The EDRM Speaks My Language

11
Jun
2012

Ada Spahija

Featuring experts George Socha and Tom Gelbmann

When I first became exposed to the legal technology industry, it seemed like every new thing I heard about on a daily basis couldn’t be easily looked up or even explained.  In an industry where an acronym is defined by another acronym and that acronym has its own cryptic (at least to the lay-man) definition, I was relieved to be introduced to the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM). EDRM spoke my language.  It put what I didn’t know into perspective and it became the gateway to my understanding of eDiscovery.  By the way, eDiscovery is basically discovery files in digital, not paper, form.

Having recently interviewed George Socha and Tom Gelbmann, the brains behind the operation, I thought it was a great idea to take what I knew and what they told me and break it down for all of those out there who also secretly- or not so secretly - still struggle to talk about eDiscovery like a pro.

EDRM was the outgrowth of the Socha/Gelbmann Electronic Discovery Surveys.  The Survey started in 2003 and EDRM was founded in 2005.  As they conducted their surveys, Socha and Gelbmann realized  there was no agreement about what constituted “electronic discovery” to say nothing about any agreement about what practical steps to take when conducting eDiscovery.  Having noticed that there was no platform that could put law firms, corporate clients and providers on even footing, Socha and Gelbmann created EDRM and asked participants to spear-head and shape the discussion surrounding eDiscovery.

Although there are multiple components to the EDRM organization, ranging from the participants and their projects to guidelines and a code of conduct, the actual EDRM model itself is the wheel that turns the spokes.  The EDRM conceptual diagram serves as a reference guide that graphically depicts all of the stages involved in eDiscovery, and it is the widely-acknowledged guide for vendors and consumers of eDiscovery to reference.  There are nine stages to the EDRM model that outline the eDiscovery process and graphically depict how volumes of information can be reduced while relevance of information increases throughout the stages.  From left to right, the stages of the EDRM include: 1) Information Management; 2) Identification; 3) Preservation; 4) Collection; 5) Processing: 6) Review; 7) Analysis; 8) Production; and 9) Presentation.

For legal professionals, it is helpful to identify where on the model various vendors lie and the role their products play in eDiscovery.  The success of the model is just that - it is a model.  Taking the language, acronyms, and various tech jargon out of the discussion and graphically depicting the process allows law firms, corporate clients and vendors to be on that even footing they aspire to achieve.  EDRM helps parties working on a case to speak the same language.

Another important aspect of EDRM is the standards and guidelines that it has set for eDiscovery.  There is even a code of conduct outlined by the organization that vendors and consumers can choose to subscribe to.  By publically subscribing to the code of conduct, organizations and individuals show that they are committed to the values of ethical business practice.  EDRM has come to be a bible of sorts, outlining standards, guidelines, answering important questions and outlining a necessary framework.  Even for someone such as myself who is still learning the ins-and -outs of legal technology, I can say that EDRM speaks my language.