By Brett Burney Principal Burney Consultants LLC
We are proud to reprint the following article “The Emerging Field of Electronic Discovery Project Management” which first appeared as a TechnoLawyer TechnoFeature exclusive on September 1. It is being reprinted here with the written permission of both the author Brett Burney, a world recognized authority on issues related to bridging the chasm between the legal and technical frontiers of electronic discovery, and Technolawyer. Whether acknowledged or not we are living in an age of electronic discovery and must learn to cope with its challenges,which requires authorative, updated information such as that provided in Mr. Burney’s article. The complete article is presented as a pdf file provided by TechnoLawyer which can be read by clicking on the link following some introductroy material from the article we have provided below for your convenience.
INTRODUCTION
Lawyers are not trained to manage projects. By nature, lawyers are visionary; they are trained to analyze and strategize. Lawyers can effortlessly drill deep into the legal logic they brew, but they rarely have the time or patience to rake through each logistical detail involved in supporting a litigation matter.
Electronic discovery permeates every litigation matter today, and an intricate level of detail and planning is crucial for balancing the time, costs, and scope involved with each project.
In their latest report on the eDiscovery industry, George Socha and Tom Gelbmann declare that “project management has grown in prominence as a means to minimize missteps and deliver more predictable, reliable, and cost-effective results.”
MANAGEMENT SCHMANAGEMENT (first two paragraphs only)
The term “project management” seems innocent enough. After all, most lawyers “manage” an overwhelming deluge of tasks, people, and paper every day, which means that many lawyers consider themselves to be “project managers” by default.
Formal project management, however, is a recognized professional discipline, complete with educational requirements (Project Management Professional or PMP) and an oversight body called the Project Management Institute (PMI).
Complete Article: THE EMERGING FIELD OF ELECTRONIC DISCOVERY PROJECT MANAGEMENT, by Brett Burney