D.C. Court of Appeals Delivers Opinion on E-Discovery Vendors
01/25/12
D.C. Court of Appeals Delivers Opinion on E-Discovery Vendors
The increasingly blurred line between the tech work done by e-discovery firms and actual lawyers has forced the D.C. Court of Appeals to clarify who can do what kind of work. In its 11-page opinion, the court says that to practice law in Washington D.C., an individual needs to be an active member of the District's bar association.
The opinion comes amid increasing concern in some legal quarters that e-discovery vendors are making misleading advertisements and offering services for which they not are qualified to do. The main example of this is e-discovery firms claiming to do “document review” and “the discovery process”. Both involve various processes, some of which involve applying one's legal judgment. But some e-discovery vendors are offering “end-to-end” services.
D.C. Court of Appeals Delivers Opinion on E-Discovery Vendors
The increasingly blurred line between the tech work done by e-discovery firms and actual lawyers has forced the D.C. Court of Appeals to clarify who can do what kind of work. In its 11-page opinion, the court says that to practice law in Washington D.C., an individual needs to be an active member of the District's bar association.
The opinion comes amid increasing concern in some legal quarters that e-discovery vendors are making misleading advertisements and offering services for which they not are qualified to do. The main example of this is e-discovery firms claiming to do “document review” and “the discovery process”. Both involve various processes, some of which involve applying one's legal judgment. But some e-discovery vendors are offering “end-to-end” services.
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