What Does an E-Discovery Professional Do?
An E-Discovery professional organizes, assesses, manages, and maintains all the electronic documents shared between parties during the discovery process of a legal proceeding. E-Discovery is a relatively new part of the legal process, so it is continuously evolving. E-Discovery professionals look at a client’s electronically stored information and help create policies for preserving that information. They make sure both sides comply with federal rules regarding the storage of electronic data and serve as a liaison between the legal team, IT personnel, and records management personnel.
The E-Discovery professional position combines the duties and knowledge of an IT professional with the responsibilities and expertise of a legal administrative support staff member. That usually means that E-Discovery professionals must have a background in technology and some knowledge of the law.
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National Average Salary
E-Discovery professional salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. To explore salary ranges by local market, please visit our sister site zengig.com.
The average U.S. salary for an E-Discovery Professional is:
$72,230
E-Discovery Professional Job Descriptions
When it comes to recruiting an e-discovery professional, having the right job description can make a big difference. Here are some real world job descriptions you can use as templates for your next opening.
Example 1
E-Discovery professionals use technology in the legal discovery process between a plaintiff and a defendant involving electronic documents. They review and manage the electronic records involved in the discovery process. E-Discovery professionals must be tech-savvy and must be well-versed in legal knowledge. Although being a lawyer isn’t a requirement, it is extremely beneficial. [Your Company Name] is searching for an experienced E-Discovery professional to take our business to new levels. As an ideal candidate, you have experience using technology to facilitate discovery, drafting and communicating litigation hold procedures, gathering and analyzing electronic information, and ensuring compliance with rules and regulations regarding the production of information.
Typical duties and responsibilities
- Assess a client’s electronically stored information (ESI)
- Create policies for preserving ESI
- Serve on E-Discovery teams
- Ensure compliance with federal ESI rules
- Educate clients on E-Discovery policies
- Use technology to facilitate discovery
- Assist in the collection, processing, review, analysis, and production of ESI
Education and experience
The E-Discovery occupation is attracting people with backgrounds as paralegals as well as people with experience in the IT field. IT professionals in the E-Discovery field are usually required to have a bachelor’s degree in information science, computer science, or a related field. Paralegals are required to have an associate degree.
Some firms require E-Discovery professionals to have certification, such as the one offered by the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS).
Required skills and qualifications
- Written and verbal communication skills
- Knowledge of federal regulations regarding ESI
- Analytical thinking
- Organization and time management skills
- Knowledge of ethical and legal guidelines governing the discovery process
Preferred qualifications
- J.D. degree
- 3+ years working in technology and legal
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Excellent legal knowledge
Example 2
ABC Company is currently looking for a Cyber Discovery Professional to work on our Cyber claims team. This position can be filled in any of our Claims offices across the United States.
Additional responsibilities include:
- Analyze coverage, liability, and damages
- Participate in mediations and negotiating settlements
- Draft reservation of rights and coverage denial letters
- Notify the Underwriter of claim issues
- Draft case summary reports in connection with significant reserve increases and trial preparation
- Direct activities of defense counsel
Basic qualifications:
- Juris Doctor and 5 or more years of experience in the Legal area
- Must obtain and maintain required adjuster license(s)
- Experience in insurance claims and the insurance legal and regulatory environment negotiation experience
- Customer service experience
- Microsoft Office experience
Preferred qualifications:
- Member of the Bar
- Claims handling experience in Cyber, D&O, or other Financial Lines claims and/or insurance coverage defense
- Analytical skills
- Strong communication skills
- Ability to multi-task
- Organization and time management skills
- Ability to work independently
- Experience collaborating across work groups
Example 3
ABC Company is seeking to hire an E-Discovery Specialist to support our Electronic Discovery and Support of Litigation (EDSL) contract.
