Conference including sessions on electronic discovery: Crowne Plaza Houston Downtown, 1700 Smith Street, Houston, TX 77002. Estrin LegalEd.

“You’ve got a stellar roster.” Craig Ball - LTN Advisor

Join us for a SuperConference that gives you the leaders of the industry.

Whether exploring and evaluating new technology; implementing cutting edge systems and protocols; managing complex caseload or training attorneys, staff members and clients on the latest technology, the litigation support professional is an innovator and important player on the law firm team.

Here are the Leaders in one SuperConference who can give you the latest information you need in your crucial role.  Find out from the very top how to manage information that contributes to successful outcomes in critical litigation matters. Don’t miss:

* George J. Socha, Jr., Esq.
* Michael Arkfeld, Esq.
* Brett Burney
* Tom O’Connor
* Joe Howie
* David Bigneault
* Jim Michalowicz
* Charlotte Riser Harris
* Jerry Hatchett
* Lisa Rosen
* Henry Alonso
* Bob Sweat
* Stuart Hubbard
* Lisa Fabian

and many more!

Supported by Women in E-Discovery.

Join us for this spectacular event that addresses the unique needs, demands and skills of Litigation Support Professionals.

Over 40 workshops and general sessions all led by experts hand-picked for their ability to make learning an incredibly rich experience.

Designed specifically for Litigation Support professionals from the seasoned pro to the entry-level level, you’ll gain a firm grasp of the newest trends, updates in law and strategic techniques to position you further on the road to success.

Just a few of the workshops:

Michael Arkfeld:
A Year Later – Were the Doomsayers Correct? Learn about recent case law interpreting the amended e-discovery rules and how it is affecting future litigation.  One year later, were the doomsayers correct?  Have the amended federal rules, and state rules, brought corporate America to its knees?  Has explosion of electronic information caused cases to be settled because of the cost of identifying and disclosing electronic evidence?  Have the new rules prevented requesting parties from obtaining needed electronic information to support their claims?   Truth be told, there have been significant growing pains under the new rules. Unfortunately, we see daily reminders of this with the numerous court decisions imposing sanctions for failure to properly preserve and disclose electronic evidence.   At this session you will learn about: ·         The severe risks and consequences involved with failing to properly issue a litigation hold;·         The lack of change among many legal professionals that is creating financial and professional risk;·         The “changing of the guard” with many companies changing outside counsel because of their lack of expertise regarding electronic discovery;·         The economic risk to companies across the country and internationally; and  ·         The steps to requesting and producing ESI.

LPO’s -The Inside Scoop on Outsourcing to India:  They’re doing it.  Law firms like Kirkland & Ellis and Corporate Legal Departments like Dupont are outsourcing to India.  Sure, you save a lot of money but what is the quality?  What are the ethical boundaries?  They work while you sleep but is that a good thing or?  Find out the pros, the cons, the ins, the outs of this projected $640 million business.

SaaS: The Time is Now  Law firms traditionally purchase litigation support applications that are maintained by the technology department. There has always been a conventional comfort level with “owning” the software. Perhaps this is because lawyers believe that administering the software in-house enables them to better fulfill their responsibility to protect client confidentiality and privilege. Today, however, there are several vendors that offer litigation support through a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model over the Internet.

While the idea of application service providers (ASPs) and Web-based services is nothing new, SaaS has become a more viable option lately with the widespread availability of high-speed Internet access. SaaS vendors also take a lot of pressure off law firm technology professionals because the vendors can provide 24/7 support and are able to upgrade software with minimal or no downtime. And because the databases are accessible over the Internet, lawyers can work from anywhere and give their clients or opposing counsel access to important documents as necessary.

While an SaaS litigation support model may not be ideal for every matter, it is a viable option for litigators who would rather focus on the legal analysis of a case rather than coordinating the backend technology. - Brett Burney

Vendor Relationships:  You Can’t Live With Them; You Can’t Live Without Them  Getting the most for your dollar does not mean you need to sacrifice quality.  A good vendor relationship depends upon several key elements besides a great reference.  Learn from a pro how to establish, maintain and ensure a relationship with your vendors that gets you what you want and meets your firm’s expectations.  David Bigneault
Database Design:  How to Ensure You Get Consist Results

There is no point in putting discovery documents into a computer system that doesn’t allow the legal team to perform research and review, produce documents, prepare witness kits, prepare documents for expert review, depositions and trial.  Understand how decisions made today will impact cost and time options tomorrow. Get what you need, instead of what you may have asked for.

Gain knowledge on how to maintain standards and ensure consistency whether working in-house or using a vendor, the logic behind field selection and determining the capture rules, common mistakes, why document types can be such a problem, how to define unitization (logical document determination), why rules based coding is necessary and how to utilize them when coding in-house during document review. - Bob Sweat

Ethics and Electronic Discovery: Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned from the Trenches

Recent headlines about purported discovery breakdowns have litigators and their clients’ nationwide waiting with baited breath. Regardless of the end result, there are valuable lessons to be learned about the preservation and production of digital evidence. The experts can’t possibly cover every scenario, but expect a hearty discussion on such topics as failure to search and/or produce, options for asserting privilege claims after production, the use of “claw backs” and “quick peeks,” and the impact of the proposed amendment to Rule 502 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. - Tom O’Connor

10 Essential Steps to Developing a Premier Litigation Support Department

Many Litigation Support Managers in law firms are still struggling to define and market their department’s services.  The difficulty is often the result of a disconnect between the legal teams and the technical teams as the roles evolve in discovery.  It is difficult enough keeping one step ahead of the rapidly changing rules, technology and case law without having to explain and justify your department’s role and needs each day.  - Charlotte Riser Harris

Unicode:  The e-Discovery Engine
Learn the basics about Unicode technology and why it is essential to the litigation support process including:—The history of Unicode from its inception to its incorporation into most major operating systems, including Mac and Windows.—The advantages of Unicode over ASCII in litigation support software, especially for cases involving email, transcripts, and foreign language documents.—Examples of cases in which the lawyer’s understanding of Unicode materially impacted the outcome of the case.—An exemplar using CaseLogistix , the first litigation support application to support Unicode, including its support for Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. - Tom O’Connor

Thinking Like a Plaintiff: Learn how traditional corporate defendants can gain an advantage in litigation by applying a few lessons learned from “other” side. Turn around and face the tiger by finding out how you can go on the offensive and deliver winning results for your client. Not for the faint-of-heart.  Jim Michalowicz

Best Practices:  Document Collection and Database Preparation.  Covers the essential steps that need to be considered in developing an effective data collection plan and document database.  Based on over 20 years of experience, this course covers the key steps from the initial request and gathering of evidentiary material to trial presentation.

With each step, the salient points of consideration will be emphasized and explained. This includes document collection and formats, understanding the application of a numbering scheme in your case, litigation support specifications and when to code or make use of textual scanning or eDiscovery.  Once you know the steps to take and the key areas to consider, you will be in control of developing the most efficient document database for your case in a cost effective manner.  Supporting documents are provided geared toward use with CT Summation products, but can be edited for any litigation support application.  - Lisa Fabian

The 101A Workshops for Beginners:

The Litigation Lifecycle:  Are you a litigation support professional who did not come up through a legal field career?  Unsure about the terminology and the discovery process?  Does your vocabulary include “Production” but you’ve found out the term means somehting entirely different in the legal arena?

Here’s a two-hour breakout session that will teach you the basics of the litigation lifecycle, the terminology and steps in the process you need to know now.

E-Discovery for New Litigation Professionals:  New to the field but you don’t want to admit you’re the only one in the room that has not been exposed to the terminology, new rules and process?  Come to this workshop.  We’ll give you a whopping dose of e-discovery buzz words, step-by-step processes and resources you can use immediately.

Litigation Support 101A:  Just finding out how to set up a database?  Learning the ropes or need a refresher?  This workshop will teach you the basics and help you make the transition into this highly lucrative, challenging specialty arena.

Introduction to Summation, iBlaze & WebBlaze:  Send your entry-level staff to get introduced to these important programs.  An overview and great handouts will get them started immediately.

Professional Development:

Where Do I Go From Here? Career Opportunities for the Litigation Support Professional:  If the attorney partnership track is not for you, where do you take your litigation support career?  How do you find more job satisfaction, higher level assignments, more challenging work?  Who is hiring and where are the jobs?  What’s hot now, what’s cold tomorrow?  Find out from the recruiting pros who know this business inside and out.

How to Get Published in the Legal Field:  Do you have a book in you?  Or, would you like to be writing articles for prestigious publications?  Find out from the publishing pros what editors look for, how a book proposal should be written and what gets some articles accepted and others rejected.

Practical Legal Ethics:  Confidentiality, Conflict of Interest and Unauthorized Practice of Law  While Litigation Support Professionals do not draft pleadings or present arguments in court, you are still held by the same ethical standards as anyone else in the law firm.  Learn what the boundaries are and what constitutes an unethical move - even though it may be inadvertent.  Learn how to keep yourself and your firm out of trouble and in the winner’s circle.

As an additional bonus, join us for the Litigation Support Professionals  Awards for Best Practices in Litigation Support.

The brochure and agenda will be posted shortly.  For Exhibitor Information, please see Exhibitors or give us a ring at 818.506.8701.

Register for seminar or order conference materials:

* Call our toll-free number, 888.803.8807, or email us to hold your place or bill your firm
* Make checks payable to Estrin Professional Careers
* Payment must be made prior to the conference

Seminar tuition and discounts:

Preview Price:  $450.00 before brochure
$495.00 Early Bird until February 15, 2008;
$595.00 thereafter.

Topics addressed include:

Just a few of our workshops and general sessions include:
Crossing International Litigation Borders
New Horizons in the Litigation Manager’s Role
A Strategic Approach to Litigation Support Management
Emerging Technologies
Making Sense Out of SaaS Litigation Review Platform
The E-Discovery Questionnaire
How to Recruit and Retain the Litigation Support Technician
Leading Products in Litigation Support
Motivating, Training and Retaining Document Coders
Trends in Knowledge Management
Best Practices in Setting Up and Maintaining Databases
10 Top E-Mail Retention Myths
Best Practices in Litigation Support
Predicting and Managing Litigation Costs
10 Strategies for Best Practices in Project Management
Outsourced vs. In-House Resources - A Panel Discussion
The Litigation Lifecycle 101A
What You Need to Know Now About Native Review
Collecting and Handling Exotic Discovery
The Industry Buzz
Advanced Review and Retrieval Models
Legal Process Outsourcing:  Here to Stay? Gone Tomorrow?
Choosing an E-Discovery Platform
Training the Untrainable
E-Discovery in Europe
Where Do I Go From Here? Career Choices for the Litigation Support Professional

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