The Cactus Quarterly Newsletter - 4th Quarter 2025

President's Report

Happy Q4, everyone! Hard to believe we are already looking toward the close of 2025 and into 2026. This year has moved quickly, and it’s been full of growth, teamwork, and meaningful connection.

When I stepped into the president role this year, I had big plans and even bigger optimism. Like many of us do, I wanted to take on the world and check off every box. But life, work, and reality tend to remind us that leadership isn’t about doing everything alone – it’s about knowing when to lean on your team. I’ve learned the importance of asking for help, being vulnerable, and trusting the amazing volunteers who make our chapter strong.

To our Board members, committee chairs, micro-volunteers, and everyone who has stepped in along the way: thank you. Your time, flexibility, patience, and willingness to jump in (even with my last-minute changes!) have made all the difference. Your camaraderie and support are truly appreciated.

To our Business Partners: thank you for your continued support. Your partnership and presence shape the success of our chapter and the building of valued, long-term relationships.

As we head into the final stretch of the year, we have many wonderful opportunities to gather, learn, and celebrate:

Upcoming Events

ASU Career Panel – November 18

Legal professionals with diverse legal roles will be discussing their career paths with ASU’s master’s students at the College of Law. This is always a meaningful connection event for the next generation of legal professionals.

Visit from ALA President Travis Armstrong – November 18

The chapter will be hosting a dinner to discuss the benefits of membership, and one of our business partners will be giving away a free registration scholarship to next year’s ALA National Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

Community Connections Event – December 5

In partnership with Pacific Office Automation, we’ll be supporting Cancer Support Community of AZ through the Step up to Cancer Community Walk of Hope. We hope to see you there in support and solidarity.

Chapter Holiday Party – December 10 at The Gladly

Let’s wrap up 2025 together. Whether you’re a new member of the chapter or haven’t made it to an event in a while, we’d love for you to join us. It’s a chance to reconnect, celebrate, and share a toast to the year behind us and the year ahead.

Looking Into 2026

We’ll begin the new year with our Leadership Breakfast on January 22nd, featuring Anthony DeSimone, CPA, CMA, speaking about AI and what every attorney needs to know now. Learning how to safely, ethically, and strategically use AI to make an immediate impact.

Wishing everyone a strong finish to 2025, a joyful holiday season, and a bright start to the new year.

Cheers to what’s ahead!

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Pacific Office Automation

POA “Problem Solved”

Pacific Office Automation is dedicated to the belief that a team of individuals who constantly challenge each other will develop the skills and manpower necessary to solve any problem, whether it’s for the customer, the company, or the community.

At Pacific Office Automation, our motto is: “Problem Solved.” That means providing custom office solutions that are fast, efficient and secure. The result: a connected and highly productive office that functions at top efficiency, whether it’s a one-person shop that wants document management advice or a Fortune 500 company concerned with network security.

We can guide you to find the right solutions for your office or organizational needs. Pacific Office Automation is available all day, every day for the Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale, AZ areas. With top-of-line products from brands like Konica Minolta, Sharp, or Canon, we are here to help with your perfect office solution. Contact us today to improve your workflow with a free consultation.

Let POA handle the logistics of tracking your printer network.

At Pacific Office Automation, we offer custom managed printer services so our customers can focus on their core business. We monitor equipment, collect data, and streamline document management for both small businesses and large organizations with thousands of printers, copiers, scanners and fax machines across multiple locations. Our printer management services will ensure your staff has more time to focus on their tasks and responsibilities, while we focus on tracking and controlling your printing so your business can run efficiently.

Average printing costs can add up to 5%-10% of your total revenue. If unmanaged, these costs can easily spin out of control. At Pacific Office, we believe that an office assessment is the first step to reduce your overhead cost and improve workflow management. With our sophisticated equipment monitoring and analytical reporting, we analyze an organization’s printing activities and provide ongoing analyses, even as your business develops and grows.

With our real-time monitoring, Pacific Office can quickly prevent printing problems from slowing down your office workflow. We know equipment malfunction can cost you time and money, which is why we guarantee a technician will be on-site within 4 hours or less. On average, our office equipment technicians can bring machines back online within one hour! We carry all our original manufacturer parts and supplies in 175,000 square feet of warehouse space across six states, giving us a lightning-fast turnaround time.

IT management, better.

You can rest easy when you outsource the management of your information technology (IT) services to Pacific Office. We offer comprehensive IT services for offices of any size. From an ongoing help desk and onsite support, to cloud-based disaster backup, to servicing IT hardware, POA is your one-stop shop for your business’ IT needs.

We believe lost network time is lost money. That’s why we provide 24/7 IT monitoring to stop problems before they happen. With our team of over 125 IT and network technicians, we'll handle your IT systems while you handle your business. Our selection of IT hardware, such as servers, monitors, workstations, and more, from top brands like HP and Dell will ensure your entire business technology system is reliable.

