Electronic Discovery Law Firm : K&L Gates : Electronic Discovery Law

On Friday, September 19, 2008, the President signed into law S. 2450, a bill adding new Evidence Rule 502 to the Federal Rules of Evidence.  The legislation protects against the inadvertent waiver of the attorney-client privilege or the work product protection.  S. 2450 is identical to proposed Evidence Rule 502, as approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States in September 2007.

Now that the bill has been signed by the President, it has been assigned Public Law Number 110-322 by the Office of the Federal Register.  Next, OFR editors will prepare it for publication as a Slip Law, and then include it in the next edition of the United States Statutes at Large. 

Public Law No. 110-322 is available here.

New Evidence Rule 502 will apply in all proceedings commenced after the date of enactment and, insofar as is just and practicable, in all proceedings pending on such date of enactment.

Additional information about the legislation may be found on the Library of Congress "Thomas" website, at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-2450, and on the U.S. Courts' Federal Rulemaking website.
 

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On September 8, 2008, the House of Representatives passed without amendment S. 2450, a bill adding new Evidence Rule 502 to the Federal Rules of Evidence.  The Senate had earlier approved the bill by unanimous consent on February 27, 2008.  Having passed in identical form in both chambers, the bill now awaits the signature of the President before becoming law.  The President is expected to sign the legislation in the next several weeks.

The legislation protects against inadvertent waiver of the attorney-client privilege and work product protection and is identical to proposed Evidence Rule 502, which was approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States and transmitted to Congress for its consideration in September 2007.  The new rule will apply in all proceedings commenced after the date of enactment and, insofar as is just and practicable, in all proceedings pending on such date of enactment. 

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On December 1, 2007, the amendments to the Federal Rules of Appellate, Bankruptcy, Civil, and Criminal Procedure that implement the E-Government Act of 2002 became effective.  The amendment to Appellate Rule 25, and new Bankruptcy Rule 9037, Civil Rule 5.2, and Criminal Rule 49.1 require that personal identification information be redacted from documents filed with the court — individuals' Social Security and taxpayer identification numbers, names of minor children, financial account numbers, dates of birth, and, in criminal cases, home addresses.

A memorandum briefly describing the new privacy rules, the text of the rules and committee notes, and additional information contained in the excerpt reports of the Rules Committees have been posted on the U.S. Court’s Federal Rulemaking website, and are also linked below.

Memorandum Describing the Privacy Rules and Judicial Conference Privacy Policy

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On February 27, 2008, the Senate approved by unanimous consent without amendment S. 2450, a bill adding new Evidence Rule 502 to the Federal Rules of Evidence.  The bill now goes on to be voted on in the House of Representatives. 

The legislation addresses waiver of the attorney-client privilege and work product protection and is identical to proposed Evidence Rule 502, which was approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States and transmitted to Congress for its consideration in September 2007.

On February 25, 2008, the Senate Judiciary Committee had reported favorably on the bill.  See Sen. Rept. No. 110-264.

Additional information about the legislation may be found on the Library of Congress "Thomas" website, and at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-2450.

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On December 11, 2007, Senator Patrick Leahy, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced S. 2450, a bill adding new Evidence Rule 502 to the Federal Rules of Evidence.  The legislation addresses waiver of the attorney-client privilege and work product protection and is identical to proposed Evidence Rule 502, which was approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States and transmitted to Congress for its consideration in September 2007.   See our prior post from October 19, 2007 on the proposed rule.

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On September 27, 2007, the Judicial Conference of the United States submitted proposed new Evidence Rule 502 to Congress through identical letters to the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States House of Representatives.  The letters provide a description of the process that led to the proposed rule, an explanation of the problems sought to be addressed, the protections against waiver of privilege or work product afforded by the proposed rule, and drafting choices made by the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules in crafting the language of the proposed rule.  The Judicial Conference recommended that proposed new Evidence Rule 502 be adopted by Congress “as a rule that will effectively limit the skyrocketing costs of discovery.”

Proposed new Evidence Rule 502 contains four main provisions.  The first codifies the majority view and protects a party from waiving a privilege if privileged or protected information is disclosed inadvertently in a federal court proceeding or to a federal public office or agency, unless the disclosing party was negligent in producing the information or failed to take reasonable steps seeking its return.  The second protects a party from waiving a privilege covering all documents dealing with the same subject matter as a document that was disclosed, unless fairness requires such an extreme result.  The third protects a party from waiving a privilege or protection if the court enters an order providing that disclosure of privileged or protected information does not constitute a waiver.  The order is enforceable against all persons in any federal or state proceeding.  The fourth provides that parties in a federal proceeding can enter into a confidentiality agreement providing for mutual protection against waiver in that proceeding, binding only the parties.

