Mollie Nichols, formerly head of advanced client data solutions at Hogan Lovells, is becoming the new CEO of Redgrave Data, which will focus on developing custom solutions to address clients’ complex data and e-discovery needs.
Legaltech News - January 26, 2022
By Rhys Dipshan
Over the past few years, a growing number of law firms have entered the “new law” market by launching tech-focused subsidiaries and captive alternative legal service providers, recognizing that clients need as much help with their business problems as they do with their legal ones.
Add another to their ranks: Today, e-discovery boutique law firm Redgrave announced the launch of Redgrave Strategic Data Solutions (Redgrave Data), a subsidiary company that will partner with the firm to address clients’ e-discovery, information governance, cybersecurity, forensic and investigation needs, among other related demands.
Redgrave Data will be led in part by technology professionals formerly at Hogan Lovells, with Mollie Nichols as its new CEO. Nichols was previously Hogan Lovells’ head of advanced client data solutions and a former Redgrave partner from 2012 to 2016.
Jonathan Redgrave, managing partner of Redgrave, said the new company will closely work with Redgrave law firm clients, though Redgrave Data will likely also have their own clients independent of the firm.
Redgrave called the launch of the new company “a natural evolution” for the firm. He added, “At the same time, it’s a big leap. We’re really stepping forward boldly into the world of being able to help solve business problems and come up with business solutions.”
Redgrave explained that the impetus behind the launch was due to what the firm saw as “a unique market opportunity.” He noted that “in-house legal departments, and especially businesses, … recognize the need for the high-value services in the space.”
Of course, Redgrave isn’t the first to capitalize on this demand given the number of companies providing business-related data and e-discovery services in the market. “I think you’re seeing the same sort of market drivers or market dynamics, whether you look at an ALSP or look at what we’re doing or anyone else in the marketplace,” Redgrave said. “But our decision wasn’t necessarily driven by looking at what an ALSP was doing. It was driven by our own analysis of the market and opportunities, where we thought that, by doing this, we could provide a better service to existing law firm clients.”
Redgrave noted that the new tech subsidiary will look to stand out from others in the market because of its integrated approach in partnering with Redgrave LLP, as well as its focus on tackling complex data problems and building custom solutions, which he called “a little bit different [than] other places just trying to automate things.”
It’s the focus on custom solutions that’s a big differentiator for Redgrave Data’s CEO. “When you look at technology service providers, a lot of times they just throw whatever tools that are available at the particular challenge. And it doesn’t always really get you to where you need to go. … We are able to put together custom solutions whether it’s using commercial products or building our own technology for the particular challenge that needs to be solved,” Nichols explained.
As an example of what types of solutions Redgrave Data will create, she pointed to a recent “robotic process automation case that we had where we built a bot that ended up costing a client about $3 a day, where before the client had been paying hundreds of dollars a day.”
To support its technology aspirations, Redgrave Data is being led by a team of legal tech and e-discovery veterans. Nichols, for example, will be joined by two former Hogan Lovells colleagues: Mark Noel, who previously served as Hogan Lovells’ director of advanced client data solutions and is now Redgrave Data’s chief information technology officer, and Lindsey Worth, who was Hogan Lovells’ senior manager for advanced client data solutions and is now Redgrave Data’s head of professional services.
Nichols noted that she previously hired Noels and Worth for her Hogan Lovells team, adding that both have “the background skills, the ability to implement a program like this for clients with [complex] data challenges.”
Redgrave Data also brought on two additional e-discovery industry veterans to help launch the business. David D. Lewis, a former executive vice president for AI research, development, and ethics at e-discovery provider Reveal, will be its new chief scientific officer. Scott Culbertson, the founder of e-discovery consulting company LyriCul Solutions who also recently held executive roles at Sandline Discovery, Legility and Storz Friedberg, will be its new chief strategy officer.
For her part, Nichols explained that the decision to leave Hogan Lovells to lead Redgrave Data came down to her desire to be at the forefront of creating custom solutions for clients’ data challenges.
“I’m a builder at heart,” she said. “And that’s what I love to do … and [when] Jonathan approached me, it was an amazing opportunity to start a group to work with Redgrave LLP, which has clients that have the most complex data issues, as you can imagine. So as a builder confronted with this opportunity, I said, absolutely, let’s do this.”