We recently spoke with Chris Jurkiewicz, Co-Founder and V.P. of Client Services of Venio Systems. From his two decades of eDiscovery experience, Chris provided us with great insights on how cloud-based, self-service eDiscovery has aided in the new work-from-home demands, a teaser of what’s to come with VenioOne OnDemand’s new update and the advice he would give to someone looking to find their passion in the world of legal tech.

1. Tell us about how you got to where you are now.

I started in the industry in 2000 before ‘eDiscovery’ was even a term. I worked at a company that was a nationwide provider of litigation services, copying, scanning, printing and then, when data started coming in, we had to figure out a way to process that too. At the time, there wasn’t technology you could purchase so I took the initiative to talk with the CEO. I said, “You know, I think we can look at doing this ourselves.” He agreed and we hired some developers for me to work with directly to create our own solution.

From there, I founded Venio Systems with three other partners in 2009 — last month marked 12 years in business. We’re located in Fairfax, Virginia, right outside of D.C. My official title is V.P. of Client Services which has me focused on our new clients; understanding what their needs are and making sure we’re providing them with best possible solutions. Because of my technical background, I also help bridge the gap between sales and development.

2. What are the biggest challenges for your clients?

Obviously, the pandemic has introduced a lot of new challenges to our clients. The world of self-service eDiscovery has existed for a while, but this past year it really blew up. Businesses need to cut costs and improve ROI, teams need to be more efficient and people need the flexibility of being able to work from wherever they are located. Most, if not all of us, have been working from home which is why having a solution that facilitates this new environment has been crucial for our customers.

3. What technology or solution excites you the most about the future?

I think the key technologies shaping the world today and over the next decade will be cloud computing, analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Depending on how you use those terms, they all make it easy to analyze and look at data holistically to provide smarter solutions. The potential to have technology do more of the ‘thinking’ to provide better answers and deliver them even faster will give our clients a real advantage. There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ technology, but it’s constantly getting better. At Venio Systems, we have our own AI and we’re continuing to build on top of it so that we’re always improving.

4. What's next for you in supporting the success of the industry? 

We constantly ask ourselves, “What can we do better?” We want to keep challenging our team to see what parts of our system can be improved and how we can stay ahead of the curve. We also work closely with the reviewers, lawyers, paralegals and project managers who spend so much time in the program to gather feedback on how we can improve.

I’m excited to share that we recently made some big updates to our platform. VenioOne OnDemand, our self-service eDiscovery add-on, now has an entirely new interface that’s more user friendly and intuitive to navigate. We’ve added several new features to help simplify the eDiscovery process including batch-based managed review, native redaction and end-to-end review capabilities that come with detailed reports and dashboards. Plus, the updated software will allow administrators to load entire projects and easily build out workflows to segment certain areas to different reviewers. It will streamline the entire process.

5. What advice would you have for someone working in the field? 

No matter what your position is, find out what you’re passionate about. If you have interest in something, you can make it into more than just your job — you can make it a career. Focus on what makes you happy: is it data, technology or working with people? You’re only going to be successful at something if you have a passion for it. And, it’s important to note you can change positions as you grow. The world of eDiscovery lends itself well to the opportunity of growth.

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Thank you, Chris, for taking the time to speak with us. To learn more about VenioOne OnDemand and how Ricoh eDiscovery can help get you started, click here. To reach out to Chris directly, you can find his LinkedIn here.

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