Monday, I covered the highlights of the annual eDiscovery Unfiltered Report from Ari Kaplan Advisors. Here’s part 2 of my interview with Ari Kaplan about the report!

Part 1 of the interview is here. Ari gave me so much great information that I only managed to ask two questions! 🙂 Here’s part 2 of my interview with Ari!

How has the report evolved over nine years and what have you learned a) about the industry in general, and b) about producing a better report?

That’s a great question. The report has gotten longer. And honestly, the generosity of the participants has only grown. It is a big ask. I recognize that I’m often asking people for 60 to 90 minutes of their time and I ask a lot of questions. I would say about 70% of the questions I ask are reflected in the main version of the report. There’s a lot that remains on the cutting room floor for a variety of reasons. Maybe the answers aren’t as rich as I would want to include. Or maybe they just don’t thematically fit in. Sometimes, there’s a random question that one of the subscribers has included, but they want the answers for internal purposes – it’s not something that is publicly interesting to anyone, so I don’t include it.

Regardless, I’m asking people for a lot of time, and they’re just so generous with their time. In turn I try to make it clear that if any of these people in house or at law firms have questions where they want someone who’s basically “Switzerland” to throw out an idea, I’m available. I’m happy to spend my time talking to them in any way that I can, whether it’s at a conference or whether it’s to their team.

The eDiscovery sector has become much more complex, and it is changing in a dynamic way that has become much more impactful. In a law firm or in a corporate legal department, the role of the eDiscovery professional has become a much more elevated position. The eDiscovery professional is often at the center of whatever’s next. Many in eDiscovery have been doing this for so long, they’re such a great resource.

You’re seeing a trend of eDiscovery professionals being involved in contract analytics and legal operations,  for example, because they have the foundational skills of being able to manage a budget, manage a project, understand new technology, assess emerging data, evaluate cases quickly, being responsive, being able to adapt and quickly.

eDiscovery is also influencing the broader legal tech ecosystem, which has elevated the role and the sector.

Overall, the purpose of this data is to empower the companies to be better at what they do, to provide better client service, to provide better technology, and to improve the ecosystem.

Hope you enjoyed part 2 of my interview with Ari! Thanks, Ari, for the interview!

So, what do you think? What findings from this year’s eDiscovery Unfiltered Report surprised you the most? 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, my partners 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.