About this Webinar
Three judges on what 2026 taught us, and what they'll expect from you in 2027
2026 was the year AI stopped being hypothetical in court filings and started appearing in them.
Sanctions for fabricated citations. Disputes over whether AI-assisted review was reasonable. Questions about what counts as a defensible process when a model did part of the work. The case law is accumulating faster than most practitioners can track.
Three judges join us to discuss it.
Hon. J. Michelle Childs, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Hon. Xavier Rodriguez, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas. Hon. Kimberly Priest Johnson (Ret.), formerly U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, now at Shook, Hardy & Bacon.
What we'll cover: the AI decisions from 2026 that matter and why; what a court expects to see when AI has touched the work, including disclosure, documentation and verification; how legal and compliance teams should advise business stakeholders who want to move faster than legal is comfortable with; and the questions judges are asking that practitioners are not yet anticipating.
Bring your questions. This panel is at its most useful when it is answering them.
Free to attend.
Presenters
Hon. Xavier Rodriguez
U.S. District Judge, Western District of Texas
Hon. Xavier Rodriguez, a federal jurist and distinguished legal scholar, is a preeminent authority on electronic discovery and complex data management issues. He shares his deep eDiscovery knowledge as the editor of Essentials of E-Discovery and through active leadership on The Sedona Conference Judicial Advisory Board and the EDRM Global Advisory Council.
Hon. Michelle Childs
US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
The Honorable J. Michelle Childs was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in July 2022 by President Joseph Biden. Prior to that, she served as a federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Childs earned her bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida in 1988, her master's degree from the University of South Carolina School of Business in 1991, and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law with her J.D. in 1991.
Hon. Kimberly Priest Johnson (ret.)
Partner, Shook, Hardy & Bacon
Judge Johnson formerly served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of Texas. Having almost a decade of experience with a broad federal civil and criminal docket and as the author of over 1,300 substantive opinions, she brings a wealth of significant and practical experience to both large-scale civil litigation and governmental or internal corporate investigations. Judge Johnson presided over civil cases from initial case management conference through trial and post-trial, including responsibility for all substantive motions. She developed a national reputation in handling issues related to electronic discovery in both civil and criminal matters. Judge Johnson’s civil experience includes presiding over cases involving patents, trade secrets, antitrust, RICO, class actions, collective actions, product liability, employment, and other complex commercial litigations.
Bree Murphy (Moderator)
Founder, eDiscovery Chicks Podcast
Bree Murphy is a senior e-discovery and legal operations professional with nearly 30 years of experience helping organizations manage complex litigation, investigations and regulatory matters. Ms. Murphy partners with corporate legal departments to strengthen e-discovery and information governance programs, improve legal hold processes and implement practical workflows that reduce risk while increasing operational efficiency.
Prior to joining Exterro as a Senior Consultant and Strategic Account Executive, Ms. Murphy held e-discovery leadership roles at a global insurance company and a leading legal services provider. Her experience also includes complex commercial litigation support at several prominent Houston law firms and conducting anti-money laundering investigations for one of the nation's largest international financial institutions. Her background across law firms, service providers and corporate legal departments enables her to deliver practical guidance throughout the litigation lifecycle.
Ms. Murphy is a Certified eDiscovery Specialist (CEDS) and an active leader within the legal technology community. She currently serves as Membership Director for the Houston Chapter of ACEDS, serves on the EDRM 2.0 Committee and is a faculty member at The Center for Advanced Legal Studies. A frequent speaker and educator, Ms. Murphy regularly presents at conferences and industry events on e-discovery, legal technology and information governance. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Texas A&M University and was recognized as the 2025 recipient of the Gayle O'Connor Spirit Award.