S.F. public defender begs for 2 paralegals

The San Francisco public defender said Wednesday that unless the city gives him two more paralegals, he will start turning away some defendants accused of homicide and other felonies Feb. 1 and instead hire private attorneys for them.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/28/BAV215JAEB.DTL

TERIS Launches DiscoverLegalJobs.com -
A Free Job Board For The Legal Industry

New Web-based resource is ideal for cost-conscious law firms and corporations by eliminating job posting fees, which can be hundreds of dollars on most job sites

Seattle, WA - Jan. 28, 2009 – As a way to say thank you to the legal community that has helped TERIS grow to become one of the leading litigation support firms in the Western US over the past 13 years, the Seattle-based firm launched a free legal industry job board today: DiscoverLegalJobs.com (www.discoverlegaljobs.com).

TERIS, which provides sophisticated litigation support to law firms and corporate legal teams, also wanted a way to help companies and many professionals in the legal profession struggling during the national economic crisis. This week alone, companies across the US have announced plans to sack more than 10,000 employees. Employers and job seekers throughout major markets in the United States can post and look for jobs for free on DiscoverLegalJobs.com – no strings attached. The site features a wide range of full-time, temporary and freelance positions, from attorneys to legal secretaries to paralegals to clerkships. DiscoverLegalJobs.com currently has over 1000 jobs to choose from, with more being added every day.

“In these tough economic times, we wanted to make it easier for law firms and related companies to connect with job seekers,” said Stefan Wikstrom, TERIS founder and CEO. “Many job board sites charge more than $300 to post a single job – we want to help our friends in the industry by launching a site and making it free for everyone.”

“We were also looking for a way to say thank you to the hundreds of companies that have helped make us the leading legal services and eDiscovery firm in the Western U.S., and offering a free service like this seemed natural,” he added.

TERIS, (previously known as ALC Legal Technologies, Duplex Legal Discovery Solutions, and Digital Discovery Solutions), has six offices in four states, and employs more than 275. Wikstrom started the firm with a single copier in 1996, and was among the first to recognize that sophisticated technology would dramatically alter the legal support industry.

Media Contact: David Kaufer, Director of Marketing, 425-275-8814; 206-521-8717 or dkaufer@discoverteris.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 eDiscovery solutions to law firms and corporate legal teams across the U.S. and internationally. TERIS’ staff of 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 Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Phoenix and Austin. To learn more about TERIS, visit http://www.discoverteris.com

Are future eDiscovery solutions in the "clouds?"

Wall Street Technology reports today that:

With the amount of infrastructure required to support e-discovery capabilities, firms are looking to cloud computing’s utility model as a way to rein in storage and retrieval costs while improving their regualtory response.

The full article can be found here

Divorces Just Got A Little More Technical

Over the past decade, forensics experts have seen an increased use of digital evidence during family law proceedings. Given how much our lives have become increasingly tied to the many digital devices that make day-to-day living more efficient, we don’t realize that the electronic trail left behind becomes a record of the way we live. This includes:

* Desktop/Laptop computers
* Cell phones, BlackBerry, iPhone, and PDA
* Digital cameras/recorders
* iPod/digital music/video players
* GPS systems

The electronic evidence extracted from the digital devices is increasingly making its way into divorce court cases as more and more couples want to learn about their partner’s digital activities, plotting almost indefensible maps of a cheating spouse’s footprints.
What Digital Evidence Can Be Found?

Information that can be obtained includes:

* E-Mail and instant messages
* Names and address of financial institutions
* Asset and /or fund transfers
* Debt information and account activities
* User names and passwords
* Traces of Website visited/Internet history
* Deleted or encrypted files

Many of these sources include time-specific information, which can help build time lines in investigations. Digital evidence can be powerful, but it is often perishable and transient, and can be misleading. The key is to quickly identify and retrieve the pertinent facts before they are erased forever, and to subject the data to a fair and rigorous review by a trained expert.

In a world of increased dependency on electronic and computer-based technologies, evidence does not necessarily present itself as it has in the past. Digital evidence is critical in these cases and many times is the difference between settling a case and winning a case.

A growing number of firms such as TERIS provide these and related digital and eDiscovery services to law firms.

New laws pertaining to 'green' issues are predicted to be the fourth most important legal trend in 2009

With the Inauguration of President Obama complete, we wanted to look at how his Presidency may affect the legal industry in the upcoming year.

