Down in the Bunker

As we close out Season 2 of Down in the Bunker, James looks back on six brilliant guests and the conversations they've shared this season.

🙏 Thank You for Listening

A massive thank you to everyone who's tuned in this season. It's been a proper journey, and we're grateful to everyone who's joined along the way.

🎙️ Guest Highlights

🧢 Liam Gallagher (Arkus) kicked things off, talking client success and a 280-strong baseball cap collection

😂 Aaron Patton (Everlaw), aka Gates Dogfish on LinkedIn, gave us "truth plus pain equals comedy"

👮 Nick Foster (CYFOR Legal) made the case that you're only ever as good as the people around you

🦈 Fiona Henderson (Syllo) dives with great white sharks and chairs her rugby club's women's section

🏃 Jamie Myles (Epiq) trained for the London Marathon in aid of motor neurone disease research

🏏 Ed Lawrence (Epiq) made the case for standardised workflows and restores cricket bats in his spare time

🧭 Looking Ahead

Season 3 is already in the works. Thank you again to all six guests, and to everyone listening, your support is what makes this worth doing.

👉 Follow for Season 3

#eDiscovery #LegalTechnology #Arkus #Everlaw #CYFORLegal #Syllo #Epiq #Forted #TheFortedBunker #DownInTheBunker

In the Season 2 finale of Down in the Bunker, James Merritt sits down with Ed Lawrence, a seasoned project manager at Epiq, who shares his unique journey into the world of eDiscovery.📚 From Literature to eDiscoveryEd's background in English language might seem distant from the realm of eDiscovery. He explains how starting out on hard copy and scanning led to loading data into Relativity and, eventually, project management.🏢 The Evolution of EpiqAfter over ten years at Epiq, Ed discusses the company's shift towards solutions and its proprietary AI tools, and how much more streamlined everything has felt over the last eighteen months to two years.🤖 The Impact of GenAIEd says GenAI has sped up both his own work and his client work, from testing search strings to filtering out the noise. He also explains why he's seen less resistance to AI tools than there was to predictive coding.🤝 Mentorship and LearningEd shares the importance of mentorship, both as a mentee and now as a mentor, and the value of reaching out to subject matter experts and passing that knowledge on to junior team members.🧭 Looking AheadEd makes the case for more standardised workflows across projects, so that work stays defensible and can still be understood six or twelve months later.🏏 Off the ClockFootball, fantasy leagues and repairing cricket bats, including one for a Lancashire player.That's a wrap on Season 2. Thank you to Ed and every guest who came down to the bunker this season, and to everyone who's been listening along the way.#eDiscovery #LegalTechnology #Epiq #DownInTheBunker #Forted #TheFortedBunker #ProjectManagement #GenAI

Exploring Recruitment with Jamie Myles

Insights from a corporate recruiter's journey into eDiscovery.

This week I sat down with Jamie Myles, a senior corporate recruiter at Epiq, for a proper conversation about recruitment, and honestly, some of what he said stuck with me long after we stopped recording.

Jamie started out in retail, not recruitment. He told me straight up, "I didn't think I was smart enough" to go after a corporate career. Then one chance suggestion changed the direction of everything, and he ended up in eDiscovery and legal tech, where he's now spent nearly a decade.

What stood out most for me was how seriously Jamie takes candidate preparation. He told me about a time he put together a full research pack for a candidate ahead of an interview, something that's now just how he operates. His reasoning is simple and it's stayed with me: "It's their life, it's their family... you never know people's situations."

Jamie also talked a lot about the people who shaped his career, particularly a mentor called Caroline, who pushed him out of his comfort zone and got him properly talking to people rather than just processing them. That's clearly where his client-first approach as an internal recruiter at Epiq comes from, he treats every hiring manager like an individual client, not a ticket in a queue. As he put it, "You need to ask questions and listen. But there are also lots of other great mentors... that gave a lot of time to me and gave me opportunity and a lot of trust."

He was also open about what makes Epiq's culture work, a genuinely collaborative environment where people actually help each other, and he's made a point of bringing in talent from outside the usual recruitment backgrounds to keep that culture healthy.

One thing I asked him directly was how internal recruitment compares to agency work. His answer: "It's a very different type of pressure." His team runs like a micro business inside Epiq, holding themselves to the same standards as an agency, but with a much sharper focus on getting the candidate experience right.

By the end of the conversation, it was obvious Jamie's whole approach comes down to care and respect for the people he's placing. Mentorship, preparation, and a workplace that actually backs its people, that's the thread running through his whole career.

If you want the full story, the episode's up now, go give it a listen.

🎙️ Down in the Bunker | Season 2, Episode 4 , Fiona Henderson

Welcome back to Down in the Bunker! 🎉 In this episode, James sits down with Fiona Henderson, a leading expert in e-discovery and legal technology, for a fascinating conversation about how AI 🤖 is transforming the legal industry as we know it.

