Times E-Disclosure article leads with Baby P photocopier excuse

The article on E-Disclosure in today’s Times E-disclosure: how good is your filing system? by Grania Langdon-Down leads with the extraordinary “lost in the photocopier” excuse given by Ofsted as they gave late disclosure of 2,000 pages of documents in Sharon Shoesmith’s judicial review case.

I was interviewed for the article some time ago when the lead subject was HHJ Simon Brown QC’s judgment in Earles v Barclays Bank Plc [2009] EWHC 2500 (Mercantile) (08 October 2009). I wrote about the Ofsted shambles on Tuesday (The Baby P case may be the disclosure story of the year) and Grania Langdon-Down rang me 20 minutes later, without having seen my post but having reached the same conclusion as to the significance of the Ofsted story.

Gartner points to non-US E-Discovery market growth

Gartner predicts an eDiscovery software market worth $1.2 billion in 2010. More than 10% of that will be outside the US. Software suppliers may be ready to run with this, but where are the skilled people?

Gartner’s report of 16 December E-Discovery Software Marketplace is Set to Continue High-Growth Pace has inevitably interested the Twitterati today. Picture Shackleton glimpsing the South Georgia whaling station after his epic journey from Elephant Island; imagine a French Legionnaire seeing an oasis, a besieged wagon train catching the sound of the 7th Cavalry bugle or the defenders of Lucknow hearing Campbell’s relief column battling to lift the siege (I could go on for pages like this, but you get the picture – the end appears to be in sight).

Gartner foresees that worldwide eDiscovery software revenues will reach $1.2 billion in 2010, an increase of 23% over 2009. They point to “unplanned events” such as “litigation regarding bribery and corruption, foreign corrupt practices, securities and financial fraud, government contracting abuses, and healthcare fraud” as the main drivers for the growth which will, they say, bring market and technology consolidation, expansion of product and services portfolios and new customer bases. I have not read the report itself, but one can probably take it for granted that these conclusions are underpinned by Gartner’s usual research and analysis.