Senior Advisor, Market Engagement and Operations

Debora has been with Lighthouse since 2009 and has made a significant impact on the company’s growth and business strategy during her tenure. With a background in litigation from practicing at law firms in both Washington D.C and Washington State, her expertise and deep understanding of complex ediscovery matters enabled her to create a resonating brand and architect the innovative products and services that keep Lighthouse at the forefront of the ediscovery market. She led the execution and implementation of the company’s rebranding in 2012 and developed the marketing department from the ground up. In addition, she has been instrumental in spearheading the company’s strategic technology partnerships, driving the formation of Lighthouse’s product strategy, and the evolution of Lighthouse’s SmartSeries. She also instituted and continues to maintain a client advisory board to ensure strong alignment with market demands. Finally, in 2015, Debora lead the company’s expansion to the eastern seaboard by managing the development the New York office and team, as well as expanding upon the company’s current set of services and clientele.

Prior to joining Lighthouse, Debora was a Complex Commercial Litigation Associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in Washington, D.C. where she worked on matters such as the WorldCom and Enron bankruptcies. Her practice also included multi-million-dollar commercial and securities litigation, and internal investigations. While at Weil, Debora was recognized three times for her dedication to pro bono service. Debora also practiced as a litigation Associate at McNaul Ebel Nawrot & Helgren PLLC. Her practice included commercial, employment, and securities litigation, as well as legal malpractice defense.

Debora received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Washington where she graduated magna cum laude. She received her law degree from The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. She is admitted to practice law in New York State, the District of Columbia (inactive membership), and Washington State. Debora is Level II Pragmatic Marketing Certified. Debora is actively involved in the legal community as the former Director of Women in eDiscovery, as a mentor with Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle, as an Advisory Board Member for the Organization of Legal Professionals, as the former Chair of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)'s New to In-House Committee, and as a former board member of the Washington Women Lawyers (WWL). Debora was also recognized for her contribution to the ACC and was named 2012 WWL Board Member of the Year. Debora is a frequent speaker on eDiscovery strategy, a former instructor for the Organization of Legal Professionals, and a regular Lighthouse blog contributor.

Delivering Value: Sharing Legal Department Metrics that Move the Core Business

Published Fri, June 19, 2020 by Debora Motyka Jones, Esq.

Below is a copy of afeatured blog written by Debora Motyka Jones for CLOC's Legal Operations Blog.

Putting Together an Effective Legal Strategy Session

Published Tue, May 19, 2020 by Debora Motyka Jones, Esq.

People often refer to the legal operations function as a “legal chief of staff.” In many ways, that characterization fits really well. One of the key elements of being a chief of staff is supporting your department’s daily operations. In order to do so effectively, you need to be clear on department strategy and ensure that everyone in the department is clear on the strategy as well. One of the best ways to drive this clarity and alignment across the group is to host an annual strategy session. As I mentioned in a prior post, it is helpful,...

Managing Your (Legal Ops) Budget with Five Simple Tips

Published Tue, May 12, 2020 by Debora Motyka Jones, Esq.

Have you created, or were handed, a budget but you don’t know where to start? Or, have you managed a budget for a while but want some other perspectives on what to look for throughout the year? Well this is the post for you. As I mentioned in my prior post about creating budgets, I have managed budgets for a long time in legal, operations, and other departments, as well as gotten input on this topic from many peers. Below you will find five of my top tips.

Budget Busters and How to Avoid Them: Budgeting Tips for Legal Operations Professionals

Published Tue, April 14, 2020 by Debora Motyka Jones, Esq.

Have you ever prepared a great legal department budget only to find out three months into it that your company’s services group has decided to expand to Singapore? They want US personnel to assist in delivering the services by logging in to computers in Singapore. They also want to hire some local team members and move some over from other countries. Finally, they are servicing local companies so they need a new set of contracts. On top of all of that, they are launching in four weeks and IT, HR, and finance are all coming to legal to create...

Legal Operations... Is it a Fad or Here to Stay?

Published Mon, March 16, 2020 by Debora Motyka Jones, Esq.

Ten years ago, legal operations were two unrelated words. I remember attending many an ACC conference where the discussion for legal departments centered on how to get a seat at the table with other business units within their company. Fast forward a decade and I would argue that most GC have succeeded in getting a seat at the table. With higher scrutiny on executives, heightened privacy requirements, and the ever present risk of cyber attacks, legal teams are now in regular conversations with executives and other departments. Now that they...

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Lighthouse’s Illuminating eDiscovery Blog features thought leadership pieces ranging from simple tips and tricks and industry event takeaways, to case law changes and ediscovery standards. These pieces are developed by technology and legal experts and focused on providing readers with practical tips that  they can put in place in their professional lives.