E-Discovery Consulting has launched a programme of CPD seminars on electronic discovery and legal technology. The aim of the CLE seminars is to provide all those involved in litigation the opportunity to be better prepared and informed to tackle electronic discovery. Further information about the CPD seminars can be found on here.
E-Discovery requires new skills
For many in litigation, electronic discovery is very new to them. It requires new skills and a greater appreciation of the merits of technology than was previous required in a traditional discovery world dominated by paper. In today’s world the increasing sources and volumes of electronic information is making the discovery process more challenging. There is now a greater intersection between the law and technology with e-discovery now an important consideration for anyone involved in litigation.
“E-Discovery is not just turning documents into an electronic format”
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I still try to get the message across that ‘’electronic discovery’’ is NOT solely turning documents into an electronic format. If electronic documents are managed in the same way as we did paper documents then this will only lead to greater inefficiencies and increased costs.
Unless legal professionals are more informed about the electronic discovery process, it can be very complicated, time consuming and costly. As the technology is constantly evolving, so are the tools and practices to carry out electronic discovery efficiently and cost effectively. It is important for those involved in litigation to have a greater understanding of the tools and practices that are available.
Court expectations
Court rules now require that the cost of discovery be proportionate to what’s at issue. To be able to assess this the new discovery rules require parties to be better prepared and informed about the issues of the electronic discovery process.
The Court now expects the parties to know more about their information at an earlier stage to enable them to assess proportionality on all matters – this will involve making decisions that can be quite challenging due to the volumes and sources of electronic information. If parties do not have a greater understanding of electronic discovery issues, then it will not be possible to make an informed assessment about proportionality.
Responding to the lack of practical training
Many have never been provided with an opportunity to up skill with practical skills in dealing with issues that arise with electronic discovery. With the rapidly evolving electronic discovery landscape, it is clear that there is a need for further education about eDiscovery to create awareness of what can and should be done to manage electronic evidence proportionately.
For many involved in litigation this will require some up-skilling.
The CLE seminars look to provide practical skills to lawyers in addition to their legal qualifications. Hopefully these CLE seminars will equip legal professionals with the further skills and the necessary grounding in electronic discovery.
Consultants can still provide firms with the necessary expertise to help them navigate electronic discovery, but it is beneficial to also have a grounding with what is required in the e-discovery process. Consulting services will still be beneficial on individual matters as every matter has unique challenges.
CPD Seminars
The CLE seminars are designed with varying degrees of experience and knowledge in mind. The CPD seminars are an opportunity for all legal professionals (including legal support and IT staff) to develop a more in-depth understanding of electronic discovery.
Some of the seminars that we are providing include:
- The New Discovery Rules – a look through all the new court requirements
- E-Discovery 101 – an introductory seminar of the basics of electronic discovery
- E-Discovery for in-house counsel – a look at ediscovery considerations for in-house counsel
- E-Discovery for small matters – a look at how a firm with small matters can use practices and tools to efficiently deal with electronic discovery
- Search and Review Strategies – the importance of developing defensible and efficient search and review strategies
Further details of these seminars and many more are on my website. In addition we are able to tailor seminars to suit specific requirements, including delivering to a group or on a one on one basis.
These CPD seminars can be a valuable addition to a firm’s internal training programme. The seminars usually last for one hour, often carried out as a ‘lunch and learn’ of as a breakfast training session.
Hopefully the new CPD seminars should provide the opportunity for those involved in litigation to be better prepared and informed to tackle electronic discovery.