Location:

Offices of BakerHostetler
Atlanta, GA

Join leading jurists, in-house counsel, outside counsel, and eDiscovery experts at the offices of BakerHostetler in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 23-24, 2023, for this unique program which helps participants develop practical skills in eDiscovery negotiation. In the program, participants are trained to negotiate effectively with opposing counsel, in order to ensure efficient, cost-effective fact-finding, and avoid unnecessary disputes, consistent with Rule 1 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the ethical obligations of attorneys as officers of the court.

Program Description

The program features a heavily participatory format. Through use of a litigation hypothetical, faculty demonstrations, and mock negotiation and hearing exercises, participants explore practical cooperative strategies to avoid or resolve conflicts that commonly occur in the preservation, collection, production, and use of electronically stored information.

Under the supervision of the experienced faculty, participants take part in three mock Rule 26(f) conferences focusing on scope of discovery, form of production, and preservation; privilege; and social media; and a mock Rule 16(b) case management conference, in both breakout sessions and plenary sessions. The faculty of veteran trial lawyers, eDiscovery experts, and judges provide opportunities for dialogue, demonstrations, and valuable critique of the attendees' performances in the exercises.

Application for an Invitation

Participation in this program is significantly limited to ensure a high instructor-attendee ratio and a strong participatory experience. Participants receive personalized feedback and critique from faculty members, and in many cases, have the opportunity for a one-on-one dialogue with faculty members. For this reason, it is necessary to limit the number of participants. Additionally, the program is "invitation only" to ensure a proper balance of participants.

Mandatory Advance Program Preparation

Please note, this program requires mandatory advance individual and group preparation. Regarding individual preparation, participants are expected to attend, or review a recording of, a preparatory webinar (held approximately two weeks in advance of the program) and review the litigation hypothetical and other program materials. Regarding group preparation, participants are assigned a teammate and faculty advisor and need to meet virtually with both in advance of the program. As a result, participants need to be assigned teammates and faculty advisors well in advance of the program to ensure an adequate amount of time for the required preparation. Given that, finalizing registration for the program (or withdrawing from the program, for that matter) within three weeks of the date of the program can be very disruptive. Therefore, after March 2, 2023, COB EST, we can no longer guarantee a prospective applicant or invitee who has not finalized their registration a seat in the program.