The discovery lifecycle is the lifeblood of the case. Every attorney should understand how their efforts, software and discovery will move the case forward from pleading to trial. Every litigation technician should also understand how their own efforts and software benefit the legal team, helping to move the case forward. When both parties understand the full picture, the case has the greatest chance of success.

The attorney decides how to handle discovery during the pleading phase of a case based upon needs throughout the entire case. One must take the same approach to technical considerations. A technical treatment purchased during the pleading phase may only yield significant utility when the case reaches the deposition phase. Because each case follows the same case lifecycle, it is possible to create a technology plan that will address the needs of both the legal