Women in Technology - Gloria Cabrera

This blog is part of our ongoing Women in Technology series.

Gloria is a Senior Project Manager at Consilio, with over 20 years of experience in legal case management, eDiscovery, and litigation support for law firms, in-house, and consulting services providers. Gloria specializes in eDiscovery project management for numerous legal matters for various top 500 corporate clients and AM law top 100 law firms. Throughout her career, she has managed multi-million-dollar litigation matters and legal budgets while working in-house, at law firms, and currently with Consilio. Gloria’s core experience includes eDiscovery case management, legal hold tracking, witness interviews, collection management, data processing tracking, document review, production process, and trial preparation. Gloria has experience setting up eDiscovery procedure policies and playbooks.

How did you get into this industry?

I began my journey with a high school legal file clerk internship that extended beyond the summer and kickstarted my legal career. As a trial paralegal, I oversaw multimillion-dollar commercial litigation cases from start to trial, gaining a deep understanding of evolving technology. This experience eventually led me to the wonderful world of eDiscovery.

What were some pivotal moments in your career that helped to get you to where you are today?

Experiencing the shift from paper filing to electronic filing was a turning point that significantly impacted my career. Despite resistance, I and others recognized the importance and efficiency of electronic data and embraced it as a crucial skill for the future. Moving from an insurance defense firm, heavily reliant on paper to a commercial litigation trial boutique firm was crucial to my career, the forward-thinking approach to managing matters from inception to trial were my introductions to extensive document repositories and trial presentation software. This shift coincided with the era of the Summation database. Having electronically stored trial materials and accessing key documents with a simple click was a highlight.

Another pivotal moment came when I transitioned from a law firm to a world-class in-house eDiscovery legal team. This shift allowed me to oversee vendors, manage multi-million-dollar budgets, collaborate with external legal teams, and establish effective processes and guidelines. This experience has proven invaluable in managing every aspect of my client’s needs and projects. The combination of my law firm and in-house experiences has been instrumental in my success as an eDiscovery consultant today.

Have you ever noticed a time in your career where your gender proved to differentiate you?

Working as a lead trial paralegal required long hours and many weekends. I remember assisting on my first trial and working six weeks without a day off and days as long as 18–24 hours. As much as I loved my job and my team, I had a toddler at home. Many weekends she would come to the office to hang out and spend time with me. She took numerous naps under my desk and on several occasions she was entertained by our main trial partner. My colleagues, primarily male trial attorneys with spouses at home, warmly welcomed my daughter. Years later, my daughter still remembers how kind they were to her. This acceptance allowed me to be the very best at my job while not feeling like I was missing time with my daughter.

What is your advice for someone working in a predominately male workplace?

It’s very important to recognize the valuable skills you bring to the table and embrace the opportunity to grow and work together. Be proud and confident of the contributions you make. Never say “No” or “Can’t Do” with the number of resources available. Always try to figure things out and do not be shy to ask for help!

What do you think companies could do to motivate more women to pursue careers in technology?

Companies in the technology sector should create programs like the one that came to my high school. Offering a simple presentation or even an internship program would allow young women to begin considering a career in the field of technology. Also, clearly, identified growth paths within the organization will motivate more women to pursue a career in technology. Paid training, mentor opportunities, certifications, and industry conference attendance are all ways that women can be encouraged to stay and grow within the technology sector.