Duties include
- Analyze support requests and determine tools and procedures required to preserve, collect, and analyze electronically stored information (ESI) in a forensically sound manner
- Perform advanced collection, processing, and analysis of collected ESI in accordance with Forensics laboratory and ISO standards; deliver processed data and reports
- Perform required reporting and documentation and maintain chain of custody of computer forensics evidence
- Capable of independently handling complex, large-volume, and novel situations and examinations
- May be called to testify in legal proceedings regarding forensic work performed on assigned cases
- Analyze support requests and determine tools and procedures required to preserve, collect, and analyze electronically stored information (ESI) in a forensically sound manner
- Perform advanced collection, processing, and analysis of collected ESI in accordance with Forensics laboratory and ISO standards; deliver processed data and report
Minimum requirements
- Sound understanding of the e-Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) and life-cycle
- Expert in the collection, processing, and analysis of forensics-related ESI processing
- Proficiency in problem recognition and solving skills
- Proficiency in interpersonal and written communications
- Advanced analytic and analysis skills
- Minimum Of 10 Years of Professional Experience
- Minimum of 5 years of current digital forensics collection and processing experience
- Bachelors Degree
- One non-vendor-specific Digital Forensics Certification
Example 4 (Senior)
Your role and responsibilities
- Apply experience and expertise with eDiscovery Software and Platforms, database management, software development, forensic tools, collections, and data and system security.
- Ensure quality and success by utilizing best practices for electronic discovery and matter workflow, and prioritizing legal requests to meet deadlines.
- Initiate and oversee data retention procedures, retrieval, and production, interfacing with legal counsel and suppliers of eDiscovery support services.
- Analyze situations, implement solutions, and develop new procedures, processes, and reporting methods, documenting all enhancements that improve service quality, such as tracking systems and databases, reporting templates, revised workflows, and written procedures.
- You will establish ongoing relationships and utilize experience and expertise to advise and guide legal teams and other legal professionals, including management and senior executives as well as teams outside Corporate Litigation, e.g., HR Legal, Investigations, Trust & Compliance, ABC Company outside counsel, and suppliers of eDiscovery support services.
- You should have the desire to learn and adapt new technology related to the electronic discovery process, including evolving standards created through case law and groups such as EDRM (eDiscovery Reference Model) and The Sedona Conference.
- Utilize technology and workflow efficiencies to identify cost-reduction opportunities.
- Reliability and the ability to solve problems are key in this industry. Be comfortable with ambiguity, there is no one-size-fits-all approach that works in litigation support.
- Ownership of matter lifecycle from inception to final disposition, utilizing foresight to adjust workflows and ensure the best outcomes for all stakeholders.
Required technical and professional expertise
- A minimum of 5 years experience managing electronic discovery projects with a thorough knowledge of software and hardware and best practices used in the electronic discovery process
- Demonstrated experience in Relativity and other review platforms, and familiarity with forensic tools such as FTK, Palladin, Cellebrite, and Encase
- Experience with document productions (Bates stamping, confidentiality logos, data compression, and production requirements for government entities)
- Ability to access, input, analyze, and retrieve information from various computer applications, and learn and utilize new applications on an expedited basis.
- Experience utilizing MS suite tools (Excel and PowerPoint in particular) to analyze data and provide impactful insights.
- Familiarity with:
- Legal Holds / Document Retention Orders
- Hard drive, cloud, and server storage solutions
- System backup solutions such as Code42
- Organizational email and data retention policies
- General experience with legal matter management software (Passport, LexisNexis, etc).
- Short Message Communications platforms such as Slack, Teams, Google Chat
- Excellent communication skills are required
Preferred technical and professional expertise
- Strong Excel experience
- Relational database experience
- FileMaker Pro experience
- Hanzo Illuminate & Dynamic Capture
- Exposure to Jira, Confluence, GitHub, Trello, Muira,88888
Candidate Certifications to Look For
- Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS). The CEDS is offered by the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists and is designed to help legal professionals build the skills and knowledge needed to work in the e-discovery spectrum. The multiple-choice exam covers a host of topics, including project planning, information management and litigation readiness, collection planning and implementation, and data culling.
- Culler Certification. Logikcull offers 3 levels of certifications: Culler, Pro Culler, and Master Culler. To become certified at each level, candidates must complete the lessons, pass an exam, and complete practical exercises. The Culler credential demonstrates their mastery of e-discovery basics. The Pro Culler certification shows that candidates can use Logikcull’s technology to create different uploads, customize reviews, filter documents, and create custom product specifications. To earn the Master Culler certification, they must demonstrate their ability to implement quality controls, create complex search strings, and improve their organization’s discovery processes.
