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10 July 2008 / Susan Knox
Issue: 7329 / Categories: Features , In-House , E-disclosure , EU
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Easing the burden

Susan Knox outlines the advantages of electronic disclosure in EU litigation

As corporate communications increasingly involve e-mail and other electronic documents, electronic disclosure in disputes is occurring more frequently. Depending on the jurisdiction and the matter, the disclosure of electronic materials may be mandatory. Even where not required, litigation teams are increasingly taking advantage of the latest search and review technologies to prepare the case using electronic materials.

Materials in any matter are likely to be sourced from individuals' desktop and laptop PCs, and work e-mail accounts. These sources, despite corporate rules and policies, are likely to contain irrelevant personal data, including banking and health information, communications with friends, and music files. When collecting electronic evidence it is essential, therefore, that companies and their lawyers observe applicable employment, privacy and data protection laws, while also heeding court orders and considering the company's legal needs.

Disclosure, Data Protection and Privacy

Lawyers must be aware of the rules concerning disclosure in the individual case. These may include court rules of general application, such as

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joinscorporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Media and technology expert joins employment team as partner in Cambridge

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Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
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