Discovery Resources

by Mary Mack, Corporate Technology Counsel, Fios.

Duke University hosted the 2010 Civil Litigation Conference for the second day, again live streamed. Ediscovery was discussed through the day, even when the topic was fact pleading or other procedural elements.

There was a consensus that preservation needs to be called out, triggers to preserve identified and a more clear safe harbor constructed (FRCP 37(e)). Other consensus items include the need for judicial management, quick rulings and education of the bench and bar.  The Seventh Circuit pilot project was very well received, as were state innovations (including Oregon).

There is less consensus on fact pleading, early mandatory disclosures, separate sets of rules for complex cases and what continue…

Duke University hosted the 2010 Civil Litigation Conference today in person and amazingly, live streamed.

Both video and audio were available and good, opening up the rule making process in an unprecedented way.  There was frank and lively discussion. It was a demonstration why public trials are important to model behavior when ideas are contested and passions high.

The participants had clearly done their homework as they quoted liberally from each other’s submitted papers to agree with some and disagree with other points.  I say point rather than argument, as conference encouraged interaction.

Day 2 of the conference will also be live streamed.  At the risk of degrading the feed, here is continue…

12/9 - Be sure to register for this webcast featuring an outstanding panel of e-discovery experts discussing what’s wrong (and right) with the current e-discovery rules and system.  Moderated by Mary Mack, the panel members include:

• Richard Braman, Executive Director of the Sedona Conference
• Craig Merritt, Christian & Barton LLP & former member of The American College of Trial Lawyers Task Force on Discovery
• Bruce Parker, Partner, Venable LLP - Lawyers for Civil Justice

More information / register >

The money quote: “BNSF, through its spokesperson, Suann Lundsberg, told Minnesota Lawyer that there was an issue six years ago regarding evidence preservation and acknowledged that BNSF could have done a more thorough job of documenting that the gates and lights were properly activated.”

This fascinating story, from Minnesota Lawyer, of sanctions and fully complying with discovery is a good read. Continue reading….

By Fernando M. Pinguelo and Andrew K. Taylor

Earlier we reported that a New Jersey state trial court found that a former employee waived the attorney-client privilege when she decided to use company time, equipment, and resources to communicate with her lawyer. Recently, an appellate court reversed that ruling and framed the issue as “whether workplace regulations converted an employee’s emails with her attorney ” sent through the employee’s personal, password-protected, web-based email account, but via her employer’s computer “into the employer’s property.”

Plaintiff had argued that the company failed to demonstrate that it had ever adopted or distributed the policy in question, that she was unaware that the policy applied to continue…