Canadian companies struggle with eDiscovery

Contributed by Roumiana Deltcheva (Monday, July 12, 2010) | Category : eDiscovery

Canadian companies have been advised by eDiscovery experts to turn to third-party vendors to handle their eDiscovery responsibilities as it becomes an even more important and troublesome task for organizations in all industries, according to the Financial Post.

Using third-party solutions and vendors has helped companies reduce the costs related to eDiscovery. Frequently, companies with substantial funds involved in a legal battle with poorer organizations will make large discovery requests to prohibit their opponents from defending themselves well. For these poorer companies, developing a plan with the help of an outside resource will make eDiscovery a less dangerous and costly process.

"Companies without a protocol for managing electronically stored information are in big trouble for a number of reasons," Calum MacLeod, a case master for the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa, told the news provider.

"It will cost them a fortune to respond to eDiscovery requests; they're going to have a tough time finding what they need and it will be difficult for them to raise the proportionality argument when they have no idea what's involved in retrieving the information," he continued.

It has become the opinion of legal pundits that companies must address eDiscovery soon to prevent future issues when it is needed.