Hon. Xavier Rodriguez, U.S. District Judge, USDC-WDTX

Xavier Rodriguez is a former Texas Supreme Court Justice and currently sits on the bench as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, a master’s degree from the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs, a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas Law School, and a Master of Laws in Judicial Studies from Duke University, Bolch Judicial Institute.  Prior to assuming the bench, he was a partner in the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski (now known as Norton Rose Fulbright).  He was board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General's Corps and has served on the board of directors of several charitable organizations across Texas.  Judge Rodriguez is a frequent speaker on continuing legal education seminars and has authored numerous articles regarding employment law, discovery, and arbitration issues.  He is the editor of Essentials of E-Discovery (TexasBarBooks 2d ed. 2021).  He is a member of The Sedona Conference Judicial Advisory Board, the Georgetown Advanced E-Discovery Institute Advisory Board, the EDRM Global Advisory Council, and serves as the Distinguished Visiting Jurist-in-Residence and adjunct professor of law at the St. Mary’s University School of Law.  He was elected to membership in the American Law Institute and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Texas Bar Foundation.  In 2011 he was awarded the Rosewood Gavel Award for outstanding judicial service from the St. Mary's University School of Law.  In 2017, he received the State Bar of Texas Gene Cavin Award for Excellence in CLE, recognizing his long-term contributions to continuing legal education.  In 2021, he was presented the Texas Bar Foundation’s Samuel Pessarra Outstanding Jurist Award and the TexasBarCle’s Pat Nester Innovation in Professional Development Award.  He is a Past Chair of the State Bar of Texas Litigation Section, Past Chair of the State Bar of Texas Labor and Employment Law Section and Past Chair of the State Bar of Texas Continuing Legal Education Committee. 

Philip Favro, Favro Law PLLC

Philip Favro is the Founder and President of Favro Law PLLC. Phil is a nationally recognized expert on issues relating to electronically stored information and electronic discovery. He advises clients on ESI and discovery matters in litigation and regularly serves as an expert witness on these issues, with courts acknowledging his credentials. Oakley v. MSG Networks, Inc., 792 F.Supp.3d 377 (S.D.N.Y. 2025). Phil provides clients with pre-litigation information governance counseling on (among other things) the development of retention and acceptable uses policies regarding AI-generated content and technologies, along with other forms of ESI. In addition, he is a respected neutral who frequently serves as a court-appointed special master and expert advisor. A skilled mediator, Phil serves on federal court mediation panels, helping parties resolve complex disputes. He is a licensed attorney admitted to the Utah and California bars, with a business litigation background at respected Silicon Valley law firms.

Maura Grossman, Maura Grossman Law

Maura R. Grossman, J.D., Ph.D., is a Research Professor in the School of Computer Science, cross appointed to the School of Public Health Sciences, at the University of Waterloo; an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School of York University; a Visiting Professor at Duke Law School; and an affiliate faculty member at the Vector Institute of Artificial Intelligence, all of which (excluding Duke) are located in Ontario, Canada.  She is also Principal at Maura Grossman Law, an eDiscovery law and consulting firm in Buffalo, New York, U.S.A. Maura has been widely recognized for her scholarly work evaluating the application and evaluation of machine-learning technologies (i.e., technology-assisted review or TAR) in the fields of law, government archives, and healthcare.  Her studies have frequently been cited in the caselaw and literature, in North America and abroad.  More recently, Maura’s scholarship has focused on responsible Artificial Intelligence (RAI) and AI as evidence.  Maura is also well known for her appointments as a special master and/or as an expert in many high-profile U.S. federal and state court cases.  In addition to her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, Maura also holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Psychology from the Derner Institute of Adelphi University