HOW TECHNICALLY SAVVY IS YOUR LEGAL COUNSEL?

Recently, a research project was conducted to evaluate how mid-sized manufacturing companies handle e-mail retention. Since the risks associated with e-mail retention are related to compliance and litigation issues, the study examined recommendations from legal counsel regarding electronic mail retention. Analysis of data from this recent survey conducted to evaluate recommendations for electronic mail retention policies suggests corporate counsels may not be providing their clients with recommendations that are consistent with advice given by experts in electronic discovery. The survey responses indicate that attorneys may be relying on technical managers to provide electronic mail retention methods, without incorporating input from legal experts with regard to issues such as an audit trail for e-mail, or a formal electronic records retention software system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]