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15 December 2011 / Andrew Pike
Issue: 7494 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology
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Outsmarting technology

Andrew Pike monitors the risks associated with e-discovery

E-discovery. Sounds as though it could be something to do with food additives but in practice it’s a subject which is currently attracting a lot of attention in business circles. E-discovery (short for electronic discovery) essentially refers to the process of recovering e-mail, SMS and other electronic forms of information when it is required for litigation or other commercial purposes.

New risk

More and more employees now have a smart phone or even a tablet computer supplied by their employer which allows flexible working like never before. New technology, of course, brings with it new risks and smartphones and other similar devices are no exception. Businesses are increasingly required to preserve and collect data from an employee’s mobile device for litigation or as part of an investigation.

The dangers of electronic technology first came to the fore in the UK in 1997 when certain employees of Norwich Union falsely suggested in e-mail correspondence that Western Provident Association was insolvent. This resulted in a High Court

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

DAC Beachcroft—Paul Brehony

DAC Beachcroft—Paul Brehony

Commercial disputes practice expands with partner hire in London

Ward Hadaway—Maria Coster

Ward Hadaway—Maria Coster

Partner appointed to lead family and matrimonial department in Leeds

Slater Heelis—Helen Marsh

Slater Heelis—Helen Marsh

Commercial property team expands in Manchester with partner appointment

NEWS
Financial protections for domestic abuse victims would be strengthened and cohabiting couples be given inheritance and separation rights, under historic government proposals
Doctors and nurses could be sued for mistakes made by the artificial intelligence (AI) equipment they use to treat patients, researchers have warned
The law sector has been chosen as the testing ground for the government’s AI Growth Labs—speeding up development, testing and regulatory compliance so software can be market-ready more quickly
A range of options beyond burial, cremation and burial at sea could become legally available, under Law Commission recommendations
Artificial intelligence (AI) legal assistants will be deployed to cut delays in the Crown Court, ministers have announced
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