Technology advances are putting a strain on a number of departments in the federal government — to put it mildly. Many agencies are having a hard time keeping up with changing communication technologies and are requesting more money to address eDiscovery.
For example, the Justice department wants to add 12 new staffers with technology backgrounds, more lawyers, and an additional $2 million to get a better grip on legal discovery. Similarly the Environment and Natural Resources Division is seeking to fill nine technology slots and has asked for $1 million. The Executive Office for US Attorneys also wants $2 million to fund 12 new positions to address eDiscovery.
The federal government is not any different than corporate legal departments. They’re all still trying to figure out how to deal with issues related to new technologies and discovery. Email archiving, new document file formats, and cloud computing are all areas that federal agencies would like to better understand.
