AI, Data & eDiscovery: Insights from Ben Fielding of KLDiscovery
- cosmonauts
- Mar 27
- 5 min read
The legal landscape is rapidly transforming, driven by the exponential growth of data and the emergence of sophisticated technologies. At the forefront of this evolution is KLDiscovery, a leader in eDiscovery, information governance and data recovery solutions. We sat down with Ben Fielding to discuss how KLDiscovery is empowering legal professionals with cutting-edge tools and client-centric services.
KLDiscovery joins us this April as a Silver Sponsor, with Ben Fielding speaking on the panel “Data Defensibility in Litigation: Safeguarding Sensitive Data.”
Don't miss the chance to meet the KLDiscovery team at the exhibitor area from 1st-3rd April 2025 during Future Lawyer UK 8.0. Enjoy the interview and get ready for Future Lawyer UK 8.0, 1st-4th April 2025!
KLDiscovery offers AI-powered tools like Nebula AI to enhance eDiscovery processes. Can you discuss how these AI capabilities improve data analysis and review efficiency for legal professionals?
The biggest challenge in eDiscovery - and more broadly in data mining - is data proliferation. There’s just too much data of so many varying types. If you’re working on a legal matter with millions of documents, emails and attachments and huge databases, you don’t want to spend weeks sifting through it all. That’s where AI steps in. Using established techniques such as machine learning, natural language processing, and more recently document summarization, Nebula AI assists legal teams in identifying what’s relevant and helps surface the key documents faster, so lawyers can focus on legal strategy and advice rather than document review.
With Nebula AI, our team will ensure that the most effective methods - email threading, near-duplicate detection, automated redaction and a host of other accelerators - are used in unison to improve efficiency and lower costs.
But it's not just the volume of data, there’s a continuing increase in the variety of data we see, and no two organisations are the same. For instance, communication isn’t just emails and instant messages anymore. People are having full conversations with chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot, a new source of data that we need to be cognisant of how to collect, handle and review. KLDiscovery has the flexibility and understanding to adapt to both the growing volume and increasing variety of data.
With services like computer forensics and ransomware data recovery, how does KLDiscovery address the increasing challenges of data security and cyber threats in the legal sector?
Confidential data is valuable and unfortunately cyberattacks (in particular, ransomware) are continually on the rise. 72% of respondents to a World Economic Forum report saw an increase in cyber risks, with ransomware being the number one concern (Global Outlook in Cyber Security - World Economic Forum 2025).
When things go wrong, our team steps in to help recover encrypted or damaged data. If private or confidential data has been exfiltrated (taken), we can help to rapidly triage it and understand the context and content. That enables organisations to quickly get to work on the mitigation of the risks associated with the compromised data, notifying affected parties where necessary and informing regulators. During an incident, our team will learn a lot about an organisation and ensure those valuable findings are conveyed back to the legal team.
Given the rapid evolution of legal technology, what emerging trends do you foresee impacting the legal industry, and how is KLDiscovery preparing to meet these challenges?
The legal industry is rapidly modernizing. Artificial intelligence (AI) is getting better at understanding data and documents in context, and cloud-based eDiscovery is the norm because it allows more flexibility. But the real shift is in how legal teams are adopting these tools - not just as a necessity but as a strategic advantage. We’re focusing on making our solutions intuitive and accessible, so legal teams don’t have to be technology experts to benefit from them. And - while it’s great to have effective technology with expertise - we also ensure that our consultants are eager to share their understanding with the legal teams they work with.
Legal technology is no longer a niche skill. A decade ago, only specialists handled AI tools, but today, managing large data sets and AI-driven insights is becoming a core skill for lawyers. The challenge is that most law schools still don’t teach this well or at all. That’s where legal teams must take the lead - giving individuals the opportunity to get the right training to use these tools effectively and confidently. We support that by providing hands-on guidance, not just software, so legal teams can get up to speed quickly and use AI to their advantage and - most importantly - use it in a defensible way.
Another significant trend is the increased complexity of the regulatory landscape, particularly the varying pace and level at which regulations—for example, in AI, cyber resilience, and privacy—are implemented, along with the increasingly proactive approach of regulators in assessing business responses. If you couple this with the current uncertainty of the geopolitical landscape, businesses need to ensure they partner with an organisation that can help them navigate this landscape. With 26 offices worldwide, and experience across 150+ jurisdictions, KLDiscovery is that partner.
KLDiscovery emphasizes a client-centric approach with 24/7 global customer service. Can you share examples of how this commitment has led to innovative solutions tailored to clients' specific needs?
One of the things we hear from clients is that they don’t just need great technology; they need expert guidance to get the most out of it. That’s why we don’t just provide a platform; we provide a team. For example, we had a firm facing a tight deadline in a large cross-border case. They needed to process and review a massive data set in a considerably tight timeline. Our team worked alongside them, excluding redundant data and fine-tuning Nebula AI to prioritise key documents, which helped them hit their key deadlines without a last-minute panic. That’s the kind of partnership we aim for - technology plus available hands-on expertise.
KLDiscovery is also no stranger to the global nature of our clients and having 26 offices globally, we can ensure local expertise but also can provide genuine round-the-clock support for the global challenges our clients face. In keeping with our client-first approach, Nebula AI has been developed through years of client feedback. For example, our Client Portal is the direct result of that input. It’s a single location where a client can see a high-level view of their matters and key insights into costs, volumes of data and a wide variety of metrics giving granular insights and actionable alerts.
As a sponsor of Future Lawyer UK 2025, what key insights or solutions will KLDiscovery present to the legal community, and how do you envision contributing to the future of legal technology?
Future Lawyer UK is a great space to have honest discussions about where legal technology is heading. We’ll be showcasing Nebula AI, but more importantly, we’ll be talking to legal teams about how they’re using these tools in practice and what they would like to see in our roadmap. It’s not just about asking ‘Would you like GenAI with that?’, it’s about making sure legal professionals have the right support and technology to stay ahead in a rapidly changing business and regulatory landscape. We would encourage Future Lawyer attendees to visit us at our stand to share the challenges they have had with data mining and document review in any legal or regulatory scenario. We’re here to listen and to ensure our offerings can support their needs, to help them, and us, to work smarter.
You’ll also have the opportunity to attend KLDiscovery’s exclusive workshop and dinner on 29th April, featuring in-depth discussions on eDiscovery, followed by an exclusive Nebula AI product demonstration.
Join industry experts in eDiscovery and dispute resolution for engaging discussions and valuable networking.
Apply now to secure your spot!
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