Judicial Embrace of Proportionality Paves the Way for More Targeted Collections

Created on November 29, 2011

Proportionality is certainly not a new concept in e-discovery. If you aren't familiar with the proportionality rule, it essentially dictates that the value of requested electronically stored information (ESI) must be proportionate to the resources required for retrieving it (FRCP Rule 26(b)(2)(C)). Interestingly, judges appear to be embracing proportionality – or at least discussing it - more now than ever before. It was among the hot topics with judges, lawyers and e-discovery experts at the Georgetown Law Advanced eDiscovery Institute earlier this month. What accounts for all the recent proportionality chatter?It is now... Read More

Rise in Regulatory Investigations Makes E-Discovery Preparedness Imperative

Created on November 15, 2011

E-discovery trends are usually discussed in the context of civil litigation. But for many companies, the reality is that regulatory investigations now make up a growing share of e-discovery demands. According to Fulbright's recently published Litigation Trends Survey, over the past three years: 37% of all companies surveyed reported an increase in external regulatory inquiries More than one-third of respondents reported spending more time addressing regulatory investigative requests or regulatory enforcement proceedings Highly regulated industries, such as healthcare, energy, and finance are especially vulnerable to these regulatory demands. Mark Surguy, partner at... Read More

Production of Social Media: Privacy and Targeted Production Requests

Created on November 10, 2011

By Mike Hamilton
Vice President, E-Discovery

Over the past couple years, the murky waters surrounding the discoverability of electronically stored information (ESI) created on social media sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, have somewhat cleared. The current climate typically allows parties to seek production of evidence, including ESI created in social media, which is necessary in the defense or prosecution of a lawsuit. But what does all “necessary" evidence actually mean? Does it apply to social media information that is set as private? Are there limits on how much social media information can be requested? On October... Read More

Be Cautious When Trying to Apply a Proportionality Test to Nullify Preservation Requests

Created on October 27, 2011

By Mike Hamilton
Vice President, E-Discovery

Most attorneys know that a proportionality test (cost-benefit analysis) will be applied when judging the fairness of a production request. But does this test apply to preservation requests too? In Pippins v. KPMG LLP, No. 11 Civ. 0377 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 7, 2011), the court ruled that the answer is no. In this case, cost shifting or a limitation of the scope of the preservation request could not be applied.In Pippins, the defendants, KPMG, motioned for a protective order to limit the scope of the preservation request or shift preservation costs to the... Read More

The Challenge Continues: Protecting Privileged Information

Created on October 21, 2011

By Mike Hamilton
Vice President, E-Discovery

A frequent theme of e-discovery case law in 2011 is protecting attorney-client privilege in the e-discovery realm. Primarily due to mistakes and ignorance in dealing with electronically stored information (ESI), parties have inadvertently produced and subsequently waived their attorney-client privilege, disclosing to opposing counsel valuable private information. Not only does this impact case outcomes, but it can also bring about negative publicity and adversely affect brand reputation for the law firms and corporate clients they represent. Case in point: MSP Real Estate, Inc. v. City of New Berlin (E.D. Wis. July 22... Read More

Exterro Participating in Mid-Year EDRM Conference

Created on October 18, 2011

Exterro is looking forward to participating in the mid-year EDRM conference, which is taking place October 19-20 in St. Paul Minnesota. Representing Exterro at the meeting will be Bob Rohlf, director of e-discovery strategies, Joe Aakre, e-discovery solutions consultant and Debbie Caldwell, director of marketing communications. They'll be actively participating in the IGRM, Metrics, Search & XML projects, which you can learn more about at www.edrm.net. According to the conference website, the objective of this meeting is to bring together the EDRM working groups for face-to-face meetings to work through the issues and... Read More

Upcoming Webcast: Advancing Workflow-Driven E-Discovery Management With Exterro’s Fusion LawFirm® Suite

Created on September 23, 2011

Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/654045817Advancing Workflow-Driven E-Discovery Management With Exterro's Fusion LawFirm® SuiteEnhanced workloads, shrinking staff sizes, evolving defensibility standards and advancing technology are just a few of the challenges facing law firms today. Investing in software solutions for effectively managing this process can be daunting. This webcast will provide an overview of the newly unveiled Fusion LawFirm®. Attendees will learn how Exterro's comprehensive e-discovery suite can help litigation support professionals and attorneys deliver enhanced project management services across the EDRM spectrum, from custodian interviews, legal hold... Read More

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