An Emerging Consciousness: How LDI Is Changing Legal’s Relationship to Data

How do you run the legal department like a business and translate its nuances to the C-Suite? What does it take to overcome information silos in the legal workspace? What is the role of community in creating a standardized vocabulary and process to address data challenges standing in the way of legal professionals today?

Panelists addressed these vital questions and more at a recent panel discussion titled “Using the Legal Data Intelligence Model to Chart New Paths in Legal.” The discussion, which was held at Relativity Fest London 2025, was hosted by LDI Architects Chris Haley (VP, Practice Empowerment aiR, Relativity), Brian Corbin (VP, Legal Solutions and Operational Excellence, QuisLex), Melina Efstathiou (Legal Technology SME, formerly of Eversheds Sutherland), and Tristan Jenkinson (Head of Forensics and Investigations, Sky Discovery).

Through insightful analysis and illustrative anecdotes drawn from their work as LDI Architects, the panelists offered a compelling look at how legal professionals can use Legal Data Intelligence to shift perceptions and unlock new possibilities.

Below is a curated compilation of the key takeaways from their discussion.

Practical Resources for Running the Legal Department Like a Business

Corbin shared his experience with the Business of Law category in the Legal Data Intelligence model.

Reflecting on how the other categories—Disputes and Investigations, Corporate, and Data Protection Compliance—are more clearly delineated, Corbin explained why the underlying purpose and definition of the Business of Law was less obvious.

“Business of Law can mean a million things. It can relate to the buying and selling of practice groups inside law firms. It can mean legal ops loosely. We’ve been having conversations about exactly what we will end up with and it’s spawned some interesting use cases.”

Corbin brought up Outside Counsel Value Management as an example of such a use case. “It’s not just about invoice review; it’s not just about rate negotiations. Those are very important and have their place.” But what COOs and CFOs are fundamentally interested in seeing, according to Corbin, is how legal affects the bottom line.

“The point of Outside Counsel Value Management is not to squeeze law firms. It's about getting the absolute best out of your law firms. That could very well mean higher rates if it’s for the right type of work. Similarly, it’s about looking at your own workforce, alternative structures, and technology to figure out how can you get the most for your legal budget.”

At the heart of Business of Law is an overarching goal: to equip legal professionals with practical tools they can use to get buy-in from senior stakeholders. “[These are] the kinds of things I needed ten years ago when I was going up against the CFO,” Corbin said. “For example, a one-pager on metrics and reporting—something you could bring to management that clearly translates a concept familiar to you into language accessible to those who aren’t as familiar.”

The Underappreciated Significance of Knowing Your Data

Efstathiou recounted how Legal Data Intelligence sparked her interest during a panel discussion she attended last year. "I remember thinking ‘This is my job. This is what I do.’ I had been doing everything from information governance to data breach response; from DSARs to litigation and arbitration. I think LDI just made me realize that there was someone out there who was acknowledging how we were growing in our roles.”

When it was announced that the LDI Architects program was open for applications, she was quick to apply and was accepted into the program’s 2025 cohort. As an LDI Architect in the Disputes and Investigations category, she coauthored a white paper titled The Application of Legal Data Intelligence to Governmental Investigations.

“We wanted to spotlight government work because it’s such an underrated and overlooked area. I brought in the expertise around Public Inquires and Public Inquests from a UK perspective. I wanted to make it more digestible, so I created the first LDI workflow for Public Inquiries and Public Inquests.”

The workflow was a culmination of her EDRM expertise and years of experience. “[It’s] everything I had done on endless calls captured in one workflow. Ultimately, I was trying to show that when you know your data, you have a much more streamlined journey in conducting your case strategy.”

Efstathiou offered sage advice to the audience: “Don’t be lazy. Know your data. If you really know the intricacies of data, it gives you very unique insights for when you’re sitting in the driver’s seat advising your clients.”

Change Is the Only Constant: On Legal’s Long History of Not Sitting Still

“We don’t want Legal Data Intelligence to be limited to one jurisdiction or type of matter,” said Jenkinson.

Indeed, jurisdiction and type of matter are not meant to be constraining factors. But neither is time. Jenkinson recalled how, not long ago, legal technologists believed that solving email parsing would mark the final milestone in the evolution of ediscovery. “There was this idea that ediscovery would be finished. We would know how to do everything.”

But the reality, he stressed, is quite different. “Our industry does not sit still. It continues to grow and evolve. And that means that all of the tools, guidance, and best practices need to evolve as well.”

Jenkinson emphasized that the Legal Data Intelligence community is committed to doing just that—continuously expanding and refining the model, building on existing workflows, and adapting to the needs of a rapidly changing data landscape.

A Safe Space for Collaboration & Honest Feedback

The panelists spoke about how the Legal Data Intelligence community offered a welcome space to offer and accept feedback, share new ideas, and collaborate freely in building defensible and efficient workflows for a growing corpus of new use cases.

Haley, an architect in the Data Protection Compliance category, gave the audience a behind-the-scenes peek into the work of the LDI Architects: “Each of the groups gets together at least monthly. And we have quarterly goals that we have to attain as volunteers to drive LDI forward.”

Haley thinks of Legal Data Intelligence as a rare opportunity to foster collaboration across different functions. “Whether it’s with my clients or with my former firm, there are all these different stakeholders. LDI is a great way to bring all of these roles and the different perspectives that they have to solve the challenges that we face as an industry.”