Melissa Weberman leads Arnold & Porter’s eDiscovery & Data Analytics (“eData”) group, where she specializes in advising clients on efficient, defensible eDiscovery practices and information governance strategies. Ms. Weberman collaborates across practice groups to develop tailored discovery management plans for clients in diverse industries. Her expertise includes technology-assisted review, advanced data analytics, and cost-effective approaches to data preservation, collection, and analysis. She also negotiates with opposing counsel on key discovery matters, including ESI protocols, TAR workflows, search terms, and protective orders, and drafts and argues discovery motions.
Ms. Weberman also oversees the firm’s broader legal technology initiatives, wherein she makes strategic decisions about the tools and platforms that support a wide range of legal services, ensuring they are deployed ethically, defensibly, and with maximum benefit to clients. As a firmwide leader on use of AI, Ms. Weberman advises on integrating these emerging technologies into legal workflows to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
In information governance, Ms. Weberman counsels clients on navigating the challenges posed by evolving technologies, laws, and regulations. She advises on defensible data disposition, legal hold processes, records retention policies, and discovery readiness. She also helps organizations implement practical, enterprise-wide information governance strategies to simplify compliance, manage risk, and reduce costs.
Ms. Weberman also litigates a wide range of matters, managing all aspects of litigation—from pleadings to trial—and represents companies in government and internal investigations, responding to government inquiries, interviewing key personnel, and implementing compliance recommendations.
Ms. Weberman maintains an active poverty law pro bono practice. She serves on the Boards of Directors of the D.C. Bar Foundation, the leading funder of civil legal aid in D.C., and the Washington Council of Lawyers, the public-interest bar association for D.C. She is also a member of Arnold & Porter’s Pro Bono Committee.
Before joining the firm, Ms. Weberman clerked for the Honorable Charles R. Wilson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and practiced at another international law firm in New York. She graduated with honors from Emory University School of Law, where she was Managing Editor of the law review, elected to the Order of the Coif, and served as a Dean’s Teaching Fellow.
Experience
- Served as lead eDiscovery counsel for hair care company in a consumer product liability multi-district litigation and related state court actions. Designed and implemented an efficient and defensible document review process, overseeing the collection, review, and production of documents. Represented the client in discovery hearings and coordinated with the joint defense group on discovery matters.
- Represented a telecommunications company in obtaining regulatory approvals for multiple mergers and acquisitions. Managed hundreds of attorneys across five law firms and over 500 contract attorneys, overseeing complex review workflows, producing millions of documents, and managing hundreds of thousands of privilege log entries.
- Advised an aircraft manufacturer on eDiscovery compliance with European and French data privacy laws. Designed specialized collection and production procedures for French-language documents.
Perspectives
Recognition
Credentials
Education
- J.D., Emory University School of Law, 2008, with honors
- B.A., University of Virginia, 2003, with distinction
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- New York
Clerkships
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, The Honorable Charles R. Wilson
Activities
- Co-Chair, DC Bar eDiscovery and Information Governance Committee (2024 - present)
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DC Bar Foundation
Member (2022–present), Board of Directors
Member (2021–2022), Advisory Committee
Co-Chair (2020–2021), Member (2017–2019), Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council - Member, Washington Council of Lawyers, Board of Directors (2019–present)
- Member, Pro Bono Committee, Arnold & Porter (2020–present)
- Member, Privilege Committee, Arnold & Porter (2019–present)