When it comes to buyers guides for “eDisclosure” (i.e., what they call “eDiscovery” across the pond), there are none better than Andrew Haslam’s annual eDisclosure Systems Buyers Guide.  The good news is that it’s time for the 2022 eDisclosure Systems Buyers Guide! The bad news is that it’s his last one, at least in the current form.

Andrew is publishing the 2022 eDisclosure Systems Buyers Guide in conjunction with another favorite resource of eDiscovery Today – Rob Robinson’s ComplexDiscovery site!   The 2022 edition of the “industry bible”, which is now in its tenth year is available on ComplexD here. In this latest edition, there have been 62 modifications to the entries, with the guide now showing 92 suppliers and 54 products, reflecting the loss of 12 entries, an additional 16 companies, and two name changes since the last edition.

First the bad news, via the Forward, which says: “Welcome to the tenth edition of the Buyer’s Guide to eDisclosure Systems. This will be the last version of the Guide in its current form. After a decade of using my spare time in the first half of the year to pull together this document, I’m moving away from the keyboard to spend more time with my wife and Grandchildren. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Guide over the years, it has been (mainly) fun.”

“When I first started drafting this I was going to reflect upon a world emerging from a global pandemic, events in Ukraine have overshadowed that perspective. The world is changing in a way not seen for decades, all we can do is try to look after those things that are within our control. If your area of focus is eDisclosure then it is hoped this Guide will prove useful.”

As with previous editions, the target audience for the 2022 eDisclosure Systems Buyers Guide are those individuals who understand they have a requirement, but do not know how to proceed with the next steps. It is assumed that people within “organisations” that have a litigation support function, will turn to them in the first instance for advice, but might use this document as a primer on what is available.

The Guide is based on Andrew Haslam’s general experience in the marketplace, also drawing from a number of vendor procurement exercises. The information on firms and software tools has been provided by the organizations themselves, with moderation from the author.  As in previous editions, Andrew sprinkles boxes throughout the guide that are notes, best practice recommendations and warnings (which are designated by a bomb with a lit fuse icon) to help provide guidance to readers for best practices.  And, of course, he even sprinkles in a few comic strips along the way for levity.  😀

Andrew is currently employed as the UK eDisclosure Project Manager for Squire Patton Boggs, so he made sure to note that all opinions within the 2022 eDisclosure Systems Buyers Guide are Andrew’s personal viewpoint and does not represent any views, opinions or strategies of Squire Patton Boggs. The 450 page(!) PDF can be downloaded directly from the ComplexDiscovery website here. While that may seem like a lot of pages, most of the Guide is detailed information about each of the suppliers and the software products, making the Guide a terrific reference resource for those looking to buy services or software by enabling you to quickly navigate to the providers you’re evaluating – that’s why it’s a Buyers Guide!

So, what do you think?  Are you in the market for eDiscovery (or eDisclosure) software or services?  Then, download a copy of Andrew’s 2022 eDisclosure Systems Buyers Guide – it’s FREE!  And please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.