How to Hire an E-Discovery Professional
There are a number of important initial considerations when hiring an E-Discovery professional:
- Recruiting: Do you have the knowledge, tools, and resources to attract and screen candidates?
- Complexity: Do you need a senior professional, or will mid or junior-level skills and experience suffice?
- Duration: Are you hiring for a project or an ongoing need?
- Urgency: How soon does the opening need to be filled? What happens while it remains open?
- Headcount: Do you have the budget and approval for an internal employee, or should you consider alternate options?
Answering these questions will help determine the best course of action for your current hiring need. Fortunately, great options exist for every scenario. These are our recommendations:
1. Use 4 Corner Resources (or another professional recruiting firm)
The heavy lifting is done for you when working with a top-tier staffing company like 4 Corner Resources. We source, screen, recruit, and deliver only the most qualified candidate(s), saving you significant time and effort throughout the hiring process while you remain focused on your core business. Understanding your needs and ensuring the right candidate for the position is the key to our success.
This is the best route to take when:
- You need to fill the position quickly
- You want access to a vast talent pool of high-quality, prescreened candidates
- Your position is suited for temporary hiring services, contract staffing, or contract-to-hire recruiting, and you intend to direct the work activity.
- You are hiring an employee as a direct placement but aren’t able to recruit effectively or efficiently with your internal staff.
- You aren’t familiar with current salary rates, market trends, and available skill sets
2. Advertise your opening on a top job board
Your best option may be to advertise your opening on a proven job board. There are many widely used job sites out there that draw visits from qualified candidates. If you have someone internally who can dedicate the time and energy to sort through applications and screen individuals effectively, this can be a great choice.
We recommend using a job board when:
- Your internal recruiting team has the knowledge and experience to assess candidate qualifications
- You are hiring a direct employee and have time to manage the entire recruiting effort
- You have a process for receiving, screening, and tracking all resumes and applications
- You are prepared to respond to all applicants
We recommend CareerBuilder for e-discovery professional openings:
CareerBuilder
CareerBuilder has been a trusted source for hiring since 1995. Reach 80+ million unique, diverse U.S. job seekers annually by posting your jobs through their talent acquisition channels. Through CareerBuilder, you can engage candidates and drive them into your sourcing pipeline. We recommend using CareerBuilder for hiring when you have the internal resources and processes to review, screen, and reply to all applicants.
3. Leverage your internal resources
You can utilize your own website, social media, and employees to assist in your search for top candidates.
A company website posting should be the first step in notifying prospective candidates that you are hiring. Social media can also be a powerful tool for spreading the word about your new opening. As far as exposure is concerned, this option can be as good as some job boards when you have a large enough following across various platforms, like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter.
Current employees are every organization’s greatest asset. Encourage your internal team to promote job openings to their network by offering cash and other incentives.
We recommend these options when:
- Your brand has great name recognition
- You can consistently monitor and respond to candidate activity through your website and social media accounts
- You have a process in place to quickly and broadly communicate job openings and requirements
- You have an effective employee referral program in place
If you aren’t sure which path is best, schedule a discovery call today with our seasoned recruiting professionals. The 4 Corner team is on standby to help you find the best option for your unique hiring need.
Sample Interview Questions
- What is e-discovery?
- What are the most important skills an e-discovery professional needs?
- How does the e-discovery process work?
- What kind of data do e-discovery professionals need to collect?
- Can you describe what a typical day for someone in this role would be?
- When does the e-discovery process start?
- How would you ensure the evidence you provide is correct and not disputable?
- What tools do you use to collect and preserve data?
- Can you name the most common places where data is located?
- What was the most successful case that you worked on?
- How does data get processed for review?
- How did you get involved with e-discovery?
- What is your technology background? What skills will be most relevant to e-discovery?
- What are your strengths related to this position?
- Can you give an example of when you applied new technology or information in the e-discovery process? What was the result?
- What was your biggest professional mistake? What did you learn from it?
