Dec. 1 is almost here, a significant date in the legal world when amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure will take effect. These rules govern electronic discovery and, in theory, are supposed to reduce litigation costs.

However, it turns out the rules may actually increase litigation costs, especially regarding work that must be performed within the first 120 days after a lawsuit gets filed. What’s more, if a party gets it wrong by not properly producing electronic discovery, the resulting penalties can be gargantuan.

The new rules are designed to set out early structure, uniformity and predictability when it comes to e-discovery. Yet, from the very start of a case, the parties need to start evaluating with their IT teams and outside counsel what they need to do to produce relevant electronic data. That effort can be enormous, as data can be located live on a network across multiple servers, on backup tapes, on hard drives, laptops and personal digital assistants.

SPi’s Legal division, a leading provider of electronic discovery and document coding services to law firms and corporations, was recently listed as one of the top e-discovery vendor choices of the 200 highest-grossing national law firms in the 11th Annual AmLaw Tech Survey.

Of firms answering the question, “What e-discovery vendors does the firm use?” 11% included SPi in their response. SPi’s ranking in the Tech Survey is their first appearance in this survey and marks a significant gain among top 200 law firms.

“SPi is proud of the confidence placed in our firm over the past year by leading law firms in search of new solutions to their e-discovery concerns,” said Jim Brown, President of SPi’s Legal Division. “By continually incorporating the industry’s foremost technology into our program, we’ve become one of the top firms that litigators turn to for the most advanced services.”

A volunteer at the Calvary Reformed Church on East 8th Street has been charged with first degree criminal sexual conduct against a 9-year-old girl.

The man, 50, has not been formally charged, so his name has not been released. He has posted bond and will be charged on October 31 with first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

He teaches computer classes part-time at the church, and last Thursday volunteered at their monthly food giveaway. The girl and her family were waiting their turn when, according to Pastor Blaine Newhouse, the man broke church policy and was seen alone with the girl in a computer lab.

“It should not have happened,” Newhouse said, “and when it was discovered that it did happen there was an immediate reprimand and an underscoring again of our abuse policy that this will not be tolerated.”

Ernie Rizzo, private eye, had a nose for publicity.

He was hired to poke into some of the great criminal dramas of the last 30 years, including the disappearance of candy heiress Helen Brach.

Cases of lesser intrigue, primarily snooping into the love lives of the unhappily married, were equally important to his practice. Mr. Rizzo made no secret about his use of false identities and his extensive knowledge of electronic eavesdropping, always with a glint in his eye that made it all seem like great fun.

Mr. Rizzo, 64, died Sunday, Oct. 22, of an aortic dissection at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to publicist Thom Serafin. A resident of the northwest suburbs, he had been hospitalized for about three weeks, said a friend, Alan Rovin.

Fabolous reportedly hired private investigators to inspect the details of a recent robbery/shooting outside a Chelsea-area eatery, where NBA star Sebastian Telfair was robbed of a $50,000 gold chain and the rapper was shot in the leg.

Fabolous’ attorney Alberto Ebanks said he hired private detectives primarily to clear himself of weapons-possession charges he and three associated are facing, after police found two illegal guns in his car.

Officers stopped Fabolous’ 2005 Dodge Magnum, as friends were rushing him to the hospital, after the rapper was shot in the the thigh near Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Justin’s restaurant.

Juries don’t always believe what people say, but they do tend to believe what is on paper. The difference that thorough e-mail review and analysis can make in the outcome of litigation is dramatic, and attorneys cannot risk overlooking key evidence that can make or break a client’s case.

More and more legal cases today involve the submission of e-mail as material evidence — creating a phenomenon that law firms and corporate enterprises are struggling to manage. Across the industry, costs and workloads are spiraling out of control for law firms and their clients.

On average, e-mail review and analysis now accounts for 20 percent to 50 percent of total case costs, with many firms billing over $1 million per month. E-mail review and analysis costs for high-profile cases involving unusually large volumes of e-mails and attachments, such as SEC investigations, can run as high as $5 million.

Lindsay Lohan was slapped with a huge surprise while attending the Annual American Cinematheque Award honoring George Clooney Friday — a subpoena! And to make matters worse, it all went down on the red carpet.

It all started after the actress was approached by a woman who Lindsay assumed was an autograph seeker on her way out of the event. Lindsay said to the woman “You’re my first autograph!” to which the woman promptly answered “You’ve been served.” According to witnesses, Lindsay then dropped the paperwork and chased after the process server. No word on whether she caught up to the process server.

For effective celebrity security, brains are better than brawn.

After guards working for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt scuffled with photographers in India twice in the past week, security experts said thuggish bodyguards who rely on football-player physiques and tough-guy attitudes might cause more problems than they solve.

“The only time physical involvement becomes necessary is when we or the client is in fear for their lives,” says Aaron Cohen of IMS Security in Los Angeles, which provides protection for celebrities and their homes. “That’s the only time it’s justified legally and that’s the only time it’s justified professionally.”

Two regional bands will play Newark’s East End Cafe on Oct. 21 to help raise awareness for more than 150 missing persons.

Swedesboro, N.J.’s The Essentials, a classic rock act, and Bohemian Sunrise, which blends jam, Latin and Afro-beat sounds, are part of The Squeaky Wheel Tour, which hits 50 states and eight different countries from Tuesday through Nov. 19.

The Sqeaky Wheel is the latest tour launched by the concert series “GINA for Missing Persons,” which is named after Gina Bos, who vanished from Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 17, 2000. The series was created by Bos’ sister, Jannel Rap.

Meet the PInow.com Team in Denver, CO at the Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado Conference | 2006 PPIAC Training Seminar.

October 20-21, 2006

The Denver Athletic Club
1325 Glenarm Place
Denver, Colorado 80204
303-534-1211

Indoor Parking Available via 14th Street. The street is one-way travelling east. Additional parking is available at nearby parking lots.

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