You will have noticed a new logo on these pages as LDSI joins the list of sponsors of the e-Disclosure Information Project.

LDSI is a full-service provider of a wide range of solutions for handling documents for litigation, regulatory and similar purposes. It has featured before in these pages following my visits to its New York and London operations, both of which impressed with their attention to the secure progress of documents from first arrival through to delivery to the client, and to the support on offer thereafter.

It is about a year since I reported the appointment of Deborah Coram as LDSI’s UK Managing Director. Since then, LDSI have moved to large new premises in London and opened an office in Sydney which I missed the chance to see when I was there in October.

A global presence (LDSI have facilities in Brussels and Los Angeles as well as London, New York and Sydney) is not the only factor which differentiates LDSI from others. It has its own review application, LiveReview, which I saw in its early stages in New York in February. Development has continued since then and a new release is promised early this year which includes full Unicode support. I will say more about it when it is released. The ability to stream data straight from processing and into their own online review application helps LDSI put the documents in front of users as quickly as possible – an obvious benefit at a time when early case assessment is the greatest need.

LiveReview is capable of hosting both Native Files and scanned images. Even today, when most transactions are largely electronic, a large proportion of hosted data still arrives in paper format. LDSI has ample capacity to handle either type, and from my inspection of their premises, they have one of the largest paper processing divisions I have seen anywhere.

The multi-centre facility has obvious benefits for lawyers or corporate clients with projects running in more than one country. Having project managers trained in the same way flattens the learning curve and speeds up liaison. This extends beyond the mechanics of handling documents – any trans-jurisdictional work generally involves privacy and data protection elements which the lawyers expect their providers to be alert to.

Litigation support and electronic disclosure have introduced new complexities into the practice of law. Increasingly, lawyers are required to understand a reasonable amount about electronic records and IT infrastructure in order to correctly advise their clients. Lawyers now need to know where data is stored, how accessible it is, and advise their clients on how best to preserve, collect, review and produce it. Further, in today’s economic climate, clients expect that these processes are conducted in the most efficient manner possible. LDSI has a good name for its consultancy services aimed at bridging the gap between lawyers and their clients.

I have written enough here about the Hedrich case (see, for example, Is Hedrich more important than Digicel ) for law firms without e-disclosure staff or experience to see the need for an informed guide to help not just with the technology but with the process, the stages, the alternatives, and the costs. Those who do have dedicated litigation support staff will know who LDSI is anyway.

These are interesting times for anyone – corporates, lawyers and those who provide services to them – involved in litigation, with new cases, pending developments in the Rules, new technology, new motives for litigation and a demand to reduce costs. The client profile is broadening and it is no longer just big law firms with big cases who need support. The corporate clients themselves are showing a closer interest in taking the early stages of preparatory work in house, and mid-sized law firms will be finding that the increased volumes of documents coupled with the courts’ closer attention to case management is driving them towards electronic solutions for an electronic problem.

That increases the demand for information about electronic disclosure / discovery which it is my role to spread. It is my sponsors who make this possible, and I am very glad to welcome LDSI to their number.

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