Earlier, on September 18, 2007, the Judicial Conference approved proposed Evidence Rule 502 and agreed to transmit it to Congress with a recommendation that it be enacted according to law.  At that time, the Judicial Conference considered the September 2007 Report of the Standing Committee, which explained the rationale behind the proposed rule as follows (beginning at p. 32):
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At its June 11-12, 2007, meeting, the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure approved the recommendations of the Advisory Committees on Evidence Rules and approved proposed new Evidence Rule 502 on Waiver of Attorney-Client Privilege and Work Product, among other proposed new rules and amendments.  The Committee also approved a letter to Congress accompanying proposed new Evidence Rule 502.  (Minutes of the June 2007 meeting will be posted here when they become available.)

Previously, on May 15, 2007, the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules had issued its Report to the Standing Committee regarding its recommendations with respect to proposed Evidence Rule 502 on Waiver of Attorney-Client Privilege and Work Product.  The Report and its supporting documents were summarized here in a May 16, 2007 post.

The Standing Committee will now transmit the proposed new rules and amendments to the Judicial Conference with a recommendation that they be approved and transmitted to the United States Supreme Court.  The proposed new rules and amendments will be available shortly and will be posted on the federal judiciary’s “Pending Rules Amendments Awaiting Final Action” page at: http://www.uscourts.gov/rules/newrules6.htm#proposed0806.

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On May 15, 2007, the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules issued its Report to the Standing Committee regarding its April 2007 meeting and its recommendations with respect to proposed Evidence Rule 502 on Waiver of Attorney-Client Privilege and Work Product.  (The 83-page Report is available here.)  The Report states that, at the April 2007 meeting, the Committee carefully considered all of the public comment received on the proposed rule, as well as other issues raised by members of the Committee.  As a result, the Committee made a number of changes to the version of proposed Rule 502 that was issued for public comment.  This new modified version of proposed Evidence Rule 502 is available here.  The Committee's post-publication modifications to the proposed rule include the following: 

1.  Changes were made by the Style Subcommittee of the Standing Committee, both to the text as issued for public comment, and to the changes to the rule made at the April 2007 Evidence Rules Committee Hearing.

2.  The text was clarified to indicate that the protections of Rule 502 apply in all cases in federal court, including cases in which state law provides the rule of decision.

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From the "What's New" section of the U.S. Courts Federal Rulemaking website, regarding the actions of the various Advisory Committees this spring: 

"At its April 12-13, 2007, meeting, the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules considered public comments on proposed new Evidence Rule 502, which was published for comment in August 2006.  The advisory committee approved the proposed new rule, with modifications.  The advisory committee will transmit the proposed new rule to the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure with a recommendation that it be approved and transmitted to the Judicial Conference for its consideration."

We will post the modified Evidence Rule 502 here when it becomes available.

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The Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Evidence is meeting today and tomorrow in San Diego to discuss, among other things, the proposed Evidence Rule 502 on waiver of attorney-client privilege and work product.  The Committee must determine whether to recommend proposed Rule 502 to the Standing Committee for ultimate adoption by Congress.  Portions of the Committee’s Agenda Book for the April 12 and 13, 2007 meeting relating to proposed Rule 502 are available here:

Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules, Minutes of the Meeting of November 16, 2006 (not yet approved)

Memorandum to Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules dated March 15, 2007, Re: Proposed Rule 502: Possible Changes to Rule as Released for Public Comment

This memorandum analyzes all the colorable suggestions for change to the rule as issued for public comment.

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Persons interested in the proposed new federal evidence rule addressing privilege waiver will testify before the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules today in Phoenix, Arizona. Witnesses on today’s schedule include:

• George L. Paul of Lewis & Roca, LLP, Phoenix
• Thomas Y. Allman of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, Chicago
• Frank Verderame of Plattner Verderame, PC, Phoenix; appearing on behalf of his firm and the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association
• Carol Cure, Division Counsel, Shea Homes Limited Partnership, Scottsdale
• Patrick J. Paul of Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P., Phoenix
• Kenneth L. Mann of Beus Gilbert PLLC, Scottsdale
• Thomas P. Burke, II of Burke Panzarella Rich, Phoenix
• Michael J. O'Connor of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, PLC, Phoenix
• Daniel J. McAuliffe of Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P., Phoenix and President-Elect of the State Bar of Arizona
• Patrick A. Long of Long, Williamson & Delis, Santa Ana, California and President of DRI
• Steven K. Hazen, Secretary of the Executive Committee of the State Bar of California Business Law Section, Los Angeles
• Melissa Richards Smith, Gillam Smith, L.L.P., Marshall, Texas
• Edward G. Hochuli of Jones, Skelton & Hochuli, Phoenix
• Douglas L. Christian of Harper Christian Dichter Graif, P.C., Phoenix

Comments received by the Committee to date, including the prepared statements of several of the witnesses who will be testifying, may be viewed here. A second hearing is scheduled to occur in New York City on January 29, 2007.

