The eLearning Center for Gatlin Education Services

E-mail, voice mail, text messaging, instant messaging. The proliferation of electronic media for both business and personal use has immensely complicated the discovery process in employment cases, raising issues with regard to preserving, identifying, locating, producing and authenticating electronic �documents� for discovery in employment litigation. A panel of judges and lawyers, including a computer forensics expert, discuss how to best approach what may seem like an overwhelming task, from deposing the opponent�s system administrator to framing discovery requests that are not overbroad and burdensome, with attention to the applicable procedural and evidentiary rules.

Electronic Evidence: Rules, Practice, and Practicalities
    I. Introduction
    II. Discovery
        A. E-Mail
        B. Storage and Systems
        C. IT Environment
    III. Technical Issues
        A. Understanding the Issues
        B. Finding Data
        C. Volume of Data
        D. Commingling Data
        E. Authenticating Data
    IV. Dealing with Elec. Evidence
        A. Develop a Checklist
        B. Location and Volume
        C. Case Law
        D. Scope of Discovery
        E. Rules to Live By
    V. Discovery Expense and Burden
        A. Prove “Burdensome”
        B. E-Mail Authentication
        C. Cost Allocation
        D. Discovery Disputes
        E. When to Be Specific
        F. When to Be General
    VI. Discovery Requests
        A. New Approach to Discovery
        B. Expert Witnesses
        C. Neutral Experts
        D. Helpful Rules
        E. Sanctions
        F. Privilege
    VII. Questions & Answers
        A. Proving Technical Authenticity
        B. Discovery and Home Computers
        C. Deletion: No Such Thing
        D. Conferences and Discovery Abuse
        E. Work Product Doctrine
        F. Commingling Problems
        G. Spoliation and Home Computers
        H. Case Pro Se and Work Product
        I. Internal Investigations
    AfterWords^SM