The National Litigation Support Team (NLST)

NLST assists counsel in identifying issues related to the collection, production, and management of electronically stored information (ESI), also known as e-discovery, and digital evidence. NLST provides technology, training, and resources for CJA attorneys and team members to efficiently search, review, and analyze eDiscovery and digital evidence. NLST also serves as a resource to DSO to assist in the long-range planning required to address issues relevant to the ever-evolving eDiscovery practices and policies.

For CJA panel attorneys, NLST is your consultant, your resource center, and your sounding board for all litigation support aspects of your case from beginning to end. They are here to support both you and FDOs throughout the country. Whether you are considering what formats to request your discovery in, how to manage eDiscovery you receive, or what type of technology you might use in the courtroom, NLST can help you figure out how to leverage technology to develop and present your theory of the case on behalf of your client. Access more direct assistance from NLST.

If you have not worked with the NLST before and have questions or are interested in assistance, freview our direct assistance page.

Sean Broderick is the National Litigation Support Administrator for the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts, Defender Services Office Training Division, where he oversees the National Litigation Support Team, a resource for the federal judiciary, federal defender offices, and Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel attorneys on electronic discovery and litigation support technology. He has served as co-chair of the Joint Working Group on Electronic Technology in the Criminal Justice System (JETWG), a joint Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and Department of Justice working group examining the use of technology in the federal criminal justice system. He is a co-author of Criminal e-Discovery: A Pocket Guide for Judges (Federal Judicial Center, 2015) and a contributing author to The Sedona Conference's Primer on Managing Electronic Discovery in Small Cases (2023), and most recently co-authored "Understanding the Risks of Generative AI Discovery Review Results" in ABA Criminal Justice Magazine (May 2026).

Brian Brunelle became Assistant National Litigation Support Administrator in June 2026, after joining the NLST as a National Litigation Support Paralegal in September 2023. He previously served as Computer Systems Administrator for the FPD for the District of Connecticut for 26 years, also supporting the Districts of Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. He has extensive experience training CJA panel attorneys and defender staff on courtroom technology, discovery management, and forensic analysis of electronic evidence. Brian has also created automated procedures for processing electronic discovery and has served as faculty for various NLST workshops.

Carl Adams joined the NLST in January 2022. He previously served as Litigation Support Specialist for the Iowa FPD, where he handled discovery management, digital forensics (including Cellebrite extractions), audio and video editing, and exhibit creation. Carl specializes in solving problems using inexpensive and open-source tools. Before joining the FPD, he clerked for state and federal judges and worked briefly in bankruptcy and state criminal law.

Nikki Adams joined the NLST in September 2023, after serving as litigation support paralegal for the Federal Community Defender Office in Philadelphia, PA and the FPD in Newark, NJ. She previously worked as a paralegal at the Legal Aid Society in New York and has extensive experience with litigation support tools such as Ipro Eclipse, Relativity, and Trial Director. Nikki graduated from law school in 2023 and was admitted to the New Jersey bar that fall.

Derek Ametam joined the NLST in September 2023. He previously spent more than a dozen years as a systems engineer for Forex Capital Markets in New York, NY, managing data center and server operations and traveling globally to help set up new offices in the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, Australia, and Israel. As part of that work, he managed and deployed workstations, mobile devices, printers, and phones across those offices.

Tisha Davis joined the NLST in September 2023, after five years as a paralegal with the Federal Public Defender Office in Pittsburgh, PA. There, she served as lead paralegal on a 14-week capital trial, including taking charge of presenting evidence using courtroom presentation technology. She spent much of her time assisting in the management of eDiscovery, creating fact chronologies, and using software to visualize data. Tisha also helped with a wide range of other litigation support needs as they arose for the office.

Joshua Ellen joined the NLST in April 2026, bringing 15 years of litigation support technology experience. He most recently served as Senior Litigation Technologist at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP and previously worked at U.S. Attorney’s offices in Washington, D.C. and the Western District of North Carolina. Josh is a recipient of the DOJ’s John Marshall Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement for his eDiscovery work.

Karen Grinstead joined the NLST in April 2026. She previously served as Assistant Computer Systems Administrator and Litigation Support Specialist with the FPD, Eastern District of North Carolina, and spent 15 years before that at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Raleigh, NC, rising from Paralegal Specialist to Litigation Support Technology Coordinator. She has expertise in eDiscovery platforms such as Everlaw and Ipro Eclipse and has supported trial teams with complex exhibits and Trial Director.

Claudia Kokot joined the NLST in September 2023, after more than a decade with the FPD Office for the Western District of North Carolina. There, she was a trial unit paralegal overseeing the organization and analysis of discovery received from the U.S. Attorney’s office for all complex cases in the office. She developed expertise in white collar fraud cases using Ipro Eclipse and CaseMap, and assisted with courtroom presentation for hearings and trials.

Jen McCann joined the NLST in April 2026, after more than 24 years as Computer Systems Administrator for the Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington & Idaho. She has served as faculty for the Law and Technology workshop series since 2009 and has testified in federal court as a computer forensic expert. Jen has also been involved in federal defender office IT assessments throughout the country and served as a member of the Defender Automation Working Group (DAWG) for the Federal Defender program.

Rocio Pizano joined the NLST in November 2018 and serves as the team’s point person for office administration, including national and local finance, procurement, and property management. Before joining the NLST, she worked for the FPD of the Northern District of California in Oakland, CA. She spent 13 years in that office, first serving as a Legal Assistant before becoming Branch Administrator.

Alex Roberts joined the NLST in August 2009 and has more than 25 years of experience in litigation support, focusing on identifying the right technology to use and when to use it. Before joining the NLST, he was a litigation support technical analyst and workflow coordinator for Foster Pepper, PLLC in Seattle, WA. There, he supervised and coordinated electronic discovery workflow, litigation software training, advanced legal database support, and trial presentation consulting. Alex has also worked with CJA panel attorneys in the Western District of Washington, consulting and participating in a number of complex CJA matters.

Michael Shewmake joined the NLST in April 2026. He most recently served at the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, and spent 13 years before that as Computer Systems Administrator for the Federal Public Defender offices in the Districts of Nevada and New Mexico. In that role, he supported complex capital and multi-defendant cases and created professional multimedia trial exhibits. Mike also regularly served as faculty at the Law and Technology workshop series.

Joe Wanzala joined the NLST in September 2021, focusing on leveraging eDiscovery solutions for complex litigation and identifying best practices. Before that, he was a trial paralegal with the FPD of the Northern District of California in Oakland, CA. Earlier in his career, he worked at law firms including Shartsis Friese LLP, Orrick, and Morrison & Foerster, developing specializations in regulatory enforcement and white-collar defense. Joe also worked as an investigator on death penalty cases for the California Appellate Project and served as a policy analyst for the California Public Utilities Commission, Public Advocates Office.