Welcome to Electronic Discovery. This e-discovery website is meant to provide free e-discovery resources to people seeking information about ESI (electronically stored information), computer-based evidence, e-discovery technology news, changes in e-discovery law, and more.Electronic Discovery is a little site I put together to keep track of my own ESI knowledge and possibly help visitors (mostly attorneys or corporate counsel) who want to learn E-Discovery 101.
ElectronicDiscovery.info will grow over time in hopes of offering an objective and useful online resource for those seeking basic ESI information.

If you want advanced ESI information, I suggest you check out some of the e-discovery organizations, companies, and resources listed on my Electronic Discovery Links. Those e-discovery resources offer indepth analysis, which can be valuable, but can also be overwhelming to those who do not practice in e-discovery on a routine basis.

The menu on this page offers more information regarding a number of important electronic discovery issues. Below are answers to the most basic electronic discovery issues. Thank you for visiting this little electronic discovery site.

What is ESI and electronic discovery?

Electronic discovery (sometimes shortened to e-discovery) is the process of placing electronicially stored information (ESI) into evidence during litigation. In other words, during a lawsuit, the parties initiate discovery, which allows parties to request the production of ESI on the other party’s computers.

ESI is an abbreviation for “electronically stored information,” which includes information on computers and digital recording devices including hard drives, voicemail systems, microcassette recorders, flash memory (e.g. thumb drives, SD cards, flash drives, memory sticks, mp3 players/iPods), digital video tapes, digital audio tapes, and more.

How is electronic discovery done?

Electronic discovery is rarely simple. Electronic discovery often requires hiring an expert because ESI that is relevant to the case may be located in a variety of locations and forms.

For example, the ESI could be on backup drives, CDs, in email, or in files that have been deleted but still exist in hidden form on a hard drive. This ESI might be discoverable. The form of ESI might be in the format of Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDF files, Outlook PST files, or less common files created by less common software applications on the computer.

What can I learn about ESI and electronic discovery here?

This website seeks to educate corporate attorneys (general counsel, corporate counsel, inhouse counsel) and attorneys with law firms (outside counsel and private lawyers) regarding the basics of ESI generally, and in particular, electronic discovery.

Learn how you can minimize your electronic discovery costs and reduce the risk of malpractice or sanctions by fully complying with electronic discovery rules in your state and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Even more important, learn how to establish procedures in your company so you are prepared for when litigation strikes, ensuring you can gather the ESI relevent to your case within the time established by the case while maintaining an ESI preparedness plan that is defensible in court.