Q1 Critical Trends
The Cowen Group predicts 215 new eDiscovery jobs in the next 6 months.
The Project Manager will gain greater prominence in the industry due to the increasing size of datasets and heightened concern around controlling cost, limiting risks, and guaranteeing outcomes.
The Regional Manager is increasingly important as departments become more mature. This position ensures a firm’s ability to provide round-the-clock support across time zones, enhances a departments ability to measure and track key metrics, and is essential to standardizing inter-office best-practices.
The eDiscovery Attorney is emerging as a leader in many eDiscovery departments. The role requires a sound understanding of the law and legal writing skills, hands on experience with eDiscovery and business savvy. The cultural clout of a JD is also a valuable tool when advising other attorneys on the proper handling of ESI for litigation.
Summary
- Hours are up at 35% of corporations, 61% of law firms, and 51% of vendors
- New Case Workload is up at 22% of corporations, 65% of law firms, and 46% of vendors
- Existing Case Workload is up at 17% of corporations, 47% of law firms, and 28% of vendors
- 35% of corporations plan to add to staff in 3 months, as do 60% of law firms and 65% of vendors.
- 39% of corporations would consider outsourcing new eDiscovery work, as would 31% of law firms.
- 22% of corporations have plans to insource eDiscovery work in the next 3 months, as are 31% of law firms.
- A look at corporate and law firm investment priorities: Litigation Hold, ECA, Processing, Hosting & Review.
When asked whether staff hours are up from Q4, 2009:
25% of Corporations said YES | 61% of Law Firms said YES | 51% of Vendors said YES
Handling Unexpected Increases in Workload
| Corporate | AmLaw |
|---|---|
| Add Permanent Staff | |
| 26% | 45% |
| Add Temporary Staff | |
| 17% | 45% |
| Rely on Current Staff | |
| 52% | 55% |
| Outsource to 3rd Party | |
| 39% | 31% |
When asked whether new case workload is up from Q4, 2009:
22% of Corporations said YES | 65% of Law Firms said YES | 46% of Vendors said YES
When asked whether existing case workload is up from Q4, 2009:
17% of Corporations said YES | 47% of Law Firms said YES | 38% of Vendors said YES
Open Positions in Q2
| Corporate | AmLaw | Vendor |
|---|---|---|
| Technician | ||
| 9 | 36 | 19 |
| Project Manager | ||
| 8 | 25 | 17 |
| Regional Lit Support. Mgr. | ||
| 2 | 4 | 1 |
| eDiscovery Counsel | ||
| 4 | 6 | 3 |
When asked whether hiring would increase in Q2, 2010:
35% of Corporations said YES | 60% of Law Firms said YES | 65% of Vendors said YES
Outsourcing Priorities
| Q1, 2010 Corporate |
|---|
| Processing (48%) |
| Hosting (39%) |
| Review (35%) |
| Q1, 2010 Law Firms |
|---|
| Processing (63%) |
| Hosting (55%) |
| Review (38%) |
When asked whether they would consider outsourcing unexpected new workflow:
39% of Corporations said YES | 31% of Law Firms said YES
When asked whether they had plans to insource eDiscovery work in the next 3 months,
Top Investment Priorities over the Next 6 Months
| Corporate | AmLaw |
|---|---|
| Litigation Hold | |
| 26% | 24% |
| ECA | |
| 30% | 53% |
| Processing | |
| 26% | 44% |
| Hosting & Review | |
| 30% | 55% |
22% of Corporations said YES | 31% of Law Firms said YES
For additional results and analysis, read our detailed snapshots on the Cowen Blog.
