Higher Ed Event On "Electronic Evidence and E-Discovery"

[Rodney Petersen <rpetersen () EDUCAUSE EDU>]

Please excuse the cross-post.  However, I know that many security
professionals get involved in computer forensics or electronic discovery
requests from their legal counsel so the event below is very important
and timely.  I would urge you to participate and invite your legal
counsel to join you for this event - especially if you can follow-up the
seminar with a meeting to discuss your own campus preparedness.

Thanks,

Rodney Petersen
Security Task Force Coordinator, EDUCAUSE



> On December 1, new amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
> governing the discovery of electronically stored information (ESI)
> will take effect.  The new rules arrive in the wake of an increase in
> litigation surrounding electronic discovery, including highly
> publicized cases where parties suffered severe sanctions for their
> failure to properly preserve and produce ESI. 
>
> EDUCAUSE is serving as a sponsoring organization for an upcoming
> virtual seminar organized by the National Association of College and
> University Attorneys (NACUA) to shed some light on the topic of
> "Electronic Evidence and E-Discovery: Problems and Perils for Colleges
> and Universities".  IT Professionals are encouraged to join with their
> legal counsel to view this event and discuss how you will develop an
> institutional action plan.  The seminar will be held on Thursday,
> November 30, 2006, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., ET.  More information is
> available below and from the website:
> http://www.nacua.org/meetings/virtualseminars/november2006/VirtualSemi
> nar.html
>        
> Background
> Preparing for and responding to a discovery request encompassing
> electronically stored information (ESI) requires careful planning and
> preparation by institutional counsel, information technology personnel
> and those in possession of relevant electronic information.  ESI can
> reside on desktop and laptop computer hard drives, flash drives ,
> PDAs, and other portable storage devices, network storage devices and
> back-up tapes, and metadata embedded in email, documents and devices.
> The duty to preserve and produce such evidence can present significant
> challenges.   
>  
> Program Information
> This program will describe the new rules and the underlying duty to
> preserve electronic evidence, including when and how to implement and
> monitor litigation holds designed to preserve discoverable
> information.  A case study will highlight the key issues counsel and
> administrators will face in complying with e-discovery requests,
> including:
>  
> *Creation of a plan
> *Identifying relevant electronic information
> *Conducting and documenting the search for electronic information
> *Production in the required format
> *Other issues involved in successful implementation of a litigation
> hold and compliance with electronic discovery requests.  
>  
> For a detailed seminar schedule, see
> http://www.nacua.org/meetings/virtualseminars/november2006/VirtualSemi
> nar_Schedule.html
>
> Program registrants will have the opportunity to ask questions during
> the program, and are also invited to submit questions in advance for
> review by the panelists at
> http://www.nacua.org/meetings/virtualseminars/november2006/VirtualSemi
> nar_Ask.html.
>
> Presenters
> NACUA member attorneys Tom D'Antonio of Ward, Norris, Heller & Reidy,
> LLP and Nelson Roth, Deputy University Counsel and Chief of the
> Litigation Section of Counsel's Office at Cornell University will
> share their experience and expertise and respond to questions.  Dana
> Scaduto, General Counsel of Dickinson College, will moderate the
> program. Please join them to learn about this new challenge in higher
> education ligitation and how to prepare for it.
>   
> Who Should Participate
> This program will be of interest to college and university counsel
> representing the institution in litigation or with responsibility for
> the oversight of litigation.  The presenters will assume registrants
> have a basic understanding of litigation procedures and the discovery
> process.  Campus administrators who may benefit from the program
> include information technology personnel, academic and business
> administrators, human resource administrators and risk managers.
> After reviewing the program schedule, members may wish to consider
> inviting these or other administrators on their campus to join them
> for the program.       
>
> Registration and Fees
> This seminar will cost $229 per site location up to one week prior to
> the date of the seminar.  Visit the Virtual Seminar Registration Page
> (http://www.nacua.org/meetings/virtualseminars/november2006/VirtualSem
> inar_Register.html) to learn how to register by phone, fax, mail, or
> on-line.  You may want to join with your campus counsel in hosting
> this seminar for appropriate campus stakeholders.  In a few days you
> will also be able determine which sites have already registered at the
> http://www.nacua.org/meetings/virtualseminars/november2006/VirtualSemi
> nar_Whois.html
>
> Questions?
> For questions about this seminar, contact Stephanie Stevens at
> 202-833-8390 or via email at sas () nacua org.