Since 2006, when amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure addressed discovery of electronically stored information (ESI), lawyers have known they can no longer ignore e-discovery. Attorneys have mastered the litigation-hold memo and are well versed in search methodology, native production and custodians. They even know the difference between a TIFF and a PST.
More often than not, in 2012, attorneys come to a Rule 26(f) conference prepared. They know a client’s information-technology infrastructure; they know that asking for backup tapes can sometimes be more of a curse than a blessing; and they even know that discussions about cost-shifting in production of information should occur on the front end of the case rather than the back end.
