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A Brief Survey Of The Treatment Of Electronically Stored Information By Federal Agencies, Richard Dauphinais Jan 2016

A Brief Survey Of The Treatment Of Electronically Stored Information By Federal Agencies, Richard Dauphinais

University of Baltimore Law Review

Discovery involving electronically stored information (ESI) in federal court litigation has been a matter of extensive discussion in the legal community. Somewhat less examined has been the treatment of ESI by federal agencies. This article takes a look at how some agencies have addressed issues related to ESI. By the late 1990s, federal court practitioners and judges had recognized that the increased use of computers was generating enormous amounts of ESI. The increase in ESI, in turn, affected litigation because it "expanded exponentially" the "universe of discoverable material." Prior to 2006, the federal courts dealt with the discovery of electronic …


Cognitive Bias, The 'Band Of Experts,' And The Anti-Litigation Narrative, Elizabeth G. Thornburg Jan 2016

Cognitive Bias, The 'Band Of Experts,' And The Anti-Litigation Narrative, Elizabeth G. Thornburg

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

In December of 2015, yet another set of discovery rule amendments that are designed to limit discovery will go into effect. This article argues that the consistent pattern of discovery retrenchment is no accident. Rather, a combination of forces is at work. The Supreme Court consistently signals its contempt for the discovery process, and the Chief Justice’s pattern of appointments to the Rules Committees skews toward Big Law defense-side lawyers and judges appointed by Republican Presidents. In addition, longstanding corporate media campaigns have created and reinforced an anti-litigation narrative that, through the power of repetition, dominates public discourse. Further, predictable …


The Law And Economics Of Proportionality In Discovery, Jonah B. Gelbach, Bruce H. Kobayashi Jan 2016

The Law And Economics Of Proportionality In Discovery, Jonah B. Gelbach, Bruce H. Kobayashi

All Faculty Scholarship

This paper analyzes the proportionality standard in discovery. Many believe the Advisory Committee's renewed emphasis on this standard has the potential to infuse litigation practice with considerably more attention to questions related to the costs and benefits of discovery. We discuss the history and rationale of proportionality's inclusion in Rule 26, adopting an analytical framework that focuses on how costs and benefits can diverge in litigation generally, and discovery in particular. Finally, we use this framework to understand the mechanics and challenges involved in deploying the six factors included in the proportionality standard. Throughout, we emphasize that the proportionality standard …