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A complete set of the pending e-discovery amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, with Advisory Committee notes, is available here. Barring any action by Congress, these go into effect on December 1, 2006.

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As reported earlier, at its June 2006 meeting, the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure approved the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules, and approved publishing for public comment proposed Evidence Rule 502 (Attorney-Client Privilege and Work Product; Limitations on Waiver). The rule has now been published for public comment, and is available here on the U.S. Court’s Federal Rulemaking website. Continue Reading...

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At its June 22-23, 2006 meeting, the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure approved the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules, and approved publishing for public comment proposed new Evidence Rule 502. The proposed new rule “opts for the middle ground” in determining whether inadvertent disclosure is a waiver, in accord with the majority view. Under the new rule, inadvertent disclosure of privileged or protected information during discovery would constitute a waiver only if the party did not take reasonable precautions to prevent disclosure and did not make reasonable and prompt efforts to rectify the error. The proposed new rule will be published for public comment in August 2006.

A copy of proposed new Evidence Rule 502 and the accompanying Committee Note is available here as an attachment to the May 15, 2006 Report of the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules.

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On Monday, April 24, 2006, the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Evidence held a mini-conference on a proposed new rule concerning waiver of the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine. The conference was held at Fordham Law School in New York City, and featured the following distinguished presenters:

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On Wednesday, April 12, 2006, the United States Supreme Court approved, without comment or dissent, the entire package of proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure concerning the discovery of "electronically stored information." The package includes revisions and additions to Rules 16, 26, 33, 34, 37, and 45, as well as Form 35. The proposed amendments were transmitted to the Supreme Court last September, after the Judicial Conference unanimously approved them.

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In advance of their April 24-25, 2006 meeting, members of the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Evidence received a memorandum prepared by the Reporter (Daniel J. Capra, Reed Professor of Law, Fordham Law School) and Professor Kenneth S. Broun (University of North Carolina School of Law), a consultant to the Advisory Committee. The memorandum, available here, provides interesting background on the proposed Evidence Rule 502. The Advisory Committee has not yet taken any action on the proposed rule.

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On April 24, 2006, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Evidence will conduct a hearing (or "mini-conference") on a proposed rule that would govern waiver of attorney-client privilege and work product protection. The hearing will take place at the Fordham University School of Law Amphitheater in New York City, and will consist of short statements by invited presenters, with time left for a discussion among the presenters and questions from the Committee. Interested members of the public are invited to attend the hearing and are free to attend the Committee meeting that will follow.

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Pike and Fischer's Electronic Evidence Update, a service of Pike and Fischer Digital Discovery and e-Evidence, reported today that the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Evidence will consider a new rule during a meeting on April 24. Proposed Federal Rule of Evidence 502 codifies waiver of privilege and work product protection by disclosure, and includes exceptions to such waiver. An exception for inadvertent disclosure addresses the concern that the cost of privilege review has become prohibitive in cases involving electronic discovery. The rule also codifies the controlling effect of (1) court orders regarding the preservation or waiver of privilege or work product protection and (2) party agreements regarding the effect of disclosure. Court orders are made applicable to non-parties, and party agreements regarding the effect of disclosure are made binding on the parties to the agreement but not on other parties unless the agreement is incorporated into a court order.

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The Judicial Conference today approved the package of proposed rule amendments addressing the discovery of electronically stored information. It was approved unanimously, without question or objection, and will now be considered by the Supreme Court. If promulgated by May 1, it will become effective on December 1, 2006 absent intervention by Congress.

The September 2005 report from the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure to the Judicial Conference, which includes a copy of the amendments, can be found here.

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Law Technology News, EDD Showcase, August 2005
By Helen Bergman Moure

On June 16, 2005, discovery practice took a huge step forward when the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure approved a set of proposed amendments relating to electronic discovery. The proposed rules and their accompanying "Notes" now face three remaining hurdles: Judicial Conference of Senior Circuit Judges approval; Supreme Court approval; and Congressional review.

Assuming they are not delayed, amended, voided, or deferred during these remaining steps, the amendments will become effective on December 1, 2006. Click here to read the entire article.

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The Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure today approved the amendments submitted by the Civil Rules Advisory Committee addressing discovery of electronically stored information.

The proposed text of each rule was approved without change; some changes were made to the committee notes. The entire package of amendments will be posted here when available.

Further approval is still necessary before the rules go into effect. The Judicial Conference will consider the package at its September 20, 2005 meeting. Then, the Supreme Court will consider it for promulgation (probably by May 1, 2006). An effective date of December 1, 2006 is expected.

