Over the last several years, e-discovery has become the stuff of nightmares for in-house counsel who find themselves embroiled in litigation. The amount of electronic data the average businessperson produces has grown exponentially, the costs to conduct e-discovery have soared and the revised Federal Rules for Civil Procedure have increased the burden on litigants to dig through any and all potentially responsive files.
Of course, more and more outside vendors have stepped in to offer their services–for a price. As expenses mount and the risks for failing to comply with discovery demands have grown, more companies are considering bringing e-discovery in-house. However, doing so is not an easy process. A legal department must have the budget, the caseload and the personnel with expertise to justify the process.
