LAW 930: e-Discovery Seminar

Professor Paula Schaefer’s e-Discovery course is an introduction to electronic discovery (e-discovery) in civil litigation. Students handle every aspect of e-discovery in a simulated case, including participating in a 26(f) conference, drafting and responding to discovery requests, preparing a privilege log, and conducting a document review using e-discovery software. Students study recent e-discovery cases and other developments in the law. Members of the bench and bar sometimes participate in class discussions. Each student writes a paper and makes a presentation on an emerging problem in e-discovery practice.

Course Outcomes

Students learn how to cooperate with opposing counsel to create and execute an e-discovery plan; draft e-discovery requests and objections that are legally sound and case-appropriate; use document review software to review, search, and analyze a client’s electronically stored information (ESI); identify documents that are responsive, non-responsive, and privileged; respond and object to a request for production of documents; and prepare a privilege log.

e-Discovery Software

For the course, Schaefer uses the Relativity document review software. Relativity is published by Iris Data Services, which provides more than $20,000 worth of free software, training, and support to Schaefer’s classes. Iris recently opened an office in Nashville, in part due to their partnership with Schaefer.