Staying informed about e-discovery would not be complete without The Sedona Conference at the top of your reading list. It’s the undisputed thought leader in this field. The Sedona Conference is a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1997 that exists to provide a place for judges, lawyers, academics, and other legal experts in e-discovery, complex litigation, intellectual property, and antitrust law to collaborate on cutting-edge issues. It is highly influential in creating the standards of e-discovery.
E-discovery pioneer and attorney Kenneth Withers (www.kenwithers. com) is the director of judicial education at The Sedona Conference. Ken was greatly involved in the federal rules amendment process.
In 2008, The Sedona Conference launched a multi-year, multi-pronged effort to promote greater cooperation in e-discovery and to restore sanity to pre-trial practice. A document called the Cooperation Proclamation outlines its call for action and lists federal and state judges who have signed on to its principles.
The Sedona Conference has various components and special committees:
The Working Group Series (WGS) launched in 2002. Each working group is a mini think tank that works through challenging issues facing the legal system. The WGS receives financial support from private sponsors. You see the list of working groups, their charges, and links to the publications at www.thesedonaconference.org/wgs. Publications are copyrighted, but free and downloadable from the site.
The Sedona Conference Institute (TSCI) is the continuing legal education extension of The Sedona Conference WGS that offers programs once or twice per year. You see their list of topics at www.thesedona conference.org/tsci_html.
The Voices from the Desert WGS Audio Update Series gets the word out about the efforts of the working groups. Each series is recorded onto a CD and can be ordered from www.thesedonaconference.org/wgsa_ html.
The Sedona Conference Journal is published annually and contains materials from the conferences and their authors. Journal issues can be ordered from www.thesedonaconference.org/thejournal_html.
