My philosophy is once a client, always a client. Got what seemed to be a typical referral request from a counsel I had recently supported on a corporate client matter. The classic, “Who do you recommend for Relativity hosting?” quickly went down a rabbit hole of new generation data sources, foreign language docs and such that wrote off any of the new self-service providers/platforms. [...]
Excel tool for corporate legal departments considering adding an on-premise or cloud based eDiscovery platform that covers legal holds through review and production. This tool is derived from the eDiscovery Matrix and is a fairly narrowly focused version of broader RFP tools used for eDJ Group clients over the last decade. eDiscovery Journal members are welcome to use and modify this tool with attribution [...]
Volume, cost and time estimation Excel spreadsheet tool originally developed by the EDRM Metrics IV group. Made available since this tool is no longer available as source material on the EDRM Duke site. It was the principal work product of Greg Buckles, Eric Derk and Jack Halprin. Although some of the assumptions are dated, the UTMBS codes are still valid and the formulas are [...]
Ideally case studies lay out enough information about the challenges, pain points, approach strategies and metrics to calculate a decent ROI and give readers a peak into solving a particular problem. This SEC inquiry case study focuses on search/review/production issues for new generation collaboration systems like WhatsApp. Deduplication and conversation thread reconstruction is indeed a pain point, especially when execs were using multiple mobile [...]
While I am happy to see nimble cloud eDiscovery providers tackling the processing/review of mobile device ESI, I still want to see practical solutions for ongoing mobile device preservation and remote collection.
The relatively low rate of COVID-19 work safety lawsuits is not surprising while we are in the midst of the pandemic. I expect an inevitable surge in personal injury advertisements after we have an effective treatment or vaccine. “Were you or a loved one infected at work? Let the tough, smart lawyers at Acme Firm fight for your fair compensation!” I am not saying [...]
Many of my engagements result in supporting client RFP’s for eDiscovery hosting, collection or ECM services/systems. A lot of that support is translating or analyzing pricing models so that client’s can make strategic vs. tactical buying decisions. Traditional eDiscovery providers consider their large enterprise proposals and pricing confidential. The newer generation of self-service cloud hosting players like Lexbe after the SMB market openly advertise [...]
The Covid-19 pandemic has made remote work and home offices the new normal. Many corporations have already consolidated large corporate headquarter leases to the minimum footprint. The migration of large corporate data centers to Amazon S3 or Azure cloud servers has been going on for the last decade. So where does your critical ESI under hold live now? The reality is that your custodian’s [...]
An old client gave me a good karma call (otherwise known as free consulting). She wanted my thoughts on how they could minimize the potential litigation and discovery cost of the inevitable workers comp and personal injury claims after employees contracted Covid-19 after returning to in person work. The best safety, sanitation and social distancing work practices will only minimize how rapidly or widely [...]
I was reading a well researched news story in the aftermath of the Fort Lauderdale protests that turned into a violent confrontation between police and protesters. Several items caught my attention that could have impact on events that result in litigation/discovery during this time of discord. Body Worn Cameras (BWC) and video surveillance are more commonplace now than ever. Many of my industrial clients require that certain employees wear BWCs or have vehicle/facility cameras that operate on similar technologies. I intend to stay away from politics on essays in the eDiscovery Journal. As a former police criminalist I am very interested in evolving technologies to record and reconstruct incidents. In this and many other recent confrontations, police departments state that BWC footage is not available because the cameras were not turned on. Let’s discuss what data is available to an investigator or requesting party.