By Peter Berger
New rules from the federal courts mean companies and individuals must be prepared to turn over electronic information during the discovery phase of litigation.
In the past, when discovery materials were produced during litigation, data were generally memorialized on paper, and that's how discovery materials were produced. But newly enacted rules regarding litigation in federal court focus on the discovery of electronically stored data, such as e-mails. Federal courts are now requiring electronically stored data to be turned over to the other parties during litigation. State courts will likely follow suit.
That means you may have to turn over ...