Aurora Bryant, now 40 and based in New York, has experienced a remarkable professional transformation. With a storied legal career spanning over 15 years, including a decade at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Bryant recently ventured beyond traditional legal practice into the emerging field of artificial intelligence (AI) applications within the law. She currently serves as the senior legal data intelligence lead at Relativity, a leading company employing AI to resolve complex legal issues.
Her journey began in childhood, inspired by late-night reading sessions of John Grisham novels. The portrayal of justice in these novels ignited her ambition to become a lawyer, a goal she pursued with determination through law school and professional roles. After graduating from Northwestern University School of Law in 2010, Bryant’s early career involved working as a law clerk and at a nonprofit in New Orleans before dedicating herself to civil rights litigation.
In 2011, she joined a civil rights organization focused on investigating and litigating housing and lending discrimination cases across Louisiana. This role laid the foundation for her eventual move to the Department of Justice in 2015, where she secured her dream position as a trial attorney within the Civil Rights Division. Working in Washington, D.C., for just over ten years, Bryant’s responsibilities entailed managing cases with nationwide impact, championing victims of unlawful discrimination, and contributing to civil rights enforcement.
While fulfilling, her DOJ tenure was not without challenges. Limited access to advanced technology often constrained efficiency, creating bottlenecks in legal workflows. This technological gap prompted Bryant's curiosity about how innovation could be integrated into legal processes. She began engaging with DOJ committees focused on eDiscovery — the electronic gathering and analysis of digital evidence — and started attending relevant conferences from 2018 onward, gaining exposure to AI’s potential in legal contexts.
By 2023, Bryant assumed a new role as eLitigation Counsel within the DOJ, developing templates, guides, and best practices aimed at streamlining the eDiscovery operations. Despite her efforts, resource limitations persisted, and earlier this year, she recognized that continuing her career within the DOJ might limit her ability to fully embrace technological advancements.
This realization led to her mid-career pivot. In mid-2025, she accepted an offer to join Relativity full-time, transitioning from practicing law to leading legal data intelligence initiatives that incorporate generative AI. Within this interdisciplinary environment, Bryant collaborates with data scientists, engineers, designers, and clients to drive AI solutions that address the specific needs of attorneys and case teams. Notably, she has even penned lines of code, expanding her technical skill set in this evolving industry.
Bryant reflects on the parallels between adapting to computer technologies two decades ago and the imperative to integrate AI now. She emphasizes the necessity for legal professionals to evolve alongside technological progress to remain effective. Her 15 years of legal experience serve as a valuable foundation to inform product development at Relativity, ensuring innovations are practical for real-world legal challenges.
Although the decision to leave the courtroom was daunting, Bryant describes embracing this new path as empowering. By stepping outside her comfort zone and focusing on innovation, she found greater satisfaction and sustainability in supporting civil rights work through technology rather than traditional litigation. She also encourages others to align their next career moves with personal goals and passions, underscoring the importance of leveraging existing expertise in new contexts.
Looking ahead, Bryant welcomes the unpredictability of her new role, anticipating continued learning opportunities such as further developing coding skills. Her story illustrates how professionals can navigate midlife career transitions in ways that integrate past experience with emerging fields, underscoring the evolving landscape of legal practice shaped by AI and digital innovation.