One of the terms we use in litigation support is “coding”. Coding refers to putting information into database fields (which we refer to as “populating”) manually, one document at a time. There are some service providers that provide this service. They have a room full of “coders”. We pay them per document to complete the…
I have been thinking a lot lately about what it takes to learn litigation support — I mean really learn it. I am in the process of teaching one of our legal secretaries at the office who wants to learn more about litigation support tasks in the hope that she can help out when our…
There is a steep learning curve to learning litigation support. It is like entering another world. We have our own way of communicating. The technology references can be overwhelming. As I described in my article series “What is Litigation Support?”, there are many facets of the job. In addition to learning the industry, the role…
I received this question in my email inbox in response to my email entitled “What Would You Ask?” Cathy asked me, “If you had to do it all over again, would you? If the answer is yes, what would you do differently?” Wow, what a question, right? Cathy mentioned that she has been in the legal…
After the subpoena is received, there is a constant stream of activity between the attorneys, the client in-house counsel and the opposing counsel. Litigation Support should be involved at some level during this stage. The attorneys will discuss the subpoena requests with the client and begin to identify potential people (custodians) that will be able…
Every once in a while, an electronic document collection will contain DWG files. These are AutoCAD files or CAD drawings that an architect will design. If the attorneys need to review these files, they will need special software. Years ago, I purchased a single-user license of Autodesk AutoCAD software. However, eventually, they released a free…
At the beginning of a litigation matter, a subpoena is received. The official name is Subpoena Duces Tecum. In addition to a subpoena from a government entity, there might also be an accompanying document referred to as a “Civil Investigative Demand (CID)” or a “Request for Information or Assistance“. A litigation support professional should always request a…
People that transition from IT to litigation support have an interesting advantage. I have noticed it time and time again. Much of the technical work we perform in litigation support can be repetitive, step by step, “just get it done” tasks. However, some technical work can be trial and error. Some examples would be: 1….
![Working in the Legal Industry, The Expectations [Video]](https://www.litigationsupportguru.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/2014-08-14-14.15.17.jpg.webp)
It is Thursday. I am sitting in Dallas, in the Galleria mall, outside of Starbucks, with a view of the ice skating rink below. I am staying at the Westin Galleria. Interestingly, my husband is upstairs in the room working remotely, trying to get a production out the door. He works in litigation support too. I…
“Can litigation support work be done from home effectively?” I received this question in my email inbox in response to my email: What Would You Ask?. It’s an interesting question. I know that there are differences of opinion about this topic. There are some management teams that embrace it and others that adamantly despise it. In…
One of the realities of working in litigation support is that there will come a time when a single litigation matter will literally take over your life. Hopefully it happens infrequently at your firm or organization, as in once every few years. It can be difficult to sustain this level of commitment for more than about…
Name: Oliver Silva Location: Boston MA What kind of work were you doing before litigation support found you? I held various managerial positions within IT for government agencies involving the investigation and prosecution of criminal and civil matters. My core responsibilities related to the management and support of databases and business applications. How did you get…
In litigation support, we organize electronic discovery and our working files on the server by the specific client matter. A matter in the legal industry is the “new case” for which the attorneys have been hired by the client to provide legal services. Every “new case” is assigned a new client/matter number by the accounting…
I get more and more irritated and bummed when I hear about another instance of “drama” within a litigation support department. It doesn’t have to be that way. The structure of litigation support teams can look like these examples: 1. The department is divided into teams within the same location. There could be a team…
Last week I attended a lunch hour panel discussion on Legal Project Management. It was organized by my friend, Tracy Drynan, on behalf of the eDiscovery Committee under the District of Columbia Bar Litigation Section at the request of Ellen (“Elle”) Pyle, the current Committee Chair. Tracy invited Ed Lin, Jessica Robinson and James Whitehead…
In litigation support, we share data with others. In fact, some might say that is the majority of what we do. In almost all instances, we have a fairly standard practice of “zipping up” the data. We have learned over the years that it is a good practice. In the old days, we first used…
When it comes to the Thanksgiving holiday, Litigation Support professionals always have some things to be thankful for. Below are some examples that come to mind. We are thankful when a process that we kicked off to run for hours finished successfully. We are thankful when we do NOT hear from the legal team over the weekend….
One of the first steps taken in a litigation matter is to put in place a “legal hold” with the client. It might also be referred to as a “litigation hold”. When it comes to electronic discovery, this is one of the most important steps and it must not be overlooked. Litigation matters always take…
In the beginning of my litigation support career I remember attending industry events, listening to the speakers and taking a bunch of notes. I was a human sponge, learning from people that were willing to put themselves out there as leaders in our industry. For those of you near my age, you might recognize some…
For those of us who have been working around litigators for years, we are very aware of what the term “electronic discovery” means. We are familiar with why it exists and how it effects the practice of law for litigators. But, how should we describe “electronic discovery” to someone who has never heard the term…
End of content
End of content
