E-Discovery and Information Management – Bridging the Gap Between IT and the Law – Ledjit Consulting E-discovery, Law and Information Technologies and Law Practice Management

The Latest Technological Solutions to Today’s Forensic Challenges

Dominic Jaar — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:21:29 +0000

Philippe Senécal, Legal Counsel at Ledjit Consulting Inc.provides the attendees with an introduction to forensic methodologies, procedures and pitfalls as well as tools for locating and reviewing data, metadata, and antiquated formats. Given the details level of Phil’s presentation, we won’t blog about it and refer you to the Powerpoint directly:

The Effective eDocument Retention Program – Policies, Processes and Solutions

Dominic Jaar — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:42:23 +0000

Shaun Saldanha, eDiscovery Manager (Litigation Risk) at the TD Bank Financial Group, and Rob Gerbrandt, Senior Consultant with Ledjit Consulting Inc. looked at the development and implementation retention program.

Types of data:
Structured and Unstructured

Where a document resides is irrelevant: a document is a document is a document

Instant messages: some companies deals with them as ephemeral and transitory documents. At TD, they divided the documents in a regulatroy framework and equated instant messages and emails as one type of document.

The idea is to retain the right information, in the right location for the right amount of time

COSO framework

Key player is people: without people, the system falls apart. Employees need to be involved at all stages of the process to identify all the risks that need to be managed, from planning to implementation and auditing.

Key drivers:

Regulatory needs (Banks, SEC, SOX, etc.)
Industry
Business needs

One can’t focus only on the applicable laws, but also and perhaps most importantly, on the needs of the organization, hence the necessity to involve employees at all levels.

Most attendees’ organisations do not have a direct channel and opened communication between IT and legal. They need to talk when handling urgent issues. It is important to develop a clear process with continuous dialog. However, the process will depend on the organization and its risks profile.

How often is legal involved in the planning of technology implementation? What about decommissioning systems?

Federated cost : IM benefits to the whole enterprise. No particular group, particularly the legal department which is already a cost center without a prefixed budget, wants to foot the bill… Furthermore, many lawyers feel that legal is now forced to pay the price of historic information mismanagement! “Wasn’t it the IT department taking care of information? – No, IT only cares about the “T”, i.e. technology; the “I”nformation belongs to the end-users…” So, one of the first questions that needs to be answered is who pays what and how? Retention might be an opportunity for green initiatives and vice versa.

Primary challenges of retention programs is:

Lack of clear ownership
“Why not keep everything? Storage is cheap”
Not a “sexy” initiative

The best way to get buy-in is to start small by grabbing the low-hanging fruits and quickly show the ROI.

Ledjit eRecords Academy for Corporate Counsel

Dominic Jaar — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:09:09 +0000

Start 2010 off on the right foot and attend our eRecords Academy for Corporate Counsel! If there were only one conference to mark on your 2010 calendar, this would be it: The eRecords Academy for Corporate Counsel, under the auspices of the Canadian Corporate Council Association and the Canadian Bar Association. On Monday, February 22, join conference organizers Dominic Jaar, Philippe Senécal in Toronto for a full day’s immersion into the subject of electronic records management from the perspective of litigation preparedness and prevention experts. Citigroup Global Markets, Senior Vice President, Corporate IT and Risk Management Policy’s Richard Gomes kicks the day into high gear with a keynote address entitled: “Introducing Retention Policies and Practices: A Corporate Approach with an IT Perspective”. Mr. Gomes paves the way for Terry McQuay, President, Nymity Inc. and Sharon Redding, Senior Law Clerk, Bell Canada to illuminate “The Intersection of Privacy, Document Retention and eDiscovery – Reducing Organizational Risks”. Bringing the morning to an end with, “The Effective eDocument Retention Program – Policies, Processes and Solutions” is Ledjit’s Senior Consultant, Rob Gerbrandt et TD Bank Financial Group, e-Discovery Manager’s Shaun Saldanha. The afternoon speakers include: Carolyn Anger, Document Management Clerk, Stikeman Elliott LLP; Kristian Littman, Associate Corporate Counsel, Best Buy Canada Ltd.; The Hon. Mr. Justice Colin Campbell, Ontario Superior Court of Justice; Patrick Zeller, Assistant General Counsel, Guidance Software; Melanie Schweizer, Senior Counsel, Bell Canada; Edwina Podemski, Lawyer, Alberta Justice – Civil Law Branch; and, Denise Bagnell, Managing Director, Tri-global Solutions Group Inc. Click here for more information about this and other exciting conferences. (Ledjit clients are welcome to complementary admission to the eRecords Academy in Toronto!)

IT.CAN QUARTERLY ROUNDTABLE — audio replay

Dominic Jaar — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:58:23 +0000

QUARTERLY ROUNDTABLE — audio replay

The recent IT.CAN Quarterly Roundtable presented by Dominic Jaar, President, Ledjit Consulting Inc., titled: e-Discovery: Advising your Clients on How to be Litigation Ready in the 21st Century, is available to Members of IT.CAN for audio replay on the IT.CAN website, Members Only section.

ILTA: Lit support rules!

Dominic Jaar — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:45:09 +0000

Had a blast yesterday with Susan Wortzman and Duane Lites for our session entitled From Good to Great – Take Your Group from Litigation Support Providers to Expertise Ambassadors for Your Firm. The room was so packed that they had to bring chairs in during the presentation. Thanks to all who attended!

For those who missed it, here are the details and our Powerpoint, plus a bonus post by Mike McBride who live blogged:

Session Description:

“Whether you are starting a new litigation support group or growing an existing group into a more complex practice support department this session will be of interest to you. Our speakers discuss successful client development strategies; ways in which to improve your knowledge and understanding of business practices; how to leverage key relationships to advance your cause; how you can remain current in an evolving legal market; and how to maintain quality service in challenging economic times. Many litigation support managers aspire to take their groups from a shared service or back office function to a service which is valued by both the firm and its clients. This transition or journey will be discussed and tips will be provided on how to transition from an administration group into a client-valued service.”

Presentation: