At CDS, real results matter. But it’s our people who make the real difference. Real People, Real Results is a monthly series that spotlights the individuals behind our work, giving you a closer look at their journey, expertise, and what drives them. This month, meet William Wallace Belt, Managing Director, Consulting at Complete Discovery Source. 

William brings almost a decade of deep commitment to CDS and a career built on strengthening the legal system through smart strategy and trusted counsel. A seasoned trial attorney licensed in California and Virginia, he has spent his career guiding corporations and law firms through large, complex matters with clarity and confidence. 

Before stepping into his leadership role at CDS, William built a strong foundation as a trial attorney, advising clients through high-stakes litigation and navigating the complexities of the courtroom. That experience shaped his approach to consulting—pairing experienced legal judgment with innovative technology to solve real problems and build long-term client relationships. 

As Managing Director, Consulting, William leads the practice with a focus on delivering meaningful improvements in how legal work gets done. He’s also a certified privacy professional (CIPP/US/E, CIPM), bringing expertise at the intersection of law, technology, and data privacy, an increasingly critical combination in today’s legal landscape. 

William believes that the best outcomes come from collaboration, clarity, and a relentless focus on what actually works for clients, not just what looks good on paper. 

Here’s your chance to get to know him better. Meet William Wallace Belt. 

How does your trial attorney background influence the way you approach consulting?

As an attorney my cases were about trial themes and the underlying facts that were building blocks of a solid trial strategy. Consulting as an eDiscovery technology advisor, my focus is more on data complexities and taming terabytes. I bring my trial experience to all my eDiscovery engagements recognizing that just as eDiscovery follows a lifecycle of stages from collection through process, analysis, review, production and presentation, the litigation lifecycle flows in a parallel stages from pleadings through fact and expert discovery, motions practice, trial and post-trial. Both have purpose-built tools at each stage, and both the legal and the legal tech we have to work together. They have to work together and each actually works, what people actually do, has to take into account the technology and the needs of the litigation.

What do you hope clients feel after working with you and your team?

I hope my clients feel like they are working with an attorney who has experience working with the technology and that I have a team at CDS is literally the best in the business. I know that my clients’ toughest questions, and often the courts have the same questions, I am able to make sense of both the technology and what the technology and the people are doing.  

What’s something people at work would be surprised to learn about you?

Work-wise, most people are surprised that I built one of the first eDiscovery practices at a law firm and worked with forensic technologies to collect and process ESI for my law firm partners’ matters. In the early 2000’s eDiscovery wasn’t specialized like it is today with forensics experts, processing analytics and AI experts, and even experts in running productions. Early eDiscovery attorneys like me did all of it. We just needed to get the electronic evidence and review it, produce it, take and defend depositions with it, then present it at trial following court rules of evidence and discovery that were written long before ESI was a thing.

What’s something you make time for no matter how busy things get?

I always make time for family. My wife and I have two kids who are both veterinarians today. Through studying and sports, we divided and conquered so that they both knew that what they were doing was important, and more importantly that THEY are important – actually, our kids are everything to us. So I always make time for family. Something we always say when we take on a new challenge or when times get challenging is “We’re a team.”

As a frequent speaker and conference attendee, what are your favorite moments?

I love it when we are talking about something new and cool in eDiscovery and I get to hear from literally the smartest people in the world; but my favorite moments are when we are talking and soon we are sharing a laugh or stories about where we come from and about our families. I always meet people who tell stories of “leaving eDiscovery and then coming back to it.” I usually joke that eDiscovery is the Hotel California. But what I really believe is that our industry has the best people doing something very important: making our legal system better by bringing technology to the legal process, a process that’s been around as long as civilizations have existed and one that in the US we are particularly fortunate to advance.

What excites you most about where CDS is headed?

Whether the legal world knows it or not, CDS is a leader in eDiscovery technology servicers and consulting. Our COO just wrote an article that I had the chance to see in draft and it ties the fact that CDS is privately owned, no private equity or any other constraint or distraction, from our singular goal of helping clients and improving the legal system. At CDS we solve technology problems with solutions that no other eDiscovery provider is willing to provide because we focus on long term relationships. When TAR first came out, and now with Generative AI solutions, we offer solutions that in the short term will save our clients money and reduce short term revenues even while we strengthen our client relationships and build partnerships. That is CDS’ investment. And CDS is headed towards leadership as the technology providers that will always put clients and the legal system first, trusting that our investment will build lasting partnerships and a help keep the US legal system as the best legal system in the world.

We’re glad you took to the time to meet William Wallace Belt! Look out next month as we highlight more of the real people driving real results at CDS. To learn more about CDS, reach out to us .