Martin Prinsloo, associate director with Berkowitz Pollack Brant’s forensic and advisory services practice, left, and Gabriel Campos, manager of forensic technology at the accounting firm in Miami, right.
Many disputes have been decided based on digital data collected and recovered from computers and cellular phones. In today’s always-on, always-connected environment, there is very little business or personal information that cannot be traced back to an electronic device, an application or a cloud-storage platform. In this age of big data and expanding digital footprints, legal professionals are faced with a multitude of challenges. They must preserve the integrity of an overabundance of digital evidence; protect it from loss, contamination and destruction; and ensure it is forensically sound and credible for use in legal proceedings.
Following are six common ways that business professionals and their legal counselors unintentionally alter or destroy digital evidence, complicating forensic investigations and exposing themselves to legal risks.
