Chris Brown Named President of Relativity to Accelerate AI Legal Tech

Brown, who joined Relativity as chief product officer in 2018, assumes the role during a period of significant expansion for the Chicago-based firm. The company currently manages 93 petabytes of legal data, supporting hundreds of thousands of users globally across litigation, regulatory inquiries, and data breach responses. CEO Phil Saunders cited Brown’s experience in scaling digital platforms as the primary driver for this leadership shift, noting that the company is moving toward a more integrated system of action for legal professionals.

Key among Brown's immediate priorities is the integration of Gavel, an acquisition completed in June 2026 that embeds Relativity’s capabilities directly into Microsoft Word. He will also oversee the expansion of governed Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations, enabling AI assistants like Claude to orchestrate workflows within RelativityOne. These initiatives are designed to simplify how legal teams interact with evidence and draft work product. Alongside this transition, Chief Marketing Officer Cristina Rossman is stepping down after six years, though she will remain in an advisory capacity through the end of the year to assist with the handover.