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On May 27, 2005, the Civil Rules Advisory Committee submitted to the Standing Committee on the Rules of Practice and Procedure a comprehensive package of proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure addressing discovery of electronically stored information, including revisions of Rules 16, 26, 33, 34, 37, and 45, as well as Form 35. The submission can be found here.

The Standing Committee will consider the proposals at its June 15-16, 2005 meeting. If all the remaining steps of the process proceed on schedule, the rules amendments would go into effect in December 2006.

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On April 14-15, 2005, the Civil Rules Advisory Committee met to discuss the fate of proposed amendments to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure relating to e-discovery. Taking into consideration feedback received during the recent public comment period, the Advisory Committee approved amendments to Rules 16, 26, 33, 34, and 45. The Committee also approved, in principle, amendments to Rule 37.

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On February 11-12, 2005 in Washington, D.C., the Civil Rules Advisory Committee heard testimony from over 45 witnesses. This was the third and final set of public hearings on the proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure relating to electronic discovery. Following are some highlights of the testimony from day two of the hearing, when the committee heard from 13 witnesses. The complete testimony for this hearing, and the previous hearings, can be found here.

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On February 11-12, 2005 in Washington D.C., the Civil Rules Advisory Committee heard testimony from over 45 witnesses. This was the third and final set of public hearings on the proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure relating to electronic discovery. Following are some highlights of the testimony from day one of the hearing, when the committee heard from over 30 witnesses. The complete testimony for this hearing, and the previous hearings, can be found here.

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Judge Scheindlin, United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York, has co-authored an article that surveys decisions concerning e-discovery sanctions issued since January 1, 2000. The article is meant to provide guidance for e-discovery reform by examining what state and federal courts have considered to be sanctionable conduct and the sanctions that have been imposed. Full text of the article can be found here.

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On January 28, 2005 in Dallas, the Civil Rules Advisory Committee held the second of three public hearings on the proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure relating to electronic discovery. The committee heard testimony from 18 individuals. Following are some highlights of the testimony. The complete testimony can be found at here.

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On August 10, 2004, the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure approved for publication and public comment several proposed amendments to the Federal Civil Rules that specifically address electronic discovery. The public comment period for these proposed amendments is now nearing its end. The last date for submissions is February 15, 2005.

A copy of the proposed amendments, and the corresponding Committee Notes, can be found here. Comments may be submitted electronically to the Secretary of the Standing Committee, via a link on the federal rulemaking website.

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On January 12, 2005 in San Francisco, the Civil Rules Advisory Committee heard testimony from 15 witnesses. This was the first of three public hearings on the proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure relating to electronic discovery. The following are some highlights of the testimony. The complete testimony can be found here.

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The first of three scheduled public hearings regarding proposed changes to the FRCP addressing electronic discovery took place in San Francisco January 12, 2005. Fifteen members of the legal community took advantage of the opportunity to publicly voice their views of the proposed amendments.

The diverse group included in-house counsel from corporations such as Microsoft and Intel, private practitioners - including both plaintiff and defense attorneys, and a computer forensic specialist. Participants commented on what they saw as the pros and cons of a series of proposed amendments to the FRCP designed to provide additional guidance to the courts and litigants engaged in the ever-growing area of e-discovery.

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Microsoft Vice President & Deputy General Counsel Tom Burt recently submitted comments and a visual diagram to the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, which is currently accepting public comment regarding the proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure addressing electronic discovery. Gregory S. McCurdy, Senior Attorney at Microsoft, will also be testifying before the Advisory Committee on January 12, 2005, in San Francisco at the first of three public hearings. Subsequent hearings are being held in Dallas, Texas, on January 28, 2005, and in Washington, D.C., on February 11, 2005.

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Written comments to the proposed Federal Civil Rules amendments relating to electronic discovery have been posted on the U.S. Courts website.

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On August 10, 2004, the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure approved for publication and public comment several proposed amendments to the Federal Civil Rules that specifically address electronic discovery.

The public now has until February 15, 2005 to comment to the Secretary to the Standing Committee regarding the proposed amendments. In addition, public hearings will be held at various dates prior to the February 15 deadline, allowing comments to be given via public testimony. The earliest the proposed rules may go into effect is December 1, 2006. For more information on the amendment process and the public comment period, please click here.

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In April 2004, the U.S. Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules submitted to the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure several proposed amendments to the Federal Civil Rules specifically addressing the unique challenges of electronic discovery, recommending that the Standing Committee publish these proposals for comment in August 2004. The proposed rules mark the culmination of several years of work by the Advisory Committee and its Discovery Subcommittee examining the issue of whether and how the civil rules should be amended to specifically address electronic discovery issues.

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Two Tiers and a Safe Harbor, written by Ken Withers, August 23, 2004, sheds light on the beginnings of the proposed changes to the Federal Rules.

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