We'll work with you to create a custom support package that fits your needs, encompassing everything from setting up workstations, to managing email and securely storing data, to improving communications with integrated phone service systems by POA. We'll provide reporting and data to help you streamline your systems, and we'll be there for those day-to-day problems: lost passwords, network troubleshooting, software updates, and more. No need to worry about upgrades and maintenance — Pacific Office Automation will take care of all that behind the scenes.

No one's more concerned than you are about your data's security, except for us. We offer secure data security management with 24/7 backup monitoring, ensuring you'll never experience a data breach or information loss. The highest standard spam and virus protection keeps your sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.

Protect your most valuable assets with data security.

Pacific Office Automation’s top cybersecurity partner is Arctic Wolf. Together, POA and Arctic Wolf are helping to reduce risk, increase cyber resiliency and assist in managing Cyber Insurance Premium costs for law firms. Arctic Wolf has unique expertise helping to improve internal security operations for legal industry organizations and support 300+ firms worldwide.
 
Arctic Wolf is the leader in the Security Operations space, taking a unique approach via dedicated, named security experts assigned to each of our customers to support both operational and strategic initiatives. Arctic Wolf helps to secure our customers by offering:

Phone Services Solutions

Integrate your business communications onto one, reliable network with Pacific Office Automation’s large and small business phone services. While you focus on running your business, we will monitor your cloud-based phone system and provide industry-leading technical support to help ensure a reliable connection between your employees and customers.

If you prefer an on-premise network, we carry industry-leading communication products by Mitel to get your business connected.

Mobile device integration with screen sharing and conference calling allows your staff to connect anytime, anywhere—making it easier than ever to collaborate and share ideas. Give your employees, customers, and business partners the reliable communications they deserve with unified communications services from Pacific Office Automation.

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Total Networks

Is Copilot Studio the Key to Unlocking AI Efficiency for Your Firm?
By Dave Kinsey

Imagine creating powerful AI agents tailored to your firm—without writing a single line of code. That’s what Microsoft Copilot Studio delivers, offering flexibility beyond standard Copilot Chat or competitors like ChatGPT, Claude, CoCounsel, and Harvey. These agents may be conversational (“chat bots”) or autonomous (regularly searching through your data looking for conditions that are important to your firm and acting when certain information is found).

What Is Copilot Studio?

Copilot Studio lets you build custom AI agents with little or no coding. These agents can answer questions, automate tasks, and integrate with your firm’s data—helping you streamline processes and improve efficiency.

Licensing Options at a Glance

Microsoft is weaving Copilot into every corner of Microsoft 365—but your experience depends on your license:

• Standard Access (Free)
  Works like ChatGPT, providing basic chatbot functionality.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot Add-On ($30/month)
  Unlocks a more powerful AI model that can access and act on your Microsoft 365 data—saving time and reducing manual work.

This paid subscription provides substantially extended functionality, enabling you to leverage AI’s best features for your workflows. This includes the ability to create custom agents using Copilot Studio.

Start With a Simple Proof of Concept

A common starting point for custom agents is an “Ask HR” chatbot that instantly answers routine HR questions by pulling from your firm’s own documentation. With Copilot Studio, you can:

• Deploy bots internally at no extra cost if your team is licensed for Copilot.
• Use Microsoft’s pay-as-you-go model for ultimate flexibility—paying only when someone interacts with your custom bot.

You can start small, get some wins using Copilot Studio, and then look to expand your use of Copilot AI.

Why It Matters

We’re helping firms harness Copilot to improve HR and legal workflows. This is an exciting time to leverage AI for business impact.

Ready to Explore?

If you have questions about Artificial Intelligence or Microsoft Copilot, contact me at:
📧 [email protected]
📞 602-412-5001

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Elite Discovery

From Data to Decisions: How AI Is Streamlining Discovery for Legal Teams

As digital information continues to explode in volume and complexity, legal professionals are under increasing pressure to manage discovery more efficiently and strategically. Elite Discovery is using AI to help bridge that gap by transforming raw data into insights that drive stronger decisions, reduce risk, and streamline workflows across the entire discovery lifecycle.

AI is redefining how legal teams manage every phase of the discovery process—from early preservation and targeted collection to review and production. By automating routine steps and surfacing what matters most, these tools help reduce manual effort, enhance defensibility, and support more informed decision-making.

Targeted Data Collection

Collecting the right data can make or break the efficiency of an entire case. Elite Discovery’s AI solutions can help identify key custodians, communication patterns, and relevant data sources early on. Instead of pulling full mailboxes or massive data sets, Elite uses AI-driven mapping tools and deep expertise to pinpoint what’s actually relevant by using prior case patterns, communication mapping, and custodian summaries to guide the process.

This “targeted collection” approach minimizes overcollection, saves time, and keeps data volumes manageable, all while maintaining the defensibility required in litigation or regulatory matters.

