Osgoode Certificate Program in eDiscovery, Records Management, Information Governance and Privacy (April 16 to May 23) – Day One

Some themes and highlights from Day One of this inaugural course:

• Culture Shifts Required: with the costs of litigation (and volumes of data) continuing to escalate, a notable culture shift is required in the legal profession if litigation is going to survive. Master Calum MacLeod and Justice David Brown emphasized the need for counsel and clients to approach litigation in a cost-effective manner. Other sessions endorsed cultural shifts in the approach to managing records, and to understanding and applying technology.
• If You Cannot Beat Them, Join Them: how to navigate the world of personal user accounts, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), social media and The Cloud. The key, according to Dan Michaluk (and we agree), is the implementation of clear policy language.
• The Cure for What Ails Discovery and Numerous Other Business Issues: good information management policies and protocols can keep the costs of e-discovery down. Susan Nickle and Sheila Taylor confirmed that there are compelling business and legal cases for all organizations to implement good information management principles – now.
• Lawyers and Technology (Not Oil and Water Anymore): even legal professionals must develop at least a basic understanding of information technology, network systems, and basic IT terminology. Thanks to Jim Swanson and Kevin Lo for helping us navigate these (often muddy and acronym-filled) waters.

Look out for the Highlights from Day Two of the course next week.