According to the legal site Findlaw.com, "Green" laws are predicted to be one of the top 10 issues facing the legal industry in 2009. The site notes:

Whether or not we see a Roosevelt-like public works project in green technology, we will likely see large shifts in how our federal government uses its power to implement green change. From rules set or modified by a new Environmental Protection Agency, to the approach a new Department of Agriculture decides to take on ethanol, how the federal government uses its powers will set the tone for how America attempts to go green. Governments at the state and local level will also play key roles in implementing programs and laws to help us go green.

Going to Legal Tech? Check out this worthy event...

If you are attending Legal Tech in NYC in a couple of weeks, you might want to check out Women in eDiscovery's fund-raising event for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. With a suggested donation of $25, the event (co-hosted by the National Association for Women Lawyers (NAWL)) will be from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the Hilton New York Hotel.

Details about the event can be found here.

A $6M eDiscovery Mistake

Very interesting post on the Information Week blog yesterday by Andrew Conry-Murray outlining how:

A recent court ruling shows how easy -- and expensive -- it can be to screw up the e-discovery process.

Attorney Ralph Losey writes a detailed analysis of a recent case that demonstrates the perils of e-discovery. I've summarized here, but check out the post for the full details.

A government agency was compelled to spend $6 million on an e-discovery exercise for a case in which it wasn't even a party. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) was subpoenaed for documents in litigation involving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The full post is here

eHarmony for Attorneys & Clients?

We came across this interesting company via Twitter - AttorneySync.com is an online marketing tool for lawyers.

With AttorneySync, laywers receive contact information, in real-time, from potential clients actively searching for attorneys.

Sounds like an interesting concept and application of Web 2.0 tools in the legal business development world. We will be anxiously tracking the success of the site and wish it well!

Get ready for DiscoverLegalJobs.com - Free job postings

A new web site created specifically for the legal industry will be launching in the next 2 weeks. DiscoverLegalJobs.com will allow organizations to post job openings for FREE. Professionals will be able to browse and search for jobs throughout the major metropolitan areas in the US (also for free).

DiscoverLegalJobs.com is a free service for the law community provided by TERIS as a thank you for the support it receives from the industry.

Stay tuned for the launch!

Georgetown Law announces E-Discovery Training Academy

From Georgetown Law and ALSP:

Georgetown Law is excited to announce a new venture - The E-Discovery Training Academy. Georgetown Law is the first law school to provide you with the opportunity to gain the essential knowledge and skills necessary to help you lead or participate on your e-discovery team.

From February 9 — 13, 2009 at the Georgetown Law campus, you will learn from some of the country's leading e-discovery experts, including members of the federal judiciary, focusing on the nexus between the law and the technology. During this intense one-week session, you will benefit from the daily readings, hands-on exercises and in session discussions. At the conclusion of the week, you will return to your office with the practical skills and comprehensive knowledge to help guide your client or company through the myriad of e-discovery challenges ahead.

You are encouraged to register now to guarantee your seat at this inaugural event. Due to the interactive nature of the Academy, attendance is limited to 50 participants. For more information or to register please visit www.georgetowncle.org.

Pros and Cons about Paralegal Profession

Interesting (but not very well written) post from a Career Tips blog about the Paralegal Profession and the pros and cons about working in this industry.

The top con? Long hours.

The top pro? Salary potential.

What do you think? Check it out here

From Paralegal to Organizer in chief

Great article today in the Boston Globe about President-elect Obama's new personal secretary. The 27-year old rose quickly through the ranks, including serving as a paralegal for a brief period of time.

After 13 Years, 6 New Offices And 3 Different Names, We're Changing To One Name: TERIS

What began in Seattle with one employee and one copy machine has grown to be one of the largest full-service litigation support companies in the Western US. With our six offices and 250+ employees, we have been delivering timely, innovative technology solutions to law firms and corporations alike.

To reflect these changes - as well as to fully unite our growing number of offices and resources - we have decided that the time is right for an important change. So it's with great pleasure and excitement to announce that as of January 1, 2009, our company name is officially changing to TERIS.

New name. Same mission. Same Ownership.

While we officially take our new name in January, our mission to create timely customized solutions with a high ROI for our clients remains the same.

When our founder Stefan Wikstrom chose the name American Legal Copy (ALC) for the company's first office in Seattle, it perfectly reflected the only service we provided at the time. And while our clients understand it and feel connected to our name, those who don't know us are often confused, thinking that we only provide traditional copy services. Since the company's inception, we have added five new offices - two of them with their own name. The time has come to unite our offices under one name and begin this exciting new chapter in our history.

Come visit us at www.discoverteris.com