WASHINGTON, D.C., May 10 2012 — Experts in trial practice will gather to examine potential changes to federal rules on electronic discovery, the challenges of protecting privileged information and the impact that technology will have on civil litigation during the American Bar Association’s Sixth Annual National Institute on E-Discovery. The conference, sponsored by the ABA’s Section of Litigation, is Friday, May 18, at the University Club of New York in New York City.

Special highlights include:

“What Happened in the Case Law This Year, and Why Did It Happen So Fast?” — A panel of e-discovery experts — including Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, John M. Facciola — will explore the most recent and pressing legal principles embodied in judicial decisions on e-discovery.
9:15 a.m.

“Well, I Sure Don’t ‘Like’ That! Litigation Holds, Social Media and Employees’ Online Data” — This panel will discuss the types of data corporations should consider preserving as they become more active in social media and the challenges presented by such preservation. Panelists will explore issues that arise in collecting, processing and reviewing data generated by corporate social-media presence, as well as personal information stored by employees. Speakers include Robert L. Levy, counsel at ExxonMobil; Ashish Prasad, chief executive officer of Discovery Services LLC; and Ariana J. Tadler, partner at Milberg LLP.
10:30 a.m.

“Update on the Federal Rules Amendment Process” — Panelists, including Judges Facciola, John G. Koeltl, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, and Lee H. Rosenthal, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas, will discuss the potential revisions to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the latest developments in the rules-amendment process relating to e-discovery.
1 p.m.

“Attorney-Client Privilege and ESI: How to Maintain Privilege ‘in the Cloud’ and Across Electronic Borders in Today’s Age of Electronic Communication” — What risks do new technologies and methods of communication pose to protecting attorney-client privilege? What principles apply to sending privileged information across borders in a global technology environment? The program will focus on these questions, as panelists will explore the framework to identify and mitigate risk to confidential attorney-client communications.
4:45 p.m.

The conference brochure provides a complete list of meeting programs and speakers.

There is no charge for media covering this event. For media credentials and more information, please contact Maria Gutierrez at 202-662-1091, or maria.gutierrez@americanbar.org.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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