The use of keywords to cut through large volumes of data is a vital skill. A webcast next week focuses on how time and costs can be saved by the effective use of keywords.

If I had a couple of hours to spare to write it, and thought that you had time to read it, I could do an essay on the value of an informed and intelligent use of keywords as a tool to find the documents which matter and (just as importantly) to cull those which do not. I could refer to the express mandate for their use in the UK Civil Procedure Rules (Practice Direction to Rule 31 CPR, Paragraph 2A.5) which may surprise many UK lawyers (as indeed does the very existence of the Practice Direction in some cases). I might refer to Lord Justice Jackson’s forthcoming inquiry into litigation costs and to the need to acquire skills to reduce them. I could recite the recent US cases in which keywords were critical. I could cover some of the arguments which are deployed for and against keywords as a means of targeting data.

I have a train to catch, so I will leave all that for another day. Fortunately, there is an opportunity next week to hear about some at least of these subjects from an expert.

Andy Jenks, a co-founder of Discovery Mining – now Interwoven Discovery Mining – has a webcast coming up. Called Ways to reduce eDiscovery costs: how to build and validate effective keyword filters it will be broadcast on Wednesday 12 November at 1:00 EDT / 10:00 PDT. Access is via an event registration form.

I met Andy Jenks for the first time this week – Interwoven Discovery Mining is the latest sponsor of the e-Disclosure Information Project and Andy’s visit coincided with a planned meeting with Gordon Lichter to discuss how to maximise the value of the sponsorship for both of us. Gordon is Director, eDiscovery EMEA for Interwoven Discovery Mining and has headed up the London operation since it began here. That was only two years ago – I would have said it was much longer ago than that, which is a reflection either on my sense of time or on the impression which Discovery Mining has made in a short period.

You do not build a data hosting company from scratch without enormous technical ability, and we can hope to get a slice of that from the webcast. Just as importantly from my point of view, Andy comes with the reputation of thought-leadership on the future of eDiscovery and it was that, as much as the technical and marketing aspects, which was the basis of our discussion.

There will be more on this shortly when we have firmed up some of the ideas which came out of our meeting. Meanwhile, don’t miss the webcast.

Contact: Gordon Lichter glichter@interwoven.com