from Staff
Akerman Senterfitt shareholder Ralph Losey, based in Orlando, has written and released “E-Discovery: Current Trends and Cases,” based on his popular weekly blog, “e-discovery Team” at www.ralphlosey.wordpress.com. The book has already been cited in an Opinion handed down from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
The American Bar Association published the book and describes it as the world’s first legal “blook,” which is a book derived from a blog and represents a new trend and genre in mainstream publishing. Several recent non-fiction bestsellers have reportedly been derived from the authors’ blogs.
According to a press release, “E-Discovery: Current Trends and Cases” is intended to help bridge the knowledge gap between the disciplines of law and information technology (IT) so that the challenges of electronic discovery can be met. The book explains the latest trends and cases and outlines the new interdisciplinary team approach to solving the unique problems of e-discovery.
The book also covers the new ethical standards for e-discovery, new federal rules of civil procedure, search and review of electronically stored information (ESI) and new technologies. It is also the first book on e-discovery to include the opinions and analysis of many leading experts in the field, not just those of the author.
“The electronic communication explosion has transformed how business is conducted, which requires lawyers to get in front of the change to be effective,” said Michael McMahon, chair of Akerman’s litigation practice group. “What has come to be labeled ‘e-discovery’ is superficially about court rules, but the real importance is in understanding electronic communication, electronic data storage and how these media alter what it takes to win at trial.
“It takes expertise beyond the trial skills of yesterday,” continued McMahon. “That is why we formed an e-discovery team composed of highly skilled litigators who have the depth of knowledge necessary to go beyond the superficial.”
Akerman Senterfitt’s e-discovery team, led by 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. and Los Angeles, and represents 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 developing a new type of legal service to assist clients in preparing 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.
Losey has 30 years experience with computers, 28 years experience with commercial litigation and more than 70 published opinions. He authored a law review article in 2007 on the mathematics underlying e-discovery that has been praised by academicians and e-discovery industry insiders.
The book has received several positive reviews to date, including:
“Ralph Losey’s book is an e-discovery tour-de-force. For every litigator who thinks he or she has heard enough about e-discovery already, I suggest that the book will be eye-opening. For every CEO and CIO who hasn’t heard about the e-discovery tsunami engulfing the profession, I recommend that he or she be given a copy as a holiday present this year.”
—Jason R. Baron, Esq., editor in chief of The Sedona Best Practices Commentary on The Use of Search and Retrieval Methods in E-Discovery
“Ralph’s book is a terrific resource for the litigator about to dive into the seemingly murky waters of electronic discovery. He not only summarizes the key issues in the field, but provides valuable insights based on his practical experience in the area. His writing style is straightforward (and humorous at times). In other words, unlike much lawyer-authored material, it’s actually readable! An excellent tool for the practitioner.”
—W. Lawrence Wescott II, Electronic Discovery Blog
“...a brilliant combination of tales, advice, victories and defeats which brings technology within the easy grasp of lawyers, allows IT staff understand why their attorney can’t sleep at night, and explains the whole headache to upper management. (It) captures the pace and wit of the original blog and informs like a text. It is your e-discovery field guide.”
—William F. Hamilton, partner, Holland & Knight and adjunct professor at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law
Akerman Senterfitt is Florida’s largest law firm. With more than 500 lawyers and governmental affairs professionals, the firm serves clients in major business centers throughout Florida and the U.S.