Her Story
About Sarah
Sarah Cantrell serves as an eDiscovery Specialist at the law firm Michael Best in Charlotte, North Carolina. With roughly 20 years of experience in litigation and several years dedicated to eDiscovery, she manages the full lifecycle of electronically stored information, from collection and preservation through processing and review in Relativity. Cantrell previously held roles including litigation paralegal at Bradley for four years, litigation manager overseeing an eastern portfolio of offices, and positions at Taft and Robinson Bradshaw. She earned a GED, followed by an associate degree in paralegal studies and a bachelor's degree in business administration while raising her daughter as a single mother. Her professional credentials include the national ASED eDiscovery Specialist Certification, Relativity Air certifications, and a generative AI certification through Relativity. Cantrell is passionate about leveraging AI automation to streamline workflows, reduce costs, and enhance efficiencies for attorneys and clients. She is a board member of ASAP and maintains active memberships in ASEDS and Women in eDiscovery. Outside her primary role, she has a strong interest in prison reform initiatives, having participated in Florida prior to her move to North Carolina. Cantrell attributes her success to hard work and her motivation to model strength and independence for her daughter, who recently graduated college and entered the legal field. She emphasizes values of honesty, integrity, compassion, and empathy in both her professional and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sarah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I really just attribute it to just like hard work and motivation my daughter. I wanted her to be strong, independent, work, and so I just constantly was just Didn't want to grow up in a house that I grew up in when I was little, and I just wanted her to have her eye on the prize from a young age, so she just kind of, you know, that's really what it was. She was my driving force, and she is. She's amazing. She's in the legal field now, she just graduated college.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
It's don't be scared, it's hard, but, it's definitely worth it. If you put in the work and the effort, it's Definitely. The return on investment is huge. I definitely would say, you know, keep focused, and keep, you know, keep pushing forward. Whatever distractions you might have, or roadblocks, or hurdles, just, you know, don't give up, just keep going.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is probably being heard. I am very direct, and I'm a squeaky wheel, but also being a professional environment. You can't just run over people with a bulldozer. On the opportunities side, definitely creativity. There's just so much room for ideas, and advancement in technology, and just sharing anything's possible right now, I feel like.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty and integrity, are my number one in both personal and professional. I think Those are very much lacking in the world today. I do primarily myself with having extremely high integrity. And honesty So honest that it gets me in trouble sometimes. I'm also, you know, big on, you know, compassion and empathy, would probably be the next 2
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