Need a new career?

I recently came across a career profile on About.com for an e-discovery professional. In the profile they state how the industry has grown to be a $2 billion industry and will be $21.8 billion by 2011. Since the industry is growing so rapidly the need for companies to hire professionals that specialize in e-discovery is also growing.

The profile of an e-discovery professional starts with a person who has a background in law or in information technology. Usually paralegals are interested but with rising salaries more lawyers are getting into the mix. It is interesting to note that some come from backgrounds in information technology. Since half of the problem of e-discovery is the gathering and storing of electronic data it is not surprising that an IT professional might choose this as a career path. I would suspect that legal professionals with a background in IT (rare) would be the best candidates.

So what are the responsibilities for your new found career in e-discovery? The profile states the following responsibilities:

• Assessing a client’s ESI.
• Helping to create ESI preservation policies.
• Serving on e-discovery teams.
• Ensuring compliance with the new federal rules regarding ESI.
• Educating clients on e-discovery policies.
• Drafting and communicating litigation hold procedures.
• Using technology to facilitate discovery.
• Assisting in the collection, processing, review, analysis and production of ESI.
• Serving as a liaison between the legal team, IT personnel, vendors and records management personnel.

I know all this sounds glamorous but what is the pay like? I am sure that this industry is so exciting that most will want to do the job just for the prestige and fame it brings. Although if you do expect to get paid then you can look for a salary in the range of $125,000 to $250,000 annually.

So its time to brush up that resume get a new tie and apply at your favorite corporate legal department. Your new career in e-discovery awaits. Don't be late for the interview!

(Oh, and don't wear the tie into the office of your current job after interviewing. Everyone will know what you are up to.)

Source: http://legalcareers.about.com/od/careerprofiles/p/e-discovery.htm

Technorati Tags:
e-Discovery Professional, eDiscovery, Career, Lawyer, Paralegal, Information Technology, Compliance, Email Archiving