We live in a world where almost all documents are created in electronic format and the overwhelming majority of information is never printed to paper.  Instantaneously recorded digital communications, the creation of millions of digital documents and the breadth and depth of infrastructure of company enterprise networks leads to one conclusion:  companies ill-prepared to meet the challenges of e-discovery in litigation are at a serious disadvantage.

Drinker Biddle assists its clients in handling the burdens of e-discovery at all stages - whether long before litigation is filed or during the course of a pending action. Viewing its clients' broad needs, Drinker Biddle offers services ranging from employee training in proper e-document preparation to courtroom advocacy in the ultimate war over electronic discovery.  We understand that today's clients require a proactive, long-term strategy to help them efficiently and effectively develop a reasonable, defensible digital data management plan. 

Our e-data management team is ready to assist your in-house counsel and IT staff implement a legally sound, customized, cost-effective strategy to maximize the benefits of the electronic age without succumbing to its hazards.

eData Management
Drinker Biddle lawyers address e-data management and protection issues for the entire range of clients: from large global companies who routinely face the threat of litigation to smaller companies who are being sued for the first time.  In the quickly evolving world of e-discovery, Drinker Biddle stays at the cutting edge of law and technology in litigation of all types, including telecommunications, products liability, intellectual property, antitrust, employment and commercial litigation. 

Every client is different and every IT system is unique.  Regardless of whether a company's computer system is only a few servers and desktops in a single building or a network of thousands of servers storing petabytes of information across the globe, Drinker Biddle has the resources to support the needs of its clients.

Cost Efficiency in an Expensive World
While corporations need to avoid the hazards of electronic discovery, including avoiding spoliation by taking reasonable preservation steps, technology also can be leveraged to reduce litigation costs and minimize the expense and burden of document discovery.  Drinker Biddle works with its clients to identify the most cost effective way to fulfill all of the client's discovery obligations in a manner that is both efficient and effective.  For some clients this means creating a unique discovery plan for a particular litigation, but for other clients this extends to building a system that allows the corporation to maximize the benefits of its document collection techniques and attorney work product for not only today's litigation, but for tomorrow's cases as well.
 
Digital Data Management, Employee Training and eDiscovery

Drinker Biddle assists corporations and other law firms in a wide range of e-discovery matters:

• Document Retention and Document Management:  Analyzing clients' document retention policies and computer systems to help clients take advantage of their infrastructure and avoid dangers long before litigation begins.
  
  
• Discovery Process Assessment:  Assisting clients in creating defensible, cost-effective, repeatable discovery processes.
  
  
• Preservation Procedures:  Helping clients create, implement and monitor litigation holds in a variety of litigations.
  
  
• Substantive E-Discovery Review:  Representing clients in the identification, collection, processing, review and production of documents and information in all types of litigation.
  
  
• E-Discovery in Highly Regulated Industries:  Advising clients regarding the complex relationship between e-discovery and specific industry requirements including HIPAA, IRS, SEC, OSHA and other regulations and concerns, particularly privacy issues.
  
  
• International E-Discovery:  Counseling clients with respect to the interplay between their e-discovery obligations in the United States and their other legal obligations around the world.
  
  
• Vendor Analysis:  Assisting clients in choosing the best e-discovery vendors to handle their needs in a particular litigation or on an enterprise-wide basis.
  
  
• Retention of Outside Experts: Evaluating and hiring appropriate experts for litigation support.
  
  
• E-Discovery Specialty Teams:  Serving as special counsel for e-discovery matters across a client's litigation portfolio, allowing it to retain exisiting litigation counsel where appropriate and reduce the costs of discovery and litigation.
  
  
• E-Discovery Compliance: Advising clients regarding new federal and state procedural and evidentiary rules as well as evolving case law and technology

Drinker Biddle's eTeam

Who we are:  

The Drinker Biddle eTeam has a national presence, with attorneys across the country, boasting a wealth of experience in both US and foreign discovery and data privacy disputes.  As is acutely acknowledged by international companies, the data privacy rights of non-US citizens are a very real factor to be considered when determining accessibility of documents for production in US litigation.  Drinker Biddle's lawyers have the footprint, the experience and the depth to assist in the complicated and the simple.

Regional Contacts:

California: Ken Conour
Chicago:  David Sudzus and William Essig 
Pennsylvania:  David Kessler