The best use of legal technology depends on the matter at hand. Differences in data, jurisdiction, legal process, and objectives can require technology to be adapted to fit the workflow, particularly when matters cross borders.
CDS has seen that firsthand. Earlier this year, our work applying Relativity AI to complex global matters earned CDS the Relativity aiR for Case Strategy Across Borders Award at Legalweek 2026, recognizing an approach that adapts technology to the realities of international investigations and legal workflows.
Now, that same spirit of innovation is being recognized again. CDS has been named a finalist in two categories of the 2026 Relativity Innovation Awards: DACH Intelligent Investigations in the Workflow category and CDS AI Powered Forensic Triage in the Beyond category.
Together, they reflect the approach behind CDS’ recent recognition from Relativity: start with the problem, understand what the technology can do, and adapt the workflow to bring the two together.
That means looking beyond how technology was originally designed and asking a more useful question: What else is possible?
DACH Intelligent Investigations: Adapting AI Across Jurisdictions
Legal matters don’t always follow the same path.
Relativity aiR for Case Strategy was designed with the U.S. litigation workflow in mind. But Swiss and European investigations often have different objectives and deliverables, including regulatory correspondence, internal investigation reports, written submissions, and memoranda to authorities such as FINMA.
CDS worked with Swiss clients to adapt Relativity aiR for Case Strategy and aiR Assist into a workflow designed around those realities.
Instead of forcing European investigations into a traditional discovery model, DACH Intelligent Investigations combines AI, analytics, search, human review, and quality control to help teams identify what matters most, investigate emerging issues, and move toward council-ready work product.
The workflow can support everything from early data assessment and AI-assisted review to structured chronologies, regulatory reports, internal investigation memoranda, and other deliverables tailored to European legal workflows.
The result is an example of a broader principle: technology becomes more valuable when the workflow adapts to the client, rather than the client adapting to the technology.
CDS AI Powered Forensic Triage: Bringing Forensics Into the Review Workflow
Forensic investigations can generate enormous volumes of complex data, traditionally analyzed by investigators who would disseminate information to legal teams via reports. Adjusting workflows can mean that legal teams don’t always need to wait for a traditional forensic examination to complete in order to understand what that data may contain.
CDS AI Powered Forensic Triage connects forensic technologies, CDS Convert, AI-powered analysis, CDS Vision capabilities, and Relativity to help legal teams and investigators to collaboratively interrogate and review forensic data from the outset.
The workflow can bring data from sources such as mobile devices, chat messages, email, system logs, browser history, location data, and other forensic artifacts into a familiar Relativity environment. Once there, key stakeholders can use natural-language questions, AI-assisted analysis, visual review, and other capabilities to identify potentially significant evidence and determine where deeper investigation may be warranted.
Importantly, the solution is designed to complement rather than replace traditional forensic examination. The goal is to help investigators and legal teams to uncover important information sooner, to build case strategy and focus expert reports, while keeping forensic expertise, accuracy, and defensibility at the center of the process.
Two Innovations, One Approach
DACH Intelligent Investigations and CDS AI Powered Forensic Triage address very different challenges. One adapts Relativity AI to the procedural realities of European investigations. The other connects forensic data to the legal review workflow.
But they share the same foundation: start with the client problem, understand what the technology can do, and build the workflow around what actually needs to get done.
That’s what CDS sees as the real opportunity in legal technology. Innovation doesn’t always mean creating something entirely new. Sometimes, it means looking at existing technology differently and finding a way to make it work harder for the people using it.
Being named finalists in the 2026 Relativity Innovation Awards is recognition of that approach, and of the CDS teams and clients who continue to explore what’s possible with Relativity.
See what’s possible with CDS and catch us at Relativity Fest 2026.
