Esquire Litigation Solutions White Papers

Learn more about the changing world of litigation support, through our CLEs or through our white papers. Knowledge and experience inform these white papers, written by staff of Esquire Litigation Solutions or D-M Information Services (a subsidiary of Esquire Litigation Solutions) and select outside counsel.

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Solving the Lotus Notes Discovery Puzzle
Author: Henry Berman, Manager of Business Development - Western Region, Esquire Litigation Solutions
Although the processes, procedures, tools and tactics for processing electronically stored information (ESI) have improved dramatically in recent few years, the proper handling of IBM Lotus Notes/Domino (Notes) still remains in many ways a mystery to litigators, practice support professionals, and litigation support vendors alike. Too often Notes is categorized as merely email, but this is at best a superficial characterization.

Prepare to Hear More Discovery Requests for Audio
Author: Al Kassis, JD, National Director of Esquire Litigation Solutions
While the industry continues to develop the best practices and strategies related to all aspects of e-discovery, one relatively new area of discovery which is likely to gain even more attention as an areas of concern is audio. This article focuses on issues that litigators may encounter when making or receiving requests for audio data.

Protecting Against Inadvertent Waiver of the Attorney-Client Privilege or Work Product Protection May Be Easier and Perhaps Even Less Costly Under Proposed New Rule 502 of the Federal Rules of Evidence
Author: Bill Rossick, JD, Business Development Manager, Northeast Region, Esquire Litigation Solutions

The more electronically-stored information (ESI) you have, the more risk there is of inadvertently producing electronically stored information intended to be withheld  because of privilege. The more risk of inadvertent disclosure, the more complex and costly the process needed to prevent such mistakes. 

Prepare Yourself to Confer Before Conferring
Author: Al Kassis, JD, National Director of Esquire Litigation Solutions

Learn about Rule 26(f) under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and how it affects the way you approach electronic discovery. Proactive measures with your client may now be necessary. This is particularly so if the client is litigious with matters historically involving electronically-stored information (ESI). 

Crafting a 30(b)(6) Deposition Notice
Author: Robert W. Keenan, JD, Director of Electronic Evidence Programs, D-M Information Systems, Inc. 

One foreseeable outcome of the new rules is the use of this legal tool, designed to compel a corporation, partnership, association, or governmental agency to designate one or more of its "officers, directors, or managing agents, or other persons" to testify on behalf of the corporation on specified issues pertaining to a case. The responding party must present a witness able to testify as to matters "known or reasonably available to the organization." When it comes to cases involving ESI, this could mean IT or IS personnel, document retention policy managers, computer forensics experts, and other possible candidates.

Summary of the 2006 Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 
Regarding Electronically Stored Information

Author: Robert W. Keenan, JD, Director of Electronic Evidence Programs, D-M Information Systems, Inc. 

This white paper briefly summarizes the important aspects of 2006 Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure regarding electronically stored information (ESI) from a litigator’s perspective. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or all-encompassing review of these amendments, but rather to convey to active practitioners what they need to know when dealing with ESI in discovery under these amendments.

Rule 30(b)(6) Depositions in Electronic Discovery: Discovering What There Is to Discover
Author: Robert W. Keenan, JD, Director of Electronic Evidence Programs, D-M Information Systems, Inc. 

One of the challenges in electronic discovery is identifying the various sources of electronically stored information (ESI) that could be relevant to a particular matter. The electronic information that a company possesses is usually distributed on its various servers, employees' computers, backup tapes, and many other media or devices. How long a piece of information remains is generally determined by document management and retention policies, backup policies, and of course by the behavior of the employees. Understanding how a corporation or agency stores and manages its ESI is critical in developing an effective electronic discovery request. A rule 30(b)(6) deposition is an extremely useful tool to gain this understanding—helping to build the foundations of a case—as well as to explore all the ways persons within that entity actually conducted business day-to-day, once you’ve received data and had a chance to review it.  

Collecting Client E-mails: Avoid the
E-mail Forwarding Trap
Electronic Evidence White Paper Series

Author: Robert W. Keenan, JD, Director of Electronic Evidence Programs, D-M Information Systems, Inc.

Harvesting e-mail through the seemingly innocuous practice of e-mail forwarding can result in spoliation of both text and metadata, and defeat processes used by EE vendors to sort and organize e-mail collections. Is there is a better, easier, and safer way to collect emails? The answer is a qualified yes.

Defensible Filtering of Electronic Evidence
Author: Linda J. Thorpe, MS, D-M Information Systems, Inc.

Developing defensible filtering techniques can allow you to dramatically reduce the volume of electronically stored information that must be reviewed prior to production, greatly enhancing the efficiency of the discovery process.  

Reviewing Email and Attachments in Outlook: Brilliant Stroke or Bad Idea?
Author: Robert W. Keenan, JD, Director of Electronic Evidence Programs, D-M Information Systems, Inc.
Explore the challenges of using Microsoft’s Outlook as a tool for reviewing and producing emails and attachments, and learn about some of the advantages obtained by properly processing electronically stored information prior to attorney review and production.

Practical Steps to Preserving Electronic Evidence: A Lawyer’s Duty
Author: Robert W. Keenan, JD, Director of Electronic Evidence Programs, D-M Information Systems, Inc.
Synopsis: Courts have put the responsibility of preserving electronic evidence on both attorney and client. Learn how to fulfill that responsibility and avoid sanctions by using a practical approach to preserve potentially relevant electronically stored information.

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To learn more or discuss a possible CLE, please contact us at litigation@esquirecom.com.

Esquire Deposition Services, LLC, and Esquire Litigation Solutions, LLC, are subsidiaries of The Hobart West Group, Inc. The logo is a registered trademark of The Hobart West Group, Inc.  © Esquire Deposition Services 2007. All rights reserved.