Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

Foreward to Edition 11 (2023-24) #

We are pleased to present the 2023-24 edition of Andrew Haslam’s eDisclosure Systems Buyers Guide, now with editorial support by ComplexDiscovery. This 11th edition of the Guide marks the first time Andrew Haslam’s expertise and ComplexDiscovery’s insights have come together to consider eDisclosure, eDiscovery, and litigation support systems comprehensively.

Cybersecurity, information governance, and legal discovery professionals are often tasked with making decisions and taking actions based on the insight and intelligence gained from electronically stored information (ESI). This is why the information in this Guide is of great value to those who plan, procure, and perform projects and programs in these disciplines.

With the growing importance of ESI in legal proceedings and the increasing complexity of managing and analyzing vast amounts of data, the Guide provides a comprehensive overview of the eDisclosure, eDiscovery, and litigation support marketplace. From an overview of the EDRM model to an in-depth survey of the marketplace, vendors, and current issues, the Guide provides essential information to help you make informed decisions when procuring these systems.

We believe that this 11th edition of the Guide, with Andrew Haslam’s expertise and ComplexDiscovery’s editorial support, will be an invaluable resource for anyone involved in the planning, procurement, and implementation of eDisclosure, eDiscovery, and litigation support systems.

We hope you find the Guide to be a valuable resource and welcome any feedback you may have.

Andrew Haslam and the ComplexDiscovery Team

Foreward to Edition 10 (2022) #

Welcome to the tenth edition of the Buyer’s Guide to eDisclosure Systems. This will be the last version of the Guide in its current form. After a decade of using my [Andrew Haslam] spare time in the first half of the year to pull together this document, I’m moving away from the keyboard to spend more time with my wife and Grandchildren. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Guide over the years, it has been (mainly) fun.

When I first started drafting this I was going to reflect upon a world emerging from a global pandemic, events in Ukraine have overshadowed that perspective. The world is changing in a way not seen for decades, all we can do is try to look after those things that are within our control. If your area of focus is eDisclosure then it is hoped this Guide will prove useful.

Foreword to Edition 9 (2021) #

Welcome to the ninth edition of the Buyer’s Guide to eDisclosure Systems. 2020 was a year we won’t forget, with COVID-19 causing tremendous suffering and upheaval across the whole world. Even the insular realms of eDisclosure and legal practice were shaken up and forced to address a very different set of challenges from those we thought we would be facing. Working remotely became the new normal, as the legal profession accepted 5 years of technology change in as many months (if not weeks). The rate of litigation work spluttered, as clients had more immediate business priorities to address, such as survival, and looking after their employees; causing many of the sales people in the industry much heartache and Zoom fatigue as they tried to keep their pipeline going.

Yet life did proceed, both inside and outside the technology bubble of disclosure. The UK has left the European Union, with the implications on data protection and transfer yet to be fully sorted, and the US changed its President, with world waiting to see how a shift in policies might play out. The duration of the UK’s Disclosure Pilot has been extended because of COVID, and initial feedback has resulted in some changes with more potentially to follow.

The consolidation within the eDisclosure marketplace continues, with a number of familiar names disappearing. New technological challenges emerged, such as the ability to cope with an ever increasing range of different types of data, from What’s App through to Teams. This version of the Guide should keep you knowledgeable on the topics and up to date with the suppliers. I hope you find it useful.

Foreword to Edition 8 (2020) #

I write this as we enter our 5th week of UK lock-down in response to the COVID-19 virus. I had nearly completed the Buyer’s Guide and have taken the decision to press on with publication, with the caveat that some entries have been retained, even though I have not received updates from those organisations. I’ve made that clear in the data for the handful of companies that are affected, we will sort it all out in 2021.

Welcome to the eighth edition of the Buyer’s Guide to eDisclosure Systems. This year sees dramatic changes to the UK’s relationships with the rest of the world in general, and Europe in particular. It remains to be seen how this shift will impact the status of the UK in terms of its data protection regime and how that is viewed by the EU. Some suppliers have already set up additional processing centres inside the EU, readers should check out Chapter 8 for specifics if this topic is of interest to them.

