Barbara Bennett, co-founder of premier litigation support association, joins ACEDS Advisory Board

MIAMI - June 21, 2013 - PRLog -- The Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists today announced the appointment to its Advisory Board of Barbara Bennett, senior e-discovery manager at the financial advisory firm Stout Risius Ross, in Detroit, and co-founder and past president of the Association of Litigation Support Professionals.    Ms. Bennett, a computer forensics veteran with 30 years of experience in the legal industry, is known for her ability to manage complex discovery projects from collection through production. With an extensive background in internal investigations, she tackles pressing data challenges in disputes involving intellectual property, environmental issues, business technology and others.    At Stout Risius Ross, she helps guide the e-discovery practice within the firm’s Dispute Advisory & Forensic Services Group. Previously, Ms. Bennett was the Litigation Support Manger at Dickinson Wright, the 300-attorney national law firm. There, she served as a strategic resource for electronic discovery, document collection, review and production, trial preparation and other practice support needs.    She joins other executives of ALSP (now an ACEDS group) on the ACEDS Advisory Board, including former president Robin Thompson, of BIA in New York. Ms. Bennett also sits on the Board of Directors for the Eastern Michigan Chapter of ALSP, and was influential in building that organization into a national leader in legal education and networking.    “Having worked in the legal industry for the past 30 years, and with e-discovery and computer forensics specifically for the past 10 years, I am adamant that litigation professionals have a thorough understanding regarding the complete and proper procedures related to the entire EDRM process,” Bennett said.    “It was this deep conviction that led me to become involved with the formation of ALSP, whose mission was to establish global professional standards for the litigation support profession through collaboration, education and certification,” she continued.    “The legally defensible certification program developed and implemented by ACEDS ensures that litigation professionals possess the knowledge to execute their job functions consistent with industry best practices.  I am extremely honored to be a member of the ACEDS Advisory Board and look forward to continuing my passion in this industry to promote the profession, its best practices, and the development of national chapters,” she concluded.    Robert Hilson, ACEDS Executive Vice President, added, “Barbara is a well-regarded and well-known expert in this field whose advice is valued by organizations and practitioners everywhere. We are proud to recognize her with this appointment to the Advisory Board, and count on her guidance to help ACEDS expand its mission of e-discovery training, knowledge and networking.”    ACEDS Advisory Board includes diverse group of seasoned experts   Ms. Bennett joins a distinguished group of experts on the ACEDS Advisory Board who hold a variety of positions in the widespread e-discovery terrain. They include a former president of the American Bar Association, a former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, a former chief judge of Florida’s largest judicial circuit, and a member of the Federal Civil Rules Advisory Committee.    The ACEDS Advisory Board is led by Chairman Alvin Lindsay, a partner at Hogan Lovells in Miami. Other members include John Barkett, partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon and past chair of the ABA’s National E-Discovery Institute; Carnival Corporation General Counsel Arnaldo Perez; James Bickley, Managing Director of E-Discovery at TransPerfect Legal Solutions, and Kimarie Stratos, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Memorial Healthcare System. For information on the entire Advisory Board, visit aceds.org.    About ACEDS   ACEDS is an international membership organization for private and public sector persons in law, litigation support, technology, and records management, and others who face e-discovery in their work. ACEDS awards the Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS) credential to eligible candidates who pass a rigorous proctored examination that they can take at 600 secure ACEDS-Kryterion Testing Centers worldwide. It has CEDS professionals on four continents, and also offers live and online training, specialized information and community and network-building events.