Streamlined Early Case Assessment and Review

After the data is collected, the challenge shifts to processing and review. Elite’s approach uses custom workflows paired with advanced AI tools to reduce review volume and transform data files into clean, normalized, searchable evidence. AI-powered review tools now go beyond simple keyword searches. They use natural language processing and machine learning to filter and summarize context, identify privilege, and cluster and classify related documents by topic or sentiment.

For example, predictive coding can help attorneys focus on the most relevant documents first, while AI analytics can surface emerging issues or hidden connections that could potentially go unnoticed. These capabilities not only accelerate early case assessment but also improve accuracy, ensuring the right information reaches decision-makers faster.

Defensibility Through Automation and Audit Trails

Efficiency only matters if the process can stand up to scrutiny. With Elite’s AI-powered tools, defensibility is built in from the start. During collection, every action is automatically documented through comprehensive chain-of-custody records, forensic reports, and audit trails. Inventory, discovery, and publication logs, along with clustering and visualization artifacts, capture each processing decision along the way, reinforcing proportionality and consistency.

These detailed logs make every step transparent, reproducible, and defensible before opposing counsel or regulators. For administrators and litigation support professionals, this means fewer manual steps, reduced risk of error, and greater confidence that every aspect of discovery can be verified and defended.

The Bottom Line: Efficiency and Insight

At its core, AI is a force multiplier for legal teams. It doesn’t replace human judgment; it strengthens it. By streamlining repetitive tasks and elevating the information that matters most, Elite uses AI to give legal professionals more clarity, more time, and more control. For teams balancing high caseloads with tight budgets, that efficiency can make all the difference.

At Elite Discovery, we’re harnessing the power of AI to transform how legal teams approach discovery. By combining advanced technology with our deep expertise and years of experience, we help clients turn complex, data-heavy matters into clear, defensible insights. 

About Elite Discovery

Elite Discovery is your trusted partner for eDiscovery, depositions, and managed legal services. Our award-winning team combines deep expertise, advanced technology, and AI-powered workflows to deliver efficient and defensible results across the entire EDRM. From data discovery to deposition support, Elite helps law firms and corporations streamline litigation and achieve better outcomes faster.

Contact us today or request a demo to explore how we can support your cases with cutting-edge solutions.

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LexisNexis

Gaining the Trusted AI Advantage with General and Legal AI White Paper

From Survey to Strategy: Small Law Firm Perspectives on General AI’s Role in Legal Workflows

Generative AI has become an accelerator for tasks like drafting, client communication, and document analysis. But many legal practitioners aren’t just looking to save time. They want reliable solutions that help them produce stronger work and make the most of every minute.

The true advantage lies in having a single, secure platform that brings together the right tools, trusted content, and advanced capabilities. LexisNexis ProtégéTM, now including General AI, combines the creative power of general-purpose AI with the precision of legal AI.

Meeting Legal Professionals Where They Are

A 2025 American Law Media survey reveals that 55% of legal professionals agree that using multiple generative AI tools can decrease productivity and increase risk.* Among solo practitioners, that number jumps to 65%, underscoring the need for a unified solution that doesn’t compromise on flexibility or security. ProtégéTM General AI and Legal AI allows users to explore ideas while staying anchored to verified legal authority.

Maintaining Confidence with Citation Validation

Protégé General AI doesn’t just generate content from a black box. It alerts users when legal citations can’t be verified, helping professionals maintain confidence in the accuracy of their work. This feature resonates strongly among survey respondents: 67% said it would be very or extremely helpful, with 100% of associates agreeing. Furthermore, Protégé General AI includes a Shepard’s® Citation Agent, which proactively checks any included legal sources for further human review.

Enforcing Stringent Security Standards

Legal professionals overwhelmingly value security and trust. In fact, 80% of survey respondents rated operating in a secure, enterprise-grade environment as “very” or “critically” important. Protégé General AI is built with these priorities in mind, ensuring that sensitive client data remains protected while enabling powerful AI-driven insights. Security features include:

Complementing Legal AI with General AI

Legal professionals can expand their AI-supported tasks by leveraging General AI to draft everyday messages, explore new ideas, and more. When it’s time to conduct in-depth legal research backed by the full Shepard’s treatment, users can easily switch over to Legal AI.

Lexis+ AI® sets a new benchmark for legal technology, one that embraces the possibilities of AI with respect to the complexities of legal work. Whether you're a solo practitioner seeking efficiency or a partner managing risk, Protégé delivers the flexibility, security, and trust you need to thrive in the AI legal world.

Contact us to learn more about Lexis+ AI.

*Data collected from a 2025 ALM General AI Survey

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Community Service

Community Connections

In partnership with Pacific Office Automation, we'll be supporting Cancer Support Community of AZ by helping to set-up for the Step up to Cancer Community Walk of Hope on Friday, December 5th from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Please click the image below to register to help set-up.

If you'd like to make a donation, please scan the QR code below or click the image to be directed to the donation website.  

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