
Final thoughts from ILTACON
On eDiscovery Today, Doug Austin has compiled three posts of takeaways from this year’s ILTACON, which Array was proud to be a part of. You can read my take in Part Three of Doug’s recaps, but here are some enlightening quotes from other participants:
“AI was everywhere, of course, but the conversation was much different from last year. There were more case studies and use cases, as well as discussions about more mature governance. We also saw many more attendees with AI in their titles,” Joy Heath Rush, CEO of ILTA, said in Part One.
“At ILTACON 2025, I observed a strong emphasis on innovative legal technology solutions, especially the integration of generative AI into daily practice. … its applications throughout the eDiscovery lifecycle were highlighted. These practical examples are helping legal professionals save time, improve work product, and focus on higher-value tasks,” Julie Brown, Director of Practice Technology, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, said in Part Two.
Other recent eDiscovery news and headlines:
