Monday, June 22, 2009

We've moved our blog!

We've gone upscale and added a lot of new features (not to mention a fancier design!)

Come visit us at our blog and let us know what you think!

www.sophisticatedlitigationsupportblog.com.

We look forward to seeing you at our new digs!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Upgrades and Improvements to TERIS website




New visitors to the TERIS.com web site will notice some changes. The most exciting upgrade is the addition of video - we are now featuring two of our prized clients providing video testimonies on the home page. We plan on adding more of these in the coming weeks and months.

We also have a legal industry news headline section and make it easier for visitors to track our latest blog posts and Twitter "Tweets"- all of these steps are aimed at helping our clients and visitors glean as much information as possible from us online.

Please check out the site and let us know what you think about the changs. We welcome your input!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Join TERIS at the IPRO Innovations 2009 Event Next Week

Conference Banner

You have more reasons than ever
to attend this FREE event.


May 14-15 | Phoenix, Arizona

Notable Industry Speakers Including

William Kellermann, Electronic Discovery Manager for Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati

Cliff Dutton, expert in the litigation support industry with more than 20 years experience as an entrepreneur, technologist, and executive

George Rudoy, Director of Global Practice Technology & Information Services for Shearman and Sterling

Karen Brookman, President and Cofounder of Commonwealth Legal

J. Bart Holladay, Director of Litigation Support Language Services for Linguistic Systems, Inc.

Peter vR Sternkopf, Chief Technology Officer of Teris

John Auman, Director of Forensics Services for Forensics Consulting Solutions

Terry Harrison, Managing Director of Hobs Legal Docs

For all the details, go to the IPRO Innovations Registration Page

Monday, May 4, 2009

ACC San Diego Featured Article - "Buckle-up California"

From ACC "Focus on San Diego:"

Buckle-up California
Written By Micah Kasdan (
mkasdan@TERIS.com)

Earlier this year, the government postponed the Digital TV Transition rollout by six months to allow for a significant amount of viewers to upgrade their television set-ups. One reason was that a lot of older and lower income citizens were about to lose their television access which is a major resource for the Emergency Broadcast Network. This was a perfect example of technology outgrowing those who rely on it. Similarly, something of this very nature is playing out in the California Courts system.

On December 1st, 2006, the Federal Rules for Civil Procedure was amended to specifically address the handling of Electronically Stored Information (ESI). Since that time, attorneys and their clients have been wading through the ambiguity of these rules. Sanctions aplenty, legal practitioners have been learning the hard way how to keep aggressive opponents and opinionative judges content. Time and again, the lessons learned are fairly simple:
* Keep a transparent approach to handling data
* Handle data with kid gloves (never delete/alter anything without an approved approach)
* Understand the Rules and follow them
* Always consult eDiscovery professionals before making judgment calls on perceived best practices

Generally speaking, many practices have become quite effective at approaching ESI productions. In fact, the mere presence of ESI has significantly altered the strategic approach to discovery. Many of these practices are based at law firms with a national footprint. Here, they have had the resources and money to add technology and personnel to help grind out the eDiscovery process and yield positive results. With having access to watch the progress of federal court practices, one might deduce that California practitioners had advantages with the State’s wait-and-see attitude. Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the case.

In a town like San Diego, many talented and competent attorneys practice in the California Courts system alone. They tend to have smaller budgets than those of the national opponents and many have put off learning this new part of the game. Just like the last breath of relief sighed in February when the Digital TV Transition date had been postponed, many California attorneys felt the relief when Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed a previous measure to amend the civil procedure rules for handling ESI. Sadly enough, there is still a strong contingent of practices that is no more prepared to address this elephant in the room than they were in December of 2006.

Recently, there have been growing concerns amongst local attorneys that they may not be ready to face this sleeping dragon. The first concern is that they are simply not prepared. More alarming to some, however, is that they regularly oppose national counsel. After 2 years of difficult lessons learned, these opponents are ready to attack. They have faced their fears of sanctions and they have trained their clients to be prepared for the invasiveness and costs of litigating in the information age. They have used the rules to their advantage and they know how to size up a rookie. But there are some saving graces.

