Following a year when courts and staffing shut down for six months in ESI, 2021 proved to be an unmatched period of hiring and job-hopping, the likes of which has not been seen in more than a decade. Here are the top five events that impacted the e-discovery job market in 2021.

No. 5: The rise of the user technology conference. Twenty years ago, there was only LegalTech—and everyone went. Now, being part of an ESI community around a piece of technology has increasing value for professionals in the space, specifically for job seekers. Hiring managers in ESI place extremely high importance on software proficiency for net new hires at every level, and user conferences are the best ways to demonstrate fraternal participation and get certified.