We’re one month in to 2018 and we can already see some inklings of what’s in store, at least in the discovery world. (What’s in store for the New England Patriots is another question altogether.) We’re beginning to see the evolution of discovery in criminal law, to see courts grappling with ephemeral messaging and self-destructing data, to see judges finally sanctioning litigants for boilerplate discovery objections.
But the changes—and challenges—ahead are bigger than just that.
First, there is more data than ever before. The world produces 2.5 exabytes of data—that’s 75 trillion pages of data—every single day. Or, at least it was 2.5 exabytes of data in 2013, when IBM first made that estimate. Imagine how much that has grown in the last five years, as we’ve brought Amazon Alexas into our homes, smart cars into our garage, and consumer-level drones into our backyards.
Which points to a second change: Data isn’t just exploding, it’s transforming. Legal professionals aren’t just facing a tsunami of discoverable data, they’re facing whole new forms of it, as information from text messages, mobile devices, and even the Internet of Things begins making its way into legal disputes.
More and more, we’re seeing lawyers who didn’t handle much eDiscovery before now engaging in electronic discovery in all sorts of novel matters. And we’re seeing lawyers who’ve been dealing with eDiscovery for decades now juggling more data and an ever-growing universe of new data types.
Meanwhile, the legal profession itself is at a potential turning point. After a decade of stagnation, the industry is facing new demands to do more with less and to do it faster and smarter. Major firms are confronting increased pressure from new competition, be it alternative legal service providers or small and boutique firms who can use technology to gain an advantage over their larger competitors. Significant transformation, catalyzed by the digital age, could await the legal industry. Those who survive these changes successfully, who even thrive because of them, will be the ones who are best able to identify and respond to these challenges before it’s too late.
Which is to say: Keep your eyes open for new challenges and opportunities to come. Not just for 2018, but for the decade ahead.
Of course, you’re not in this alone. Logikcull’s upcoming webinar, “2018: Emerging Trends in eDiscovery” will be covering the discovery issues, large and small, likely to face legal professionals in 2018 and beyond.
Topics include big picture challenges like data growth, developments impacting your day-to-day practice, such as the growing importance of the meet-and-confer, and cutting edge issues that could soon impact your day-to-day, like dealing with IoT data. And it’s all explained by lawyers who have been there, done that. The webinar will be hosted by legal luminaries Antigone Peyton, Chair of the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Practice group at Protorae Law, and Michael Simon, attorney, discovery expert, and principal at Seventh Samurai.
You won’t want to miss this chance to learn about the trends, obstacles, and changes that could reshape the industry. Register now here.
This post was authored by Casey C. Sullivan, who leads education and awareness efforts at Logikcull. You can reach him at casey.sullivan@logikcull.com or on Twitter at @caseycsull.
