I often refer to part of the e-discovery/information ecosystem as “the firmament”, the part that is kind of like a celestial space, with recognized stars. The previous interviewees in this series … Ron Friedmann and Rob Robinson … are certainly stars in that firmament. And so is my next one.
Last year at LegalTech 2018 in New York we switched the tables: we interviewed Chris Dale. A chat, really. Chris is well known for his video interviews with some of the leading lawyers and providers in the e-discovery/information ecosystem. So I thought it was time we interviewed him. It was the first time he had been the subject of a video interview. And with LegalTech 2019 starting next week (and Chris’ rising role in that event) we thought it well-timed to provide our readers with our chat.
Chris likes to describe his role as “ambassadorial”, a messenger carrier if you will. He carries news and information concerning electronic discovery between and among the players: the courts, the lawyers, the providers, the clients … all of whom will have different hopes and expectations. In this interview, he explains that role.
We spent about 35 minutes with Chris and we discussed a broad range of topics: his start as a solicitor, his move to electronic discovery, his transition to video. We also discussed the adoption of electronic discovery in the UK, the GDPR, and a few other substantive topics. But I decided to edit the piece to focus on what drives Chris, his passions, etc. For his thoughts on the market you can watch and read his blog (click here).
Oh, and a side note. When Chris is at LegalTech he sets up a mini-studio in his hotel room to do the interviews. He uses a “green screen” as a back-drop (you’ll see it in our video) which affords his video editing team some flexibility to insert company logos, etc. behind the speakers. We shot Chris in front of that same green screen. My video team decided to have a little fun with that and they incorporated some “firmament, celestial space stuff” plus some other inserts to (somewhat) match what Chris is talking about at various moments. NOTE: Chris is abandoning the green screen this year and his team will be roving around more.
And just below the video, a message from Chris if you are attending LegalTech 2019. He may have some open slots for video interviews.
As our video interview indicated, Chris’s interviews have become a valuable source of first-hand information about eDiscovery and the subjects which surround it, as well as a platform for providers and others to promote their expertise, their services and their people. He only has a few interview slots remaining in his Legaltech schedule next week. So if you’d like to discuss a video interview please contact Chris at [email protected] to find out how to take part, whether at Legaltech or on a different occasion.
For the other interviews in this series:
A video chat with Rob Robinson (click here)
A video chat with Ron Friedmann (click here)