Right now, there are very hungry attorneys, consultants and vendors that are excited to share a piece of this new pie. They have worked for, and with, the national firms on the national cases. They have proven their approaches and they are ready to hold some more hands. And, conveniently, the costs associated with this assistance are cheaper than ever. These pending changes are probably only months away. The smart ones will heed all of the warnings and embrace what is to come. The rest will start to build the State’s ESI case law library soon enough.

Monday, April 27, 2009

iCONECTnXT Enhances TERIS E-Discovery, Hosting, and Litigation Support Services




Los Angeles, CA (April 28, 2009) – iCONECT Development, LLC’s award-winning litigation support platform, iCONECTnXT, will now be offered by TERIS as part of their e-discovery, hosting, and litigation consulting services. nXT is used by 83 Am Law 100 firms, corporate legal departments, Fortune 500 corporations, and government agencies to organize, review, and analyze e-discovery.

“TERIS is excited to offer iCONECT's leading litigation support software to our growing client base. It provides an ideal blend of flexibility, power and security that law firms and corporate legal departments alike require with their e-discovery projects,” said Stefan Wikstrom, TERIS founder and CEO. “We look forward to a very productive relationship with iCONECT.”

TERIS is a full-service litigation support solution provider that works with leading law firms and corporate legal departments to provide sophisticated consultation-based solutions, state-of-the-art technologies and highly experienced project management. Backed by an experienced staff of over 275, TERIS also offers traditional hosting and scanning services for law firms and corporate legal teams across the U.S. and internationally. The company was named one of the top e-discovery service providers by industry researcher Socha-Gelbmann in 2008.

“As part of our commitment to iCONECT users, we only permit companies with excellent services and top-notch customer support to license our software, and TERIS exceeds that high standard,” said Cynthia Williams, CEO of iCONECT Development, LLC.

nXT has a proven track record with over 980 cases and 3.7 billion pages hosted worldwide. Key features include support for Chinese, Russian, Arabic and over 250 other languages worldwide, e-mail grouping for faster review, advanced searching, and scalable database technology to keep up with growing e-discovery demands. To learn more, send an e-mail to info@iconect.com.

About TERIS:

Founded in 1996, TERIS (previously known as ALC Legal Technologies, Duplex Legal Discovery Solutions, and Digital Discovery Solutions), provides legal support and sophisticated e-discovery solutions to law firms and corporate legal teams across the U.S. and internationally. TERIS’ staff of over 275 was named one of the top 20 e-discovery service providers by industry researcher Socha-Gelbmann in 2008. The company operates a free job board for the legal profession at www.discoverlegaljobs.com and has offices in Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, San Diego, Phoenix, and Austin. To learn more about TERIS, visit www.TERIS.com.

About iCONECT Development, LLC:

iCONECT® Development, LLC is your reliable choice for litigation support software, with products trusted by prestigious Am Law 100 firms, corporate legal departments, Fortune 500 corporations, and government agencies to host, organize, review, and analyze e-discovery for litigation, mergers and acquisitions, and multi-party international cases.

Awards include: #1 Web-Based Litigation Software (Am Law Tech Survey), Top 10 Service Provider for Review, Analysis, Production and Best Overall (2008 Socha-Gelbmann Electronic Discovery Survey), Honorable Mention Winner (Oracle 2007 North America Titan Awards), #1 Online Document Repository (Am Law Tech Survey), and #1 Litigation Support Software (Law Technology News Awards).

For more information, or if you would like to schedule a demo, send an e-mail to info@iconect.com or visit www.iconect.com.

iCONECT Media Contact:
Frank Trovato
e. ftrovato@iconect.com
t. 519.645.1663

iCONECT is a registered trademark of iCONECT Development, LLC. All brand names are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

TERIS adds leading litigation support professionals Julie Hinkle, Josh Rasmussen and Christy Harder to serve growing San Francisco office



TERIS adds leading litigation support professionals
Julie Hinkle, Josh Rasmussen and Christy Harder
to serve growing San Francisco office

Appointment of industry sales veterans solidifies firm’s expertise in eDiscovery and related technical services

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – April 21, 2009 – TERIS announced today the addition of three leading litigation support sales professionals to its growing San Francisco office. Julie Hinkle joins as a new Electronic Projects Manager; Josh Rasmussen as Electronic Account Manager and Christy Harder as Account Manager for the company. The trio brings a combined mix of experience from both the legal and litigation support industries that bring immediate value for new and existing TERIS clients.

