Litigation Support Staffing : The Cowen Group : Ediscovery Recruiters, Candidate Search, Practice Support, Position Placement

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I too am seeing more of this new breed of techno/e-discovery lawyer.

Many firms have them in place or are looking to hire or develop them and they are discussed at every conference I attend.

Many people see this growing role of staff attorneys and techno-lawyers in litigation support as a threat or source of irritation.

I don’t.

It’s not us versus them. It’s not a competition for visibility within the firm.

It’s evolution, not revolution.

Paralegal, IT or lawyer - there’s plenty of room for everyone.  

As the profession evolves and litigation support becomes more complex and sophisticated, the techno-lawyer can play a valuable role in practice support leadership. Lawyers understand lawyers.  They understand the internal and external clients being served, the specifics of the case and the strategies and goals to be accomplished.  They understand the WHY of what is needed.

Today’s litigation support departments are like chocolate chip cookies.  There are countless ways to make them, depending on what ingredients you have in the house.  How many chips, how much butter, a preference for crispy or chewy and, dare I say it, nuts?  Each batch is different.

Directors and Managers need to evaluate their needs and internal resources to create strong and diverse teams.  They must determine who has the skills as well as the passion, motivation and intellectual curiosity to step into litigation support roles.  A lawyer may be the perfect fit for your team, depending on:

·        The culture of your firm;

·        The nature of your clients;

·        The depth and complexity of the matter;

·        The maturity of the department;  and

·        The relationships with IT.

I like mine chewy.