The author takes a whimsical approach to corporate meetings, comparing them to high school prom. Find out to which clique the in-house lawyers belong?
This article discusses the use of analytical tools in ethics and compliance governance. In the most sophisticated programs, compliance professionals may be presented with copious detail regarding corporate performance. Learn how to make the most of these well-intentioned systems.
Revera, Inc., recently conducted a review of its in-house legal department. The review analyzed the department’s alignment with strategic objectives, workflows, workload capacity, organizational structure and management practices, and relationships with external counsel. The central questions asked were as follows: What value does the department offer? How can it be increased? How is it demonstrated? The results of the review prompted Revera, Inc., to consider some changes to its legal department, as discussed in this article.
Many executives rank data growth as one of their top business challenges. Organizations are now facing the reality that their existing systems for managing information are no longer working. A different approach to information management is necessary considering that our information-driven world is one of heightened compliance requirements coupled with reduced control over information. This article suggests that by adopting an evolved standard of reasonableness, this challenge can be met.
Recently, sophisticated prioritization algorithms, called technology-assisted review software, have made ediscovery more efficient and cost-effective. But are these programs right for risk-averse in-house lawyers? Is its technology defensible and scientific, and how do courts view it? This article addresses these questions.
Check out this 2014 Communicator Award-winning article! Litametrics is the application of analytics in a range of areas. The use of analytics is not new territory for most law departments that dabble in ediscovery, applying analytics to perform searches for documents. Litametrics can also empower counsel to make better and more informed decisions on building a legal team, budgeting and predicting outcomes of cases so the best strategy can be developed. Learn what Litametrics can do for you.
Once your case has settled, an important question needs to be answered: Do you know where all the copies of your documents are, particularly those being held
by outside counsel? Document management should be built into the litigation process, not an afterthought. This article offers some suggestions on closing case files in a manageable way.
Outside legal costs associated with resolving disputes continue to be an area of concern for in-house attorneys. The value of a legal department often depends on its ability to control the costs of litigation while delivering satisfying results. Even though one party to a dispute cannot control all aspects of the matter, there are steps counsel can take to increase the value of its services, no matter the context.
Spoliation of evidence due to data dumping carries great risks and penalties; still, refusing to dispose of data altogether does not make good business sense. Companies that have failed to dispose of unnecessary data accumulated over the last decade drive up ediscovery costs and make litigation preparedness more cumbersome. The solution is not an all-or-nothing approach — learn how to implement a defensible disposal practice.
How much oversight in-house counsel should exercise in connection with document preservation and collection in ediscovery is a delicate balance of push and pull. Should you allow executives and employees to decide what is relevant and have them push the data for production? Or should your team pull the data and then review for relevancy? This article considers leading court cases in order to provide some suggestions for how you can best supervise the ediscovery process.