Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
meant.to.encourage.all.parties.to.set.a.level.playing.ield.early.
in.the.litigation.process.to.avoid.costs.and.delays.later.on.
1.2.1.4. .Rule.34.(b).Producing.
Documents—Procedures
Another.important.rule.that.was.amended.in.2006.was.Rule.
34. (b). that. allows. the. requesting. party. to. set. protocols. for.
how.it.would.like.electronic.documents.to.be.produced..The.
idea.was.to.ensure.that.everyone.agreed.up.front.how.the.evi-
dence.would.be.produced.and.in.what.format.(native.format.
or.something.more.accessible.for.the.parties,.with.or.without.
metadata,.etc.).
Again,. this. is. an. important. thing. to. discuss. with. your.
attorneys..You.can.be.a.big.help.to.them.if.you.have.talked.
beforehand.about.how.data.are.stored.in.native.format,.what.
is. included. and. what. is. stripped. away.. You. can. make. deci-
sions.up.front.about.how.you.retain.information.so.that.it.will.
be.the.most.advantageous.to.you.whether.for.litigation.or.just.
for.records.retention.and.archiving.purposes..But.considering.
this.in.the.light.of.possible.litigation.can.be.illuminating.and.
may.change.the.decisions.you.and.your.organization.make.
For.instance,.your.organization.may.be.required.by.law.to.
retain.business-related.records.for.a.given.period.of.time..My.
organization.has.to.keep.contract.documentation.for.a.period.
of.6.years,.and.other.types.of.business.decision.documenta-
tion.for.3.years.
However,.the.format.in.which.we.keep.those.documents.
can. be. equally. important. to. consider.. We. will. probably. not.
store.copies.of.drafts.because.those.might.contain.edits.and.
comments.that.the.preparers.of.those.documents.were.con-
sidering. but. that. were. never. meant. for. public. consumption.
and.did.not.in.fact.become.part.of.the.inal.documentation.
Understand.however.that.those.edits.and.comments.might.
be.considered.important.and.relevant.to.opposing.counsel.in.
a.legal.dispute..And.they.might.equally.be.considered.detri-
mental.to.your.organization.
