ESI Essentials for Legal, IT and HR
from FMDC

A One-day Training Program in the Rules and Handling of Electronically Stored Information

Federal Courts now officially recognize Electronically Stored Information (ESI) as a separate class of evidence.
For many companies this will mean significant changes to their information handling practices. The hardest hit departments are typically Human Resources (HR), Information Technology (IT) and Legal as they prepare new policies, procedures and practices to best protect their company and colleagues from ESI disasters. The changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedures (FRCP) and the new term, Electronically Stored Information (ESI) has focused attention on the courts requirements for handling ESI in litigation. But court regulations are not the only rules that must be followed with respect to your information. All companies have state and federal regulations regarding their HR practices and the retention of the records that document their actions.

FMDC offers a one-day, on-site course, ESI Essentials for Legal, IT and HR. This course is designed to educate the attendees to better understand:

What do the new rules mean to my company?
How do the new rules relate to regulations I already must follow?
What must we do that is different?
What is the least expensive way to do it?

Course Objectives

This hands-on interactive course will educate HR, IT and legal professionals about court requirements of Electronically Stored Information (ESI) in litigation and relate them to existing regulatory requirements.

Attendees will:

Establish a clear understanding of what ESI requirements mean with respect to the handling of the company’s electronically stored records.
Integrate those requirements with existing requirements from other regulators.
Develop action steps to
- Create a unified approach to information management
- Improve the ability of the company to participate in litigation.
Better understand their potential personal responsibilities in records handling and in litigation.

The Workshop Segments

What is ESI? What are its sources? What are our current responsibilities with respect to ESI?
Understanding the new court ESI rules, their complexities and contradictions
How court ESI requirements relate to and integrate with our other ESI handling requirements and practices
Impact of ESI Rules on our company and our Electronic Records Management Practices
Guidelines for Improved ESI Handling
Steps to take to better prepare our ESI for litigation

Who Should Attend

Legal, HR and IT departments are the most frequently involved in litigation. Clearly, all legal actions are coordinated through the legal department. For all matters involving employees, HR is the primary focus of those activities. According to recent Gartner surveys, 90% of all business records today are created electronically and just two thirds ever make it to paper. As a result, the majority of the information that is relevant to any legal matter is in the control and management of IT. As a result, companies whose legal, IT and HR departments are united in their understanding, vision and practices with regard to ESI are better positioned to effectively manage critical information. Key attendees are:

Legal personnel involved in litigation
HR management and personnel
IT management and personnel especially those involved in the processing, storage, backup and retention of the company’s information as well as those people that manage and support email systems and their users, particularly help desk personnel.
Executive sponsors of ESI management initiatives

Benefits to Your Company