“We are excited to have a group of very valuable professionals with such caliber and experience join TERIS,” said Rob Robinson, TERIS San Francisco Managing Partner. “As our San Francisco office continues to grow, our clients are requiring a greater level of experience and proficiency in eDiscovery and related services. Josh, Christy and Julie are valuable additions as we continue to expand our considerable expertise and success to serve an ever-growing market requiring unique knowledge in eDiscovery and digital forensics.”

A certified paralegal, Hinkle brings more than 15 years of litigation support experience to TERIS. She was both a Senior Production Manager and Project Manager at First Advantage litigation consulting. She previously served as Production Manager of large scale Electronic and Paper Scanning projects with ALC Legal Technologies (now TERIS). Hinkle has special expertise with older microfilm/fiche technologies and converting film to electronic images.

Rasmussen has experience working with various Fortune 500 companies with projects that involved complex procedures with high confidentiality documents and has conducted discovery reviews for numerous private lawsuits involving complex electronic and paper discovery, which included millions of pages each. He also has experience working with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Attorney’s Office.

Harder comes to TERIS after a successful four-year stint at a legal industry leading software company CT Summation, where she most recently served as West Coast Regional Sales Director, with a territory that spanned 24 states. A driven sales professional with more than three-years experience focused on software sales and account management, Harder has demonstrated success building relationships with upper management in Fortune 500 companies and Am Law 200 firms alike.

ABOUT TERIS

Founded in 1996, TERIS (previously known as ALC Legal Technologies, Duplex Legal Discovery Solutions, and Digital Discovery Solutions), provides legal support and sophisticated eDiscovery solutions to law firms and corporate legal teams across the U.S. and internationally. TERIS’ staff of over 275 was named one of the top 20 eDiscovery service providers by industry researcher Socha-Gelbmann in 2008. The company operates a free job board for the legal profession at www.discoverlegaljobs.com and has offices in Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, San Diego, Phoenix, and Austin. To learn more about TERIS, visit www.TERIS.com


Media Contact: David Kaufer, Director of Marketing, 425-275-8814; 206-521-8717 or DKaufer@TERIS.com

Friday, April 10, 2009

Using Facebook as Employment Prescreening Tool



This is one of those topics that seems to straddle legal/ethical/practical lines with employer/employee relations and practices and depending on which side of the fence you sit, you undoubtedly have your own view of the practice.

From the blog Mashable (which we highly recommend if you are at all interested in social media developments) comes this post: NFL Scouts Wants NFL Prospects ASL on Facebook. The post is a synopsis of a Yahoo Sports report that outlines how NFL teams are setting up fake Facebook accounts (appearing as attractive women) and then asking to become friends with college players/prospects. Once they are accepted as a friend, they then have access to all kinds of personal information including potentially embarrassing photos, links and friends/connections.

The NFL draft is a huge financial gamble for teams. First and 2nd round draft picks typically receive multi-million dollar guaranteed contracts. It is hard to blame a team (as a potential employer) for doing as much due dilligence as possible before committing to a potential prospect. Yet if you are a young player, how would you feel if you found out your potential (or actual) employer/team used this tactic to access what you thought was your private life?

It is likely only a matter of time before this practice spreads even further into the private sector and companies begin employing similar measures with prospective employees. How long will it take before this practice is legally challenged?

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Legal Implications of "Free" Wi-Fi




With Wi-Fi being so pervasive today, it's easy to take for granted the ability to log into a hotspot no matter where we are to surf the web and conduct email.

What many people don't realize however is that there actions could amount to the commission of a felony, as it may be illegal in many states to access another person’s and/or entities’ open Wi-Fi network.

Check out this interesting Blog post, "Legal Implications of Wi-Fi Usage" to learn more about potential legal implications in this area.


Friday, April 3, 2009

TERIS participates as expert witness in mock argument for San Francisco Bay Area IP Inn of the Court




Educational session focused on the complexities of litigating eDiscovery issues

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Palo Alto, CA Apr 03, 2009 – Legal professionals now face even greater challenges when trying to determine where to search for critical data and information that can be used to help build (or defend) a case. This has led to the continued importance and growth of companies and firms that provide technologies or services that make Electronic Discovery – or eDiscovery faster and easier for the legal community. Information that was once was contained to paper files has now exploded to digital devices as the use of mobile devices (i.e., iPhone, Blackberry), portable computers, and social networking sites (i.e., Facebook), and related items are used more frequently.

