The EDRM has flourished under Mary Mack and Kaylee Walstad’s guidance. Our discussion at the Blogger’s Brunch was cut short. We circled back to get their impressions of the show and all the new EDRM projects in motion.
LegalWeek Impressions:
- Outstanding show vibe
- Great reception of EDRM projects
- 2023 banished prior year’s biz dev drudge
- Attendees used to flip badges, now asking for booth demos
- Seeing many more vendors, though booths seemed to shrink
- Lots of actual attendees at events
- Met so many 1st time legalweek attendees
- The Ankura cocktail reception was packed with mix of familiar and new attendees
- Great to see the increasing diversity
Growth of EDRM:
When the eDiscovery Grande Dames acquired the EDRM from Duke Bolch Judicial Institute , the advisory council was dominated by providers. The new EDRM Global Advisory Council chaired by Robert Keeling (Sidley Austin partner) has been expanded for wider global participation by judges, corporations and firms. The non-governing council provides input on new project goals/shape and peer review of project content prior to publication. The advisory counsel is deliberately large to accommodate the reality of participants work schedules and insure diverse perspectives on the growing scope of EDRM projects. EDRM sponsorship does not convey a seat on the counsel.
I wanted to understand the EDRM trusted partner program. It originated from eDiscovery practitioner’s frequent requests for recommendations on technology and services. The ladies addressed this demand by creating a formal process based on providers who had demonstrated an alignment of principals in customer care, quality service and business practices. They focus on how partners treat customers, employees, peers and even journalists. Partners need to be open and welcoming of the overall community to qualify. The ladies monitor their trusted partners and have already sunseted partners following acquisitions or changes in business practices. When conducting client RFP projects, I always provide a reputational score and comments for similar reasons. I want my clients to be able to trust their chosen eDiscovery provider, even if they were not the low bid.
I asked the ladies about the recent EDRM blog “Homage to Richard Braman and The Sedona Conference©,” authored by Ralph Losey. Although many peers have participated in both organizations, there was little coordination between them. Sedona focused on functional legal principles/requirements while the EDRM created more practical technical lifecycle models and guides. Indeed, the organizations have now developed a good working relationship. The recently published eDiscovery in APAC guide, led by InfoGovANZ’s Susan Bennett, was essentially referred to EDRM by Sedona. The global participation and community support of the EDRM is a breath of fresh air in a market dominated by the adversarial nature of the legal profession.
This wraps up my LegalWeek coverage. My current research and client projects focus on M365 Purview eDiscovery. Expect regular takeaways as I work with Microsoft on the larger paper.
Greg Buckles wants your feedback, questions or project inquiries at Greg@eDJGroupInc.com. Contact him directly for a free 15 minute ‘Good Karma’ call if he has availability. He solves problems and creates eDiscovery solutions for enterprise and law firm clients.
Greg’s blog perspectives are personal opinions and should not be interpreted as a professional judgment or advice. Greg is no longer a journalist and all perspectives are based on best public information. Blog content is neither approved nor reviewed by any providers prior to being published. Do you want to share your own perspective? Greg is looking for practical, professional informative perspectives free of marketing fluff, hidden agendas or personal/product bias. Outside blogs will clearly indicate the author, company and any relevant affiliations.
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