The initial feedback on the Disclosure Pilot will have been released during the first part of 2020, anecdotal evidence to date would suggest that the focus on increased use of technology is having an impact and more law firms than ever are developing relationships with external suppliers and creating in-house eDisclosure roles. If you are thinking about going down that path, it is hoped this Guide will act as a roadmap of your options.

Foreword to Edition 7 (2019) #

Welcome to the seventh edition of the Buyer’s Guide to eDisclosure Systems. By the time this document is published, we will be several months into the two year pilot of the changes to the Civil Procedure Rules for eDisclosure, with their emphasis on increased use of technology. It is hoped that this Guide will assist people in the assessment and selection of suitable technology, as the marketplace continues to consolidate, and also offers new entrants with associated newer functionality.

The eDisclosure Pilot has at its heart the Disclosure Review Document (DRD), which details the various steps and requirements users need to meet, including requiring parties to agree how they will transfer information between them in the disclosure process. During 2018/19, the author was part of a working group from the UK ILTA Special Interest Group for Litigation Support, that has produced a free to use “best practice” exchange protocol, along with accompanying guidelines. You can download the documents from the ILTA site here.

Foreword to Edition 6 (2018) #

Welcome to the sixth edition of the Buyer’s Guide to eDisclosure Systems. 2018 starts with a pilot of proposed changes to the Civil Procedure Rules for eDisclosure. Those changes have an emphasis on the informed use of technology to support the collection, processing and review of electronic information. It is hoped this publication will assist practitioners in making those informed decisions.

The eDisclosure marketplace continues to consolidate as companies merge, and we are starting to see a slow but steady increase in the number of law firms investing in managed services partnerships with selected suppliers. If you are starting on that journey, or just “dipping your toes” into the world of eDisclosure, this Guide will help you along the way.

Foreword to Edition 5 (2017) #

Welcome to the fifth edition of the Buyer’s Guide to eDisclosure Systems. 2016 saw continued change in both the UK eDisclosure and the wider world of eDiscovery. The composition of this edition is markedly different to the first volume produced back at the start of 2013.

Last year also saw many momentous changes outside of the insular world of eDisclosure suppliers, one of them being in the employment status of the Author. During 2016 Andrew hung up his consultancy boots, bought his own watch, and took on a permanent role as the UK eDisclosure Project Manager at Squire Patton Boggs LLP. Squire Patton Boggs have agreed that Andrew can continue to produce the Guide, with the clear understanding that it is a personal undertaking and is not endorsed by them in any way.

Foreword to Edition 4 (2016) #

Welcome to edition 4 of the Buyer’s Guide to eDisclosure Systems, a document that gets bigger (and hopefully better) each year.

The 2015 theme for the UK eDisclosure marketplace has been one of consolidation, with a number of firms being acquired throughout the year, see inside for all the details of who is still around and what they are now called.

During 2015, Andrew was asked to participate in the development of an eDisclosure/ Discovery competency standard for the LTC4 consortium, which was formally launched at this year’s LegalTech. You can find out more details about the LTC4 initiative and how you can use the standard here.

This version incorporates all the additional and modified vendor information that has been gathered over the past 12 months and welcomes 13 new suppliers to the fold, balanced by 11 who have left / been acquired as well as 2 name changes. We now have companies from 9 countries in the Guide.

Foreword to Edition 3 (2015) #

Welcome to edition 3 of the Buyer’s Guide to litigation support systems. The previous version was downloaded some 1,800 times over the year, hopefully this one will be as successful.

This version incorporates all the additional and modified vendor information that has been gathered over the past 12 months and welcomes 27 new suppliers to the fold.

Foreword to Edition 2 (2014) #

The first edition of this “bible” was enthusiastically received around the litigation support community, with plaudits being offered from across the world. As a result of that document, in the first half of 2013, the Author was asked to join a working party tasked with providing a “Jackson Compliant” protocol for use within the Technology and Construction Court (TCC).

As a by-product of the work done for the TCC protocol, the initial chapters to the Guide have been reworked to make them even more of an introduction to eDisclosure in general, and the requirements upon lawyers in particular. It is hoped they prove of use to readers.

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