Ashish Prasad

Practice Areas

Ashish Prasad is the Vice President and General Counsel of HaystackID. Widely regarded as a preeminent expert on discovery,

litigation technology and complex litigation over the past 25 years, Ashish has managed all aspects of discovery across hundreds of

litigation and investigation matters; developed policies and procedures for electronic discovery for corporations, law firms, and

government agencies; defended discovery compliance procedures before courts and regulators; and trained thousands of lawyers,

litigation support professionals, technologists, law students, and others on best practices for electronic discovery and litigation

technology. In the areas described below, he has sought to have a positive impact on the legal profession, the electronic discovery and

litigation technology industries, corporate legal departments, law firms, government agencies, and the educational institutions that

serve these groups.

Career

Litigation Partner, Founder and Chair of the Mayer Brown LLP Electronic Discovery and Records Management Practice (“EDRMP”); Founder and CEO of Discovery Services LLC; Vice President and General Counsel of eTERA Consulting; Vice President and General Counsel of HaystackID.

Professional Memberships

Board Member, Executive Editor of the Distance Learning Program, and Chair of the Diversity Committee of the Electronic Discovery Institute (EDI); Co-Founder and Board Member of the Government Investigation and Civil Litigation Institute (GICLI); and Adjunct Professor of Law at Northwestern University Law School.

Publications

Ashish’s thought leadership, education, and training experience in electronic discovery and litigation technology is likely more than

anyone else in the United States. It includes, among other things, serving as Executive Editor of The Sedona Principles: Best Practices

Recommendations & Principles for Addressing Electronic Document Production (2004); Co-Editor in Chief of Electronic Discovery

Deskbook: Law and Practice (2009); Co-Editor in Chief of The General Counsel’s Guide to Government Investigations (2017 and

2024); Editor of The Federal Judges’ Guide to Discovery (2015 and 2024); Board Member, Executive Editor of the Distance Learning

Program, and Chair of the Diversity Committee of the Electronic Discovery Institute (EDI) (since 2010); Co-Founder and Board

Member of the Government Investigation and Civil Litigation Institute (GICLI) (since 2010); Chair of the Practicing Law Institute (PLI)

Electronic Discovery Seminar; and Adjunct Professor of Law at Northwestern University Law School, where he taught civil discovery, advanced topics in complex litigation or trial advocacy for almost 20 years.

In addition to editing the 4 treatises listed above, Ashish has authored over 30 articles and given hundreds of legal education seminars on topics of electronic discovery, litigation technology, and complex litigation before judges, practicing lawyers, and industry groups across the United States. These groups have included, among others, the PLI, American Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, Sedona Conference, EDI, GICLI, Federal Working Group on Information Governance, National Association of Legal Assistants, and National

South Asian Bar Association.

Personal

Ashish has volunteered for community service throughout his career. With respect to children’s health and education, he has served, among other things, as: Midwest Board Chair and Board Member of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF; Board Member of Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago; Board Member of SKS Foundation; and Advisory Board Member of the Center for Forced Migration Studies at the Buffett Institute

at Northwestern University. With respect to community service in the legal industry, he has served as: pro bono advisor to the U.S. Army JAG Corps; and Advisor to the West Coast Initiative, and Advisory Board Member at the Center on Practice Engagement and Innovation, at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. He has also served as Member of the Honors College Council at the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

Experience

Ashish has served, among other things, as Litigation Partner, Founder and Chair of the Mayer Brown LLP Electronic Discovery and Records Management Practice (EDRMP); Founder and CEO of Discovery Services LLC; Vice President and General Counsel of eTERA Consulting; and Vice President and General Counsel of HaystackID. He launched the Mayer Brown EDRMP and grew it to a $7M annual practice before he took an extended leave of absence from the Firm to pursue entrepreneurial goals; he launched Discovery Services LLC and grew it to a $15M annual company; he was a key driver of the growth of eTERA Consulting to a $25M annual company; and he was a key driver of HaystackID’s growth to a $175M annual company.

Work Highlights

+++Academic Projects: Ashish is presently working on five academic projects. First, a series of law review articles on the intersection of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and litigation technology in the areas of electronic discovery, remote/hybrid legal proceedings, and artificial intelligence in litigation. Second, a law school course on Litigation Technology will be taught in 2024-25 at the University of Michigan Law School, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, and (potentially) The University of Chicago Law School. Third, a case book, Complex Litigation and Discovery Technology, with Professor William Hubbard at the University of Chicago Law School. Fourth, an article on colonial jurisprudence with Professor Vikramaditya Khanna at the University of Michigan Law School. Fifth, a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) degree, which he hopes to achieve within the next few years.

+++Litigation Technology Co-Investment and Strategic Advisory: In addition to the legal, consulting, and educational activities described above, Ashish has served, in the business context, as a co-investor and strategic advisor to a variety of litigation technology and services companies and the venture capital and private equity investors in those companies. Working with co-investors, including Knox Capital and Signet LLC, he has helped companies, such as Prevail Legal, Creative Polymer Solutions, and The Lockland Company, develop and implement 4 strategies for revenue growth and industry leadership. He has also written and given seminars to college students, law students, and aspiring entrepreneurs and investors on innovation, venture capital, and private equity, not just in the litigation technology and services industries, but also in the larger middle market.

Education