Kristy L. Colbert
Washington, DC Metro Area
Summary
Resourceful, highly accomplished, and adaptable professional with Top Secret clearance providing a full range of eDiscovery and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case management to federal and independent agencies as a contractor for 10 years. Personable yet assertive professional with expertise in eDiscovery. Organized and dependable candidate successful at managing multiple priorities with a positive attitude. Willingness to take on added responsibilities to meet team goals.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
FOIA Specialist
Office of Management and Budget
11.2022 - Current
- Process FOIA requests in the OMB backlog from cradle to grave
- Decide the next steps in the process to complete the request
- Formulate simple and complex eDiscovery ESI requests using NUIX syntax and Boolean operators
- Review and tag documents for responsiveness in Nuix
- Apply (b)(5) and (b)(6) redactions using Adobe to the responsive documents
- Identify and submit consultations to internal and external equities for review before releasing documents
- Clearly describe, summarize, and document each step of a case
- Closed multiple requests from the OMB backlog in a relatively short amount of time
- Provide training and guidance to other FOIA Specialists on the use of NUIX syntax and Boolean operators for formulating eDiscovery ESI requests.
Discovery Litigation Specialist
Consilio Apple, Inc.
11.2021 - 10.2022
- Supported the Legal Department in a hybrid role of Paralegal, Project Manager, and eDiscovery Analyst
- Assisted in-house and outside counsels with the discovery component of their cases
- Drafted documents for depositions and submission to court
- Set up WebEx meetings between in-house and outside counsel
- Participated in fact gathering meetings with attorneys
- Determined which departments or individuals needed to be placed on Legal Hold
- Located expert witnesses
- Ensured witnesses signed appropriate release forms
- Conducted eDiscovery searches using proprietary platforms
- Suggested implementations during re-organization.
FOIA Analyst
QualX Corporation
09.2020 - 10.2021
- Applied FOIA exemptions 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 to responsive documents to safeguard protected information being released
- Created an extensive Vaughn Index to explain and justifying the statutory exemption used to redact information
- Used discretion and independent judgment to apply redactions which is now apart of case law with a dedicated website (https://epic.org/documents/epic-v-ai-commission/)
- Publically recognized by NSCAI’s Executive Director as an integral part of the success of the EPIC litigation, and added as contributor in the NSCAI’s 2021 Final Report to the President of the United States.
FOIA Analyst
Department of Commerce
01.2020 - 09.2021
- Entered incoming FOIA requests into the FOIAonline database for assignment
- Reviewed, tagged, and redacted responsive documents in the Relativity
- Applied FOIA exemptions such as Exemptions 4, 5, 6, and 7 to responsive documents
- Wrote the FOIA Analyst section of the OPOG training manual
- Trained new hires
- Drafted and sent FOIA related letters to requesters including acknowledgments, and closures to citizens, the media, and attorneys
- Developed and implemented strategies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the FOIA process, including streamlining workflows and implementing automation tools.
eDiscovery Case Manager
General Dynamic Information Technology
06.2019 - 01.2020
- Identified, preserved, collected, analyzed, processed, and produced Electronically Stored Information (ESI) as part of the Information Catalog Program (ICP) Department which served the eDiscovery unit of the United States Postal Service
- Conducted searches for emails, IP Address, internet usage, MyDocs, FMLA reports, Collection Point Management records, and telephone records for USPS General Counsel, Office of the Inspector General, FOIA, and Postal Inspection Service across over 300 service entities and all 50 states and territories using Micro Focus eDiscovery software and proprietary tools
- Closed approximately 500 cases
- Co-led all departmental Freedom of Information Act requests which included redactions, cost analysis of time and resources for each request, and ensuring team compliance with FOIA guidelines according to federal exemptions and exclusions
- Trained new hires on case management procedures, departmental processes, and how to process an incoming case for assignment
- Managed approximately 35 cases per day, including tracking all contacts and requesters to ensure procedures are followed for each specific request.
Document Support 2 - eDiscovery Case Manager
Northrop Grumman
10.2013 - 06.2019
- Utilized eDiscovery software and proprietary tools to locate Electronically Stored Information (ESI) such as emails, IP Address, internet usage, MyDocs, FMLA reports, Collection Point Management records, and telephone records
- Developed appropriate methodologies for each case, including email address, keyword search terms, date ranges, and Boolean terms
- Logged requests from various departments into the Litigation Hold System, ensuring proper record keeping and custodian identification.
Education
M.A. in Legal Administration -
Marymount University
Arlington, VAB.A. - American History
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VASkills
- EDiscovery case management
- EDRM model of eDiscovery
- FOIA exemptions
- Adobe
- Relativity
- NUIX/Ringtail
- Boolean operators
- Clearwell
Certification
- Master eDiscovery Certification, Arkfeld eDiscovery Education Center
- Paralegal Certificate, American Bar Association approved, Marymount University
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Marymount University
Personal Information
Title: FOIA, eDiscovery, and Litigation Support Specialist
Timeline
FOIA Specialist
Office of Management and Budget
11.2022 - Current
Discovery Litigation Specialist
Consilio Apple, Inc.
11.2021 - 10.2022
FOIA Analyst
QualX Corporation
09.2020 - 10.2021
FOIA Analyst
Department of Commerce
01.2020 - 09.2021
eDiscovery Case Manager
General Dynamic Information Technology
06.2019 - 01.2020
Document Support 2 - eDiscovery Case Manager
Northrop Grumman
10.2013 - 06.2019
M.A. in Legal Administration -
Marymount University
B.A. - American History
Virginia Commonwealth University