Peer to Peer Magazine

and straightforward relative to corporate clients' native sources. The real world of corporate information systems is changing, sprawling and becoming increasingly complex." Consequently, to move up professionally in e-discovery, attorneys need to push their skill sets and expertise much further left in the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) and litigation life cycle. They will have to become more deeply versed in the collection, processing, hosting and production of data. This has extended the placement life cycle of a law firm PM hire; once three to six weeks, these searches can now last three to six months. Vendors, on the other hand, whose profit margins continue to get squeezed with the commoditization of e-discovery processing and hosting services, even though work volume has increased, are much more willing to invest in talent that requires nurturing and grooming. Garrett Bendel, Chief Operating Officer for Complete Discovery Source, a national provider of e-discovery services, also sees great potential in aspiring non-practicing attorneys who want to have careers as e-discovery project managers and consultants. He says, "Attorneys who are eager to transition their careers into e-discovery project management make for great hires. They come with a deep understanding of the litigation life cycle, sharp written and verbal communication skills and an understanding of the time, effort and energy commitment necessary to be successful in this industry." Vendors, unlike law firms, often don't have the luxury of waiting three to six months to fill a project management position. The timeline on a PM placement at a major service provider is still a speedy three to six weeks. Hiring in this sector will continue to be abundant, and project management is the fastest path toward placement for a non-practicing attorney looking to make a career transition. The Corporate Grail Landing a job in a major corporation as a legal technology professional is consistently regarded as the "holy grail" of career opportunities. However, in terms of volume and vertical mobility, there are many more opportunities with service providers and law firms than with corporations. The scarcity of corporate legal technology career opportunities is influenced by several factors. Chief among them is the tendency for corporations to have a preference for teaching someone who knows their existing data infrastructure what they need to know about e-discovery rather than teaching someone who knows e-discovery about their internal data infrastructure, policies and culture. Peer to Peer 21

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