Course Details

Digital Evidence & Data Governance in the Litigation Process

This course focuses on the operational and logistical side of litigation, from the perspective of a corporation's senior management and its in-house legal department. In today's legal landscape, the amount that a corporation spends litigating a case can rival, or even exceed, the amount at stake at trial. A well-functioning Litigation Operations team allows the corporation to efficiently and effectively defend its rights in court - putting the corporation in the most advantageous legal position, while preserving its resources. This course will examine the challenges faced by litigants in the digital age, focusing on the growing importance (and cost) of electronic discovery. This will cover four general topics: a) the optimized roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders (the corporation, its outside law firm, and litigation services companies); b) the importance of well-defined process and project management principles in coordinating a response to litigation; c) cost management in the inherently unpredictable process of identifying and sorting through "big data"; d) litigation technology that can be deployed to respond to the needs of the litigation. The discussion will focus on the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the body of "best practices" established by field practitioners for reducing risks and mitigating costs. The students will be assessed based on an in-class open-note final exam that includes both multiple choice and essay questions.

Catalog Number: BUSCOM 950-0

Additional Course Information: MSL students only


Course History

Fall 2023
Title: Digital Evidence & Data Governance in the Litigation Process
Faculty: Gasaway, Matthew William
Goodin, Philip Wayne
Section: 1ON     Credits: 1.0
Capacity: 50     Actual: 36

Fall 2022
Title: The Litigation Process: Digital Evidence & Data Governance
Faculty: Gasaway, Matthew William
Goodin, Philip Wayne
Section: 1ON     Credits: 1.0
Capacity: 50     Actual: 17

Fall 2021
Title: Litigation Operations & eDiscovery
Faculty: Gasaway, Matthew William
Goodin, Philip Wayne
Section: 1     Credits: 1.0
Capacity: 25     Actual: 13