I have written appreciatively about the work of the Litigation Support Technology Group – LiST – on my web site. LiST is a think-tank, whose members – all skilled and experienced litigation support people in law firms and analogous organisations – have spent a great deal of time working through the issues which they come across in giving and receiving electronic documents and other data in litigation.

LiST does not purport to address directly the needs of those who are starting out with electronic disclosure – that is my job, but much of what I talk and write about is informed by what LiST does and by discussions with its members. Thought-leadership needs both tiers – new ideas evolve amongst the experts and their wider application needs a different mouth-piece.

Some may question the need for “new ideas”. They perhaps overlook a few things: this is an area where two technical subjects – the court rules and technology – meet. The technology changes all the time, and not all of it is expensive in proportion to the problem to be solved. That problem is disclosure, not specifically e-disclosure. Whilst the rules do not often change, their practice, and the way the courts manage cases, does change.

If compliance with the rules is the problem, the advancing technology holds part of the solution – “part” because the rest lies in the processes, the tactics vis-à-vis opponents and the approach agreed with the clients. The relationship between these things has many constants, but some aspects change all the time, and do so as much for smaller firms and routine cases as for large ones. Thus the need for new ideas.

LiST has just added four new members, bringing the total to 39, and is looking for more, particularly smaller firms, in-house counsel and Government departments. If you are interested in joining LiST, send an email to the Membership Secretary, including full contact details and a brief resumé of your relevant experience. At the moment membership is free.

If what you need is to get up to speed on the issues and the ideas, then this blog and my web site is the place to start, together with attendance at one of the many conferences and seminars taking place this year. Or just contact me.

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