Prominent Judges to Address Fourth Annual Electronic Discovery Symposium for Government Agencies

May 9, 2011 - PRLog -- Austin, Texas — The agenda for the 2011 Electronic Discovery Symposium for Government Agencies has been announced and it includes presentations from more than a dozen leading attorneys, including three judges: The Honorable Francis M. Allegra of the U. S. Court of Federal Claims, The Honorable Paul W. Grimm of the U.S. District Court, District of Maryland and The Honorable John M. Facciola, of the U.S. District Court, Washington, D.C. The Symposium will take place on May 19, 2011 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. IE Discovery offers this invitation-only program exclusively for government attorneys, records managers, FOIA and IT personnel.

Judge Allegra is a member of the Information Technology Committee of the United States Judicial Conference, and serves on several Judicial Conference working groups. He is a lecturer at the Federal Judicial Center, particularly on topics involving electronic discovery and the use of technology in judging. He has also written a number of e-discovery cases, including United Medial Supply Co., Inc. v. United States, 77 Fed. Cl. 257 (Fed Cl. 2007).

Judge Grimm is a noted e-discovery jurist who has penned numerous e-discovery cases, including Mancia v. Mayflower Textile Servs. Co., 2009 U.S. Dist LEXIS 64809 (D. Md. July 28, 2009) and two seminal “Victor Stanley” opinions, Victor Stanley, Inc. v. Creative Pipe, Inc., Victor Stanley, Inc. v. Creative Pipe, Inc., 250 F.R.D. 251 (D. Md. 2008) and Victor Stanley v. Creative Pipe, Victor Stanley, Inc. v. Creative Pipe, Inc., 269 F.R.D. 541 (D. Md. 2010), which he called the case of “the gang that couldn’t spoliate straight.” He also currently serves as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Judge Facciola has been writing opinions in e-discovery cases for more than 10 years, including one of the first, Natural Resources Defense Council v. Curtis, 189 F.R.D. 4 (D.D.C. Sept. 20, 1999), and United States v. O’Keefe, 537 F. Supp. 2d 14 (D.D.C. 2008), where he ruled that parties challenging the efficacy of search terms must do so through expert testimony. He is also on the Advisory Board for the Sedona Conference and the Board of Directors of the Federal Judicial Center.

Other speakers include Jason R. Baron, Director of Litigation, National Archives and Records Administration; David K. Gaston, Attorney-Advisor, Department of Agriculture; Tracy Greer, Senior Litigation Counsel E-Discovery, Anti-Trust Division, Department of Justice; Maura R. Grossman, Counsel, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; Ted Hirt, Attorney, Office of Immigration Litigation, Civil Division, Department of Justice; Gary A. Jonesi, Senior Counsel, Office of Civil Enforcement, Environmental Protection Agency; Harley A.J. (Bucky) Methfessel, Esq., Senior Counsel for Information and Technology, Office of the General Counsel, Department of Education; and David C. Shonka, Principal Deputy General Counsel, Federal Trade Commission.

Government employees seem to be improving in their ability to handle discovery. “According to our most recent Benchmarking Study of Electronic Discovery Practices for Government Agencies, 61% of respondents claim to be ‘more confident’ in their ability to manage e-discovery,” said Chris May, CEO of IE Discovery. “We have designed the symposium to help government agencies continue that trend as they face increases in the quantity of data to manage and also increased budget constraints.” IE Discovery has been providing Litigation Support and Discovery Management solutions to government agencies for more than 20 years.

Attendance is limited to government employees and is by invitation only. For more information, or to register for the 2011 Electronic Discovery Symposium for Government Agencies, please email government-info@iediscovery.com or call 703-527-2700 ext. 3035.

About IE Discovery, Inc.
IE Discovery provides comprehensive litigation support and discovery management services to government agencies, corporate law departments and outside counsel who routinely manage complex, information–intensive litigation. Utilizing technological and legal expertise, IE Discovery helps clients improve their productivity and cost efficiency. IE Discovery is based in Austin, Texas, with offices in Los Angeles, CA, Columbia, SC, and Washington, D.C. For additional information, visit www.iediscovery.com.

Contact Information:
Craig Foster
IE Discovery, Inc.
Tel.: 512.498.7442
E-mail: cfoster@iediscovery.com

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IE Discovery provides comprehensive Discovery Management and other litigation support services to government agencies, corporate law departments and outside counsel who routinely manage complex, information–intensive litigation.