TERIS, a full service litigation support services provider, was invited to participate in a recent mock argument for the San Francisco Bay Area IP Inn of the Court to disclose the difficulties and expenses of complex IP litigation and vendor costs. The event featured five legal professionals as well as Judge Zimmerman who presided over what was considered an educational, if not contentious, argument fraught with the complexities of eDiscovery litigating for all parties involved.

Shawn Sieck, Regional Director of Electronic Sales, represented TERIS and spoke to the importance of involving outside service providers who have specific expertise in eDiscovery to keep the costs as low as possible. Sieck said attendees walked away from the event with a number of other key nuggets of information:

o The importance of early case assessment.
o Finding a vendor that is also a consultant (not just an order-taker)
o Taking the time to go thorough custodian interviews to determine all data sources

“It was a great honor and pleasure to be able to participate in this event,” said Sieck. “The San Francisco Bay Area Intellectual Property American Inn of the Court is much respected for its focus on intellectual property issues and for its work facilitating the exchange of ideas among legal professionals who work with intellectual property issues. We look forward to assisting the group in future exercises and continuing to be a resource whenever possible.”

ABOUT TERIS

Founded in 1996, TERIS (previously known as ALC Legal Technologies, Duplex Legal Discovery Solutions, and Digital Discovery Solutions), provides legal support and sophisticated eDiscovery solutions to law firms and corporate legal teams across the U.S. and internationally. TERIS’ staff of over 275 was named one of the top 20 eDiscovery service providers by industry researcher Socha-Gelbmann in 2008. The company operates a free job board for the legal profession at www.discoverlegaljobs.com and has offices in Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, San Diego, Phoenix, and Austin. To learn more about TERIS, visit www.TERIS.com

Media Contact: David Kaufer, Director of Marketing, 425...; 206-521-8717 or DKaufer@TERIS.com

# # #

TERIS is a full-service litigation support solution provider. We work with leading law firms and corporate legal departments to provide sophisticated consultation-based solutions, state-of-the-art technologies and highly experienced project management. We simplify enterprise-wide information flow, allowing for professionally enhanced case management, which provides our clients with improved workflow and a much higher return on their investment.


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http://www.prlog.org/10209795-teris-participates-as-expert-witness-in-mock-argument-for-san-francisco-bay-area-ip-inn-of-the-court.html">TERIS participates as expert witness in mock argument for San Francisco Bay Area IP Inn of the Court

The Industry Standard: eDiscovery gets an F


From the respected Industry Standard comes an article talking about how far eDiscovery has to go still (according to technology industry standards):

E-discovery in the age of Web 2.0 has a long way to go, according to industry experts, who recently convened at a Symantec Inc.-hosted Webinar to bemoan the state of record compliance in enterprises today.

"E-discovery has always been an issue for lawyers to handle, but now there's that added complexity with wikis, Facebook, Twitter, and other new technologies," said George Socha, a litigation attorney who works with the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) Project. "A lot of lawyers' eyes roll back into their head and they curl up like possums because they just don't want to deal with it."


The full article can be found here

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Will the legal industry reinvent itself as a result of the current downturn?



In today's New York Times, Adam Cohen writes that the current economic downturn may finally force the legal industry to change its ways in a number of areas. As all industry observers know, law firms in all markets across the country have experienced layoffs - some have even completely closed. Cohen argues that the escalation of salaries for first-year associates has finally stopped and we should see salaries fall significantly - which in turn will have a ripple effect on the industry. He also asks whether law schools will use this opportunity to change and update their programs to meet new demands.

The complete article can be found here.

Monday, March 30, 2009

10 Steps to Manage E-Discovery Projects


From Law.com

Like it or not, lawyers involved in e-discovery matters must become project managers. In addition to advising and representing clients, they must help clients select and supervise vendors of e-discovery services (from simple photocopying, to forensic analysis, to data retrieval and production, to expert testimony on the adequacy of e-discovery efforts). This article outlines 10 key steps in a typical e-discovery project, suggesting ways that lawyers can help ensure that such projects proceed successfully.

