Extract from Jared Coseglia’s article “The Top 5 E-Discovery Job Market 2021 Game Changers”
Following a year when courts and staffing shut down for six months in ESI, 2021 proved to be an unmatched period of hiring and job-hopping, the likes of which has not been seen in more than a decade. Here are the top five events that impacted the e-discovery job market in 2021.
No. 5: The rise of the user technology conference. Twenty years ago, there was only LegalTech—and everyone went. Now, being part of an ESI community around a piece of technology has increasing value for professionals in the space, specifically for job seekers. Hiring managers in ESI place extremely high importance on software proficiency for net new hires at every level, and user conferences are the best ways to demonstrate fraternal participation and get certified.
There has always been a small smattering of user conferences, but the pandemic has accelerated the ease of delivering content to highlight products and users and deliver value to each. In 2021, ESI software companies took advantage of things learned virtually in 2020 and made the most of annual events. Most of these smaller user tech conferences have turned out to be as good, educationally, and companies like Relativity, Brainspace/Reveal, and OneTrust have seen notably increased numbers of certification completions. Additionally, TRU has observed spikes in hiring of professionals with tech skills specific to a brand in the four weeks following their user conference. In other words, the four weeks after “Fest” saw droves of Relativity talent change jobs.
