NY State Courts Bolster EDD

New York state alterations to §202.10(b) and §202.70(g) of the Uniform Rules of Trial Courts became effective on 8/17, after approval by Chief Judge Jonathan Lipmann and the PJs of four appellate division departments.  The New York Law Journal offers this analysis by Joel Stashenko about how the amendments —  which state that all attorneys "must be sufficiently versed in matters relating to their clients' technology systems to discuss competently all issues relating to electronic discovery" at preliminary conferences ‚  will push lawyers to understand EDD.

And after 11 years of tinkering, New York has also begun to institute mandatory e-filing in some areas, he reports.

EDD Market size question

Interesting recent post from Rees Morrison on the size of the EDD market. The Socha-Gelbmann Survey estimate of market size over the past 7 years is based on information provided by consumers (corporations and law firms) and providers of software and services. The Socha-Gelbmann  survey has always clearly stated the scope of the survey (eg. the figures do not include spending by governmental agencies) and the basis for the estimates and projections. Comparing the Socha-Gelbmann  survey estimate with other relevant data based on well defined research is a welcome and useful exercise.  Details on the source and basis for “hoopla” and figures “tossed around in comments” would help to clarify whether there is a true discrepancy or perhaps a case of comparing apples and oranges.

Webinar: IE Discovery

IE Discovery (www.iediscovery.com) is hosting a webinar on Aug. 25. Titled "Alone on a Desert Island with Volumes of Data? An Overview of Tools to Make Your Task Manageable,"  it will focus on teaching legal professionals how to cull data. It will provide tips on small, medium, and large cases —  and various levels of support whether organizations "in-source" litigation support or use a litigation support contractor.

Release here.

Briefing: Index Engines

During a recent phone briefing, Index Engines' vice president Jim McGann explained how Index Engine has evolved from a data retrieval company to a provider of indexing, searching, and data culling services.

Founded in 2003, McGann said, the company has seen the amount of information legal organizations deal with explode from 10 to 100 GB of data to terabytes for small jobs. McGann explained to assistant editor Heather Schultz and me that the Index Engines software is the backbone of his company’s efforts to address this issue.

Developed in-house, the software can index large amounts of data stored on backup tapes, hard drives, or networks.

Despite the enormous amount of client data that Index Engines must process, McGann said it is not uncommon for most clients to find that only 3% of their data is relevant to the matter at hand.

Webinar: ARMA International

ARMA International has scheduled two webinars dealing with records management. The first, "Seven Questions Guide Records Management Strategy and Implementation," is scheduled for Aug. 16 to Aug. 24. "Office Storage on the Cheap," will be held Aug. 30 to Sept. 7.

Press release here.

Webinar: EMC & Craig Ball

LTN columnist Craig Ball will be taking part in EMC's upcoming Best Practice Webinar series. Scheduled  for Sept. 1, it  will also feature Heidi Maher, EMC's principal of compliance and e-discovery practice.

Press release here.

IE Discovery Buys Majority Interest in eDirect Impact

IE Discovery reports that it has purchased a majority interest in eDirect Impact, the creator of eManage EDD workflow management software.

The investment will provide eDirect Impact with additional funding for development of that software, and gives IE Discovery an exclusive license to offer eManage to corporate and government markets, the companies explain.

Based on Microsoft's SharePoint software, eManage helps organizations connect and integrate disparate EDD products and review tools, including IE Discovery's discovery software, InfoDox.

Release here.

e-Pizza Party — Georgetown Advanced EDD Institute

Plan now to attend one of the premier electronic discovery networking events of the year -- the eDiscovery Institute’s Pizza Party to be held the evening of Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010 after the first full day of the Georgetown Law Center’s CLE Program, the "7th Annual Advanced E-Discovery Institute." 

The venue this year is the Ritz Carlton Pentagon City. If you’re interested in attending this great networking event with leading scholars, jurists, in-house counsel, private practitioners and providers, contact one of the sponsors.  Currently the sponsors include AlphaLit, Daegis, DiscoverRedy LLC, Navigant Consulting, Inc., Recommind, TCDI and Techlaw Solutions. This year special sponsorship packages are available for law firms that provide reduced rates for the CLE program and Pizza Party tickets -- contact info@eDiscoveryInstitute.org for more info.

Slow But Steady

With an approximate revenue of $2.8 billion in 2009, e-discovery vendors are slowly but steadily moving uphill again, report Minnesota consultants George Socha and Thomas Gelbmann, in their 2010 survey of EDD trends and developments.

Unlike the logrithmic rabbit leaps of the past, current growth is more tortoise-like, at the rate of 10% to 15% per year, they note in their August LTN cover story, "Climbing Back."

And in our Law Technology Now August podcast, I interview Socha and Gelbmann about the "why" of these trends, from the perspectives of law firms, law departments, and providers.

Briefing: StoredIQ

The International Legal Technology Association will be convening Aug. 23-26 at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, with a theme of "strategic unity" -- the need for law firms and corporate law departments to better integrate their technology into the practice of law.

That same theme was reflected in my recent phone briefing with StoredIQ's Keith Zoellner, CTO and vice president of engineering, and Ursula Talley, vice president of marketing. They explained how the StoredIQ Intelligent Information Management Platform 6 targets workflow between IT and legal units. It includes eDiscovery Manager, which features a user interface with graphical analysis and matter management dashboards to help legal professionals perform first-pass review.

Litigants Fail to Heed Lessons of Victor Stanley

For counsel who missed Victory Stanley's warning to conduct quality control on keyword search terms, attorneys
H. Christopher Boehning and Daniel Toal point to a recent ruling that states loud and clear: Counsel who fail to conduct quality control risk involuntarily waiving privilege.

Story here.

Guidance Software: 2Q Revenue Report

While we don't generally cover individual vendor's revenue reports in LTN's print edition, our EDD Update blog is a great place to discuss money! So feel free to send your revenue reports to us -- eddupdate@alm.com. We never promise coverage, but if it's interesting, we're likely to post it!

Here's a link to the latest metrics from Guidance Software, with, of course good news:

* Q2 2010 revenue increased 38% over Q2 2009
* Q2 2010 product revenue increased 61% over Q2 2009
* Q2 2010 Non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.03
* Raises 2010 financial outlook for the second time this year.

For context, check out the August Law Technology News cover story, "Climbing Back," by Minnesota consultants George Socha and Thomas Gelbmann, in their executive summary of their 2010 EDD survey.