Fiona brings a wealth of experience and a genuinely forward-thinking perspective on where e-discovery is headed, from the evolution of AI-assisted review to the emergence of entirely new roles within legal teams 👩‍💻.

In this episode we cover: 👇

🤖 How AI and generative technology are accelerating change in e-discovery, and why legal teams are more ready than ever to embrace it👩‍🔬 The shift in industry roles, from traditional review teams to prompt engineers, data scientists, and AI trainers🤝 Why collaboration and a consultative approach are essential for responsible, effective AI integration⚖️ How to stay within legal frameworks whilst still embracing innovation🚀 What the future holds for the industry, and why smaller, agile firms may have the edge

💬 "We're moving from just processing data to providing insight early in the case, shorter timelines, better decisions, and less reliance on prolonged litigation." , Fiona Henderson

In this episode, James sits down with Nick Foster, Technical and Consultancy Director at CYFOR Legal, a former police officer turned legal tech expert with a fascinating story to tell.

Nick spent over a decade in law enforcement specialising in digital forensics before moving into the private sector with organisations including BT and Anexsys. He now leads technical and consultancy operations at CYFOR Legal, bringing a uniquely grounded perspective to the world of e-discovery.

In this episode we cover:

Why personal relationships still matter more than ever in legal tech, and why clients want to pick up the phone, not raise a ticket. The role of AI in e-discovery, the opportunities, the efficiencies, and why some law firms are still hesitant to fully embrace it. Why Nick describes e-discovery as a creative process, and how giving talented people room to think leads to better outcomes for clients. Nick's journey from policing to private sector, and what that unique background brings to legal tech.

"You're only as good as the people you work with." — Nick Foster, CYFOR Legal

Aaron Patton: AI, eDiscovery, and the Future of Legal Work

What happens when artificial intelligence meets one of the most document-heavy professions on earth? Legal discovery is being transformed and Aaron Patton has a front-row seat.

Aaron is a lawyer turned solutions architect at Everlaw, with a background spanning Netscape, discovery consulting, and years of helping legal teams make sense of complex software and AI tools. In this conversation, he gives us an honest, grounded take on how AI is reshaping eDiscovery: the genuine efficiency gains, the critical importance of validation, and the new kinds of expertise the profession will need.

We cover why context still matters as much as ever, what roles are emerging on the back of AI adoption, and how lawyers and legal teams can work alongside these tools without outsourcing their judgement to them.

Thoughtful, practical, and genuinely useful, whether you're in law, tech, or both.

We kicked off Season 2 with a brilliant guest — Liam Gallagher, Director of Client Success at Arkus Consulting, who joined us in the bunker to talk about what it really takes to keep clients happy in the world of eDiscovery.

Liam's take on client success is refreshingly straightforward: it's not a department, it's a mindset. For him, the job is about going beyond simply delivering a service and genuinely consulting with clients to understand their specific challenges. That means listening properly, thinking creatively, and building the kind of trust that turns a one-off engagement into a long-term relationship.

We also got into the role of AI in eDiscovery and Liam made a compelling case for it. At Arkus, they're using generative AI to make document review faster, cheaper, and more consistent. The technology isn't without its sceptics, of course, and Liam was candid about that too. The key, he said, is transparency, explaining clearly what AI can and can't do, rather than overselling it, so clients can make informed decisions about adoption.

The thread running through the whole conversation was this idea of tailored, consultative service. Whether it's structuring a client success framework or navigating the complexities of AI adoption, the answer always comes back to communication and adaptability.

A great way to open the new series. Give it a listen.

In this episode of Down with the Bunker, host James Merritt speaks with Amit Pandit about his journey from the UK to Australia, his career in recruitment and e-discovery, and the evolving landscape of the job market. Amit shares insights on the differences between the Australian and UK markets, the value of external recruiters, and the changing preferences of candidates in the face of new technologies. He also discusses his adaptation to the Australian lifestyle, highlighting the importance of outdoor activities and family life.

In this engaging conversation, James Merritt interviews Lisa Burton, a seasoned professional in the legal tech industry. Lisa shares her journey from law to technology, her experiences in eDiscovery, and her current role at Authentic Legal AI. The discussion delves into the importance of information governance, the impact of AI on data management, and the significance of a people-centric approach in legal tech. Lisa emphasises the need for ethical AI use and the challenges organisations face in understanding their data. The conversation concludes with insights into Lisa's personal life and her commitment to giving back to the community.

In this engaging conversation, Tim Harrison shares his journey from being a lawyer to founding Arkus Consulting, emphasising the importance of family, personal development, and the evolving landscape of eDiscovery and AI in the legal industry. He discusses the rapid adoption of AI technologies and their implications for legal professionals, while also reflecting on his personal life and love for cricket.