Sidley loses e-discovery disputes team to US outfit

October 2024 | CDR Magazine

One of the US’ biggest e-discovery litigation firms has raided Sidley Austin to expand its Washington, DC operations.

Redgrave – which focuses on e-discovery, information law, data privacy and data security in high-stakes litigation and investigations – has secured founder and leader of Sidley’s eDiscovery and data analytics practice Robert Keeling, as well as Sidley partner Ray Mangum and counsel Kristen Knapp.

All three join Redgrave as partners, bringing the firm’s partnership total to 16. Keeling will head up the practice which deals with discovery regarding antitrust law Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) second requests issued by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, and has also been appointed to Redgrave’s executive committee, while Mangum will take a seat on the management committee.

Keeling brings a further seven team members from Sidley, comprising Jon Dugan, Eli Nelson and Amy Hanke, who join as of counsel, senior counsel, and counsel, respectively; Kimberleigh Stuart and Nicholas Knapek, who join as review and analytics counsel, and review and analytics director and client success manager, respectively; and Carole Harris and Heather Irwin, who take up review and analytics associate positions.

The team acted as discovery counsel in antitrust and environmental litigation worth billions of dollars, as well as advising clients on emerging technologies such as generative AI.

Keeling tells CDR that the demand for top talent in the information law market has never been higher. "Discovery, especially in the large, high-stakes matters, continues to increase in complexity. Document volumes continue to grow, and an increasing variety of data sources are implicated. Clients, especially in complex, high-stakes matters, are looking to specialised discovery counsel to help them navigate these challenges," adding in an email that Redgrave is "uniquely positioned" to serve that role.

Victoria Redgrave, managing partner at the firm – which also has offices in Chicago, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Northern Virginia – said in a statement: “The entire team brings an extraordinary depth and variety of experiences and skills, as well as client and industry recognition of abilities and thought leadership contributions.”

Joining after a 24-year tenure at Sidley, Keeling’s career has seen him serve as lead discovery counsel on litigation cases, government investigations, regulatory enforcement actions, and internal investigations, while his expertise also comprises discovery compliance relating to the regulatory review of mergers and acquisitions.

Mangum, who exits Sidley after a 12-year stint, brings expertise in second requests, while his client-focused work includes advising major companies on emerging technologies such as machine learning, ephemeral messaging and AI.

Knapp, who also spent 12 years at Sidley, brings vast experience in leading discovery at all stages of civil and criminal litigation, including internal investigations and enforcement actions, while her fortes also comprise antitrust matters and discovery compliance for second requests.

The mass departure comes after Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom nabbed Sidley’s co-leader of global arbitration Friven Yeoh earlier this month to lead its international litigation and arbitration group in Asia.

Sidley loses e-discovery disputes team to US outfit

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