| 1 minute read

Avalon Announces Deborah Jillson as New Chief Executive Officer

Deborah Jillson

Avalon is thrilled to announce that Deborah Jillson has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. She brings more than two decades of leadership experience in legal technology, financial services, and high-growth service organizations. Her appointment reinforces Avalon’s commitment to strengthening services nationally, elevating client experience, and accelerating strategic growth across its full suite of litigation support and legal operations services.

“Deborah’s leadership arrives at exactly the right moment,” said JP Midgley, Interim CEO of Avalon. “As Avalon expands, we need a leader who can scale, invest in people, and strengthen our regional and national footprint. Deborah is that leader.”

Positioning Avalon for Increased Impact Across Its Network

Avalon supports legal professionals, and professional services organizations across its regional offices in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, New York City, Cleveland, Tampa, Omaha, and Phoenix, as well as nationwide. Jillson will focus on expanding service capabilities, supporting local job growth, and deepening partnerships with law firms, corporate legal teams, and professional services organizations.

“Avalon is well positioned to increase its impact for clients and the communities where we work,” said Jillson. “I’m energized to build on the company’s momentum and continue strengthening our capabilities across every region.”

A Transformative Leader for a Transformative Era

Jillson has held senior leadership roles at global organizations including Wolters Kluwer, LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters, and Kraft Kennedy. She has successfully guided companies through acquisition integrations, new market expansions, and large-scale revenue transformations. Her proven ability to scale operations will help drive Avalon’s next phase of accelerated growth while ensuring the high-touch, white-glove service Avalon is known for remains central.

Midgley will support a collaborative leadership transition over the coming months and remain actively involved through early 2026 before transitioning into his board role as Chairman.

“Avalon is entering its next era,” Midgley said. “We’ve built extraordinary momentum over the past several years, and Deborah is the ideal leader to carry that forward. Her arrival signals growth – for our team, our clients, and the communities we serve.”

Blog Articles

7 Common Missteps in Preserving Digital Evidence

Digital evidence is fragile. It changes, syncs, expires, gets overwritten, and often disappears before anyone realizes it matters. For law firms and corporate legal departments, the goal is not just to save data. The goal is to preserve the right data, in the right way, with the right documentation. That’s why our experts created this quick data preservation guide for legal teams, corporate counsel, and litigation support professionals.

What to Expect During a Relativity Server to RelativityOne Migration

In a recent blog, “Why Your Move from Relativity Server to RelativityOne Should Start Now," we discussed the need for organizations to move from Relativity Server to RelativityOne.

The Next Generation of AI in Law*

The legal industry is steadily moving beyond early experimentation with generative AI and into a more complex phase defined by agentic systems. These systems do not simply generate text or assist with discrete tasks. They are designed to take action, to carry out multi-step processes, and to operate with a level of autonomy that begins to resemble participation rather than assistance.