Justify

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JUSTIFY

(benefits, template)

UNITE. EMPOWER. CELEBRATE.

Justify Your Attendance

If you are seeking your manager or supervisor’s approval for funds to attend the Women in eDiscovery Conference, we are providing a template email to support you and help make it a smooth process.

Personalize and customize the below template email to meet your needs or use as a guide.
Consider how your attendance at the 2025 Women in eDiscovery Conference benefits your organization and call that out – training, visibility, what you will bring back.
If you have been invited as a speaker, call that out as positive exposure for your company (and department) as well as professional development for you.
Do your research – Check out Women in eDiscovery to find additional materials. Understand your company’s current initiatives for helping the women in the organization move forward.
Link the conference to your current career development plan.
Search the speaker list to see if there is anyone from your organization who is attending or involved. Note the ability to network with senior leadership from your company and include which company leaders/executives will be attending or speaking.
Your department or organization likely has a training budget with a particular amount allocated. Know the fiscal cycle. Be aware of the budget and the professional development of sending you to a conference versus paying for other training and note this as needed.
Offer to bring information back to your team by developing a Lunch and Learn, trainings or sessions based on what you learned.
Don’t stop asking just because you’ve been turned down before. Negotiate. Have a plan and be flexible as the conversation changes.
Practice your pitch and reach out to other women in your organization for assistance.

EMAIL TEMPLATE

WiE has prepared this template email that you can use to provide justification for attending the 2022 Conference. Copy the text below to a draft email, replace the areas in highlight with your own info, and go!

Subject: Request to Attend the 2025 Women in eDiscovery Conference

Dear <Name>,

I would like to request approval to attend the 2025 Women in eDiscovery Conference in Chicago, IL from May 12 – May 14, 2025.

Women in eDiscovery (WiE) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization that provides educational opportunities regarding technology in the legal industry to its members. The organization offers networking and leadership avenues, promotes personal and professional growth of women, and donates mentoring and charitable contributions to its communities. WiE incorporates a broad network of women volunteers who uplift and support each other and work together to recognize and honor each other’s achievements. WiE is comprised of professionals within the legal industry including attorneys, litigation support professionals, paralegals, legal IT staff, court reporters, consultants, recruiters and vendors.

The core elements of the conference will include educational sessions, many networking and relationship-building opportunities, and ways to revive professionally and personally.

Between the content presented in the sessions, post presentation Q&A with speakers, roundtables, and networking with fellow attendees, I plan to learn new strategies and tactics, and get a plan for action, so that I can help improve our efforts as soon as I return to the office.

Notable speakers for this year’s conference include:

In addition to featured speakers, the following are session highlights for me:

1. <Insert a session that you think would benefit your organization>
2. <Insert a session that you think would benefit your organization>
3. <Insert a session that you think would benefit your organization>

Learning how to <INSERT INFORMATION YOU'RE EXCITED ABOUT LEARNING AT A SESSION> will help me <INSERT A NEW SKILL HERE (I.E. HELP ME DEVELOP A STRATEGY ON xxxx THAT WILL ALLOW ME TO MEASURE ITS SUCCESS.; HELP ME LEARN HOW TO IMPLEMENT xxx TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICIENCY>.

Upon my return from the 2025 Women in eDiscovery Conference, I will share takeaways, including those that we can implement immediately to see real results.

The total costs associated with attending the conference are: $XXXX.

Here is the breakdown of cost:

Roundtrip Airfare: $XXXX

Ground Transportation: $XXXX

Hotel (X nights): $XXXX

Conference Fee: $XXXX

The opportunity for me to improve, develop, network, and gain make my attendance at the Women in eDiscovery Conference a wise investment. I plan to submit a summary of my learnings and opportunities upon my return. Thank you for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss my attendance at the Women in eDiscovery Conference further. I look forward to your decision.

Sincerely,