Read the rest of the article here

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Social Networks used for Personal Injury claim investigations



From Law.com comes an interesting article about how Paralegals are diving into social networks as part of their research into personal injury lawsuits and claims:

Paralegals now also turn their attention to the cyberworld, including social and professional networking sites, to investigate personal injury claims. Oftentimes, these sites can provide a deluge of data, including specific communications and entries concerning parties to the action.

Catch the full article here

TERIS has its own Facebook page - you should come by to say hello!

Friday, March 20, 2009

American Bar Association Publishes Next Generation Book on Electronic Discovery

MIAMI, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Akerman Senterfitt, today announced that the American Bar Association has published and released Introduction to E-Discovery: New Cases, Ideas, and Techniques, authored by Akerman attorney Ralph Losey. This marks the second book on e-discovery to be authored by Mr. Losey in the past 13 months.

Mr. Losey, a leading authority on e-discovery, has more than 30 years of experience in computer technology; with 28 years of experience in associated commercial litigation leading more than 70 published legal opinions. He has authored numerous law review articles, including reviews of the mathematics underlying e-discovery and the "ethics" of e-discovery. In addition to these articles, Mr. Losey's first book E-Discovery: Current Trends and Cases is one of the ABA's bestsellers and has already been cited by several judges and commentators. Both books are based on Losey's popular weekly blog, "e-discovery Team" (www.ralphlosey.wordpress.com).

"In this economic environment, e-discovery has become recognized as an important part of any responsible corporate strategy to reduce costs," commented Michael McMahon, Chair of Akerman's Litigation Practice Group. "There is a universal need for people to understand the e-discovery process, and we are pleased to have an Akerman attorney leading the discussion of opinion in this space."

Mr. Losey's book explains, in easy to read language, the complex legal and technology issues involved in electronic discovery. Similar to his first effort, this book helps lawyers and IT experts better understand the latest thinking and techniques for transferring critical information from the computer to the courtroom. It includes examinations of new case law and opinions of jurists and experts in the field, and provides a diverse number of views on the subject, including the two most popular e-discovery guides used by judges. Furthermore, the book outlines the interdisciplinary team approach to solving the unique problems of e-discovery and also covers:

  • Self-organization and development of evidence preservation protocols
  • New articles of interest on e-discovery teams
  • The future of e-discovery suggested by a recent litigation survey
  • How negligent e-records management is creating stunning business risks
  • E-discovery at the Harvard Club in New York City
  • New California proposals for e-discovery laws
  • The conflict between our rules of discovery and the privacy laws of the rest of the world
  • The limitations of checklists and how to work best using them

Akerman Senterfitt's e-Discovery team, led by Ralph Losey and Akerman Shareholder Michael Simon, is comprised of attorneys and IT professionals throughout the firm's offices in Florida, New York, Washington, D.C., Denver, and Los Angeles, and represent a variety of practice areas, including trial law and intellectual property. They represent and consult with corporate clients, governments, and other law firms concerning a variety of technology law issues, ranging from litigation defense to prevention.

The team routinely handles the e-discovery aspects of major litigation and serves as "national e-counsel" to coordinate the discovery work of local counsel. They are also pioneering a new type of legal service where they assist clients to prepare for litigation by helping them to organize and operate their own internal e-discovery teams. The new "team-related" services include advice on: initial organization and budgeting of the e-discovery team; records retention policies, litigation hold procedures; ESI identification, retrieval, search and analysis; information management; software; hardware; and vendor selection.

About Akerman Senterfitt

Akerman is ranked among the top 100 law firms in the United States by The National Law Journal NLJ 250 (2008) in number of lawyers and is one of the largest firms in Florida. With more than 500 lawyers and governmental affairs professionals, the firm serves clients in major business centers throughout the United States, including Miami, New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. For additional information, please visit the firm's Web site at www.akerman.com.

    Contact:
Pat Tucker
RF|Binder Partners, Inc.
(212) 994-7561
patrick.Tucker@rfbinder.com

Walter Fowler
RF|Binder Partners, Inc.
(212) 994-7512
walter.fowler@rfbinder.com