Technology changes in small ways almost daily – and then there are those big, sweeping changes that challenge us to rethink the way we work and what the tools we use should do to help us. Over the past few years, AI has been that change. The Relativity community is certainly no stranger to that.
What remains consistent and at the center of each of those technological changes are the people using the technology, their passion for their roles, and their experience helping others. There are hundreds of such folks who make Relativity’s community special, and we were privileged to learn more about many of them as the nominations for our Best Innovator categories rolled in earlier this year.
As is true every year, we faced the extraordinary challenge of redacting all names and companies from nomination submissions, reviewing the efforts and accomplishments for each nominee, and identifying those within Relativity’s community that exemplify the criteria within each of the Best Innovator categories.
Between providing legal resources when they are needed most, ensuring customers and employees have great experiences, challenging the status quo and being a catalyst in creating an equitable industry where everyone feels like they belong, supporting each other and those new to the legal industry through education, and making a specific and substantial impact on their organizations and in the world of legal data and technology as women in a male-dominated industry – this community, unsurprisingly, continues to shine.
Relativity is proud to celebrate the 2026 Innovation Awards Best Innovator category finalists. Get to know them below, cast your votes for each category, and join us in Chicago to see who takes home each trophy.
Best Innovator: Access to Justice
- Kimberly Byrd - Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP - Senior E-Discovery Attorney
- Kara Schooley-Proud - Ashurst Perkins Coie - Senior Analyst
- Joe Stephens - Steno - Director of Legal Solutions
Best Innovator: Customer Experience
- Gabriel Landau - HaystackID - Senior Vice President eDiscovery & Incident Response Solutions
- Erika Morgan - HaystackID - Senior Vice President of Client Engagement
- Philip Weldon - Hecker Fink LLP - Senior Director of eDiscovery and AI Assisted Review
Best Innovator: Inclusion
- Amy Griggs - Epiq Global - Senior Account Director | Legal Solutions
- Monique Jiggetts - UnitedLex - Director
- Starling Underwood - Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP - Principal
Best Innovator: Legal Education
- Stuart Hall - Control Risks Group Pty. Ltd. - Principal
- Anya Korolyov - HaystackID - Executive Vice President, Cyber and LDI Strategy
- Joe Stephens - Steno - Director of Legal Solutions
Stellar Women
- Katherine Li - UnitedLex - Vice President Analytics and AI Consulting
- Catherine Pray - IntrepidX - Senior Director, Managed Review
- Lindsey Worth - Elevate - Vice President and General Manager, Discovery
To vote for the individuals who inspire you most, visit our Community Choice ballot. Voting is open through August 22, and if you haven't yet, there's still time to register for Relativity Fest in Chicago (Sept 29–Oct 1), where we'll celebrate this year's winners.
