From Law.com:
The results of the first phase of a closely watched federal court pilot program on electronic discovery show that having a set of fair-play rules at the outset of a case helps quell pretrial brawls between parties.
The goal of the program, launched in May 2009 and spearheaded by James Holderman, chief judge of the Northern District of Illinois, was to find ways to reduce the massive costs and burdens of electronic discovery. Chairing the program is Magistrate Judge Jan Nolan, also of the Northern District of Illinois.
The first-phase of the 7th Circuit’s pilot program indicated that when judges and attorneys had a set of specific principles to guide electronic discovery, it improved the process — or, at least, didn’t make it worse.
“It was very encouraging,” said Holderman.
The first phase of the program involved 13 district court judges overseeing 93 civil cases and 285 attorneys between October 2009 and March 2010. The program required the judges and attorneys to follow a set of principles, drafted by the program’s committee members, during electronic discovery.
