A Unified Approach to Data Management
The digital age has seen a dramatic increase in the amount of data generated year-over-year and remarkable growth in the number and variety of platforms companies use to conduct business. It can be challenging for any business to understand the universe of their own document and data sources, how they are maintained and accessed, and what actions are needed when litigation or an investigation is threatened.
Saul Ewing’s eDiscovery & Information Governance attorneys and professionals help clients prepare for litigation and investigations that include domestic and international data by developing and leading sound eDiscovery strategies. We advise companies and organizations of all sizes—from small businesses to Fortune 50 companies—across all industries. We help clients ensure that each effort to collect and review documents in response to litigation or an investigation conforms with relevant privacy regimes, court rules, and government requirements. We also assist clients with litigation readiness planning to help manage risk and establish sound data lifecycle management. Specifically, our work in this area includes:
- Advising on data management to help mitigate risk and reduce expense in the event of litigation or an investigation
- Counseling on best practices for unified information governance programs and litigation readiness plans
- Developing protocols to understand the universe of electronically stored information (ESI) and policies dictating how such ESI is managed, and assisting with data mapping, asset management, and access control efforts
- Identifying and locating sources of ESI, and determining the appropriate scope for each litigation or investigation
- Helping to preserve ESI against alteration or destruction with minimal disruption to business operations
- Collecting and processing ESI, and performing early case assessment to reduce volume for document review and analysis
- Leveraging advanced analytics and search strategies to help drive early case insights and prioritize document review
- Managing document review with industry-leading machine learning and artificial intelligence platforms
- Producing ESI to parties to litigation or an investigation, and presenting it at depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations or trials
- Conducting forensic audits of data preservation and collection efforts
Our in-house Litigation Support Services (LSS) team boasts a high level of technical knowledge and includes Certified E-Discovery Specialists (CEDS) through the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS). The CEDS certification is the gold standard for testing and validating eDiscovery capability and talent. Our LSS team and litigation attorneys have extensive experience managing collections and document reviews, and leverage advanced analytics and technology assisted review to locate relevant information efficiently and help reduce costs for litigation and investigations. When appropriate, we assign an LSS professional who serves as an eDiscovery consultant and project manager on cases from preservation through production. Our integrated approach helps us quickly process and analyze data to surface key documents early in the matter, provides a high level of customer service, and facilitates transparent cost management. The firm’s eDiscovery Working Committee, composed of attorneys, paralegals and professionals, provides an additional resource of education and thought leadership.
The firm is ISO/IEC 27001 certified and has secured the ISO/IEC 27701 (Privacy) extension. We were among the first U.S. firms to achieve the latter certification by implementing a Privacy Information Management System (PIMS) to protect firm and client data.
For any questions on our eDiscovery & Information Governance services, please contact any of the attorneys listed under "Key Contacts" or Ricky Brooman, Director of Litigation Support Services, at Ricky.Brooman@saul.com.