[Panel 6] Effective eDiscovery in “Small” Cases

When eDiscovery first emerged twenty years ago as a distinct sub-specialty in civil practice, it was assumed, incorrectly, that it was only an issue in “big” cases involving sophisticated parties and vast amounts of data. But closer analysis, even back then, revealed that eDiscovery issues were regularly appearing in single-plaintiff employment matters, divorce cases, and personal injury actions. Unfortunately, most of the practices, procedures, and technological tools that have been developed over the years have been based on the “big case” or “big firm” model. It has been difficult to scale these down for the 95% of cases that involve smaller dollar amounts, are handled by small firms or sole practitioners, and are litigated in state or administrative courts. But times are changing, and this panel explores the budget-friendly options opening up for conducting effective eDiscovery in "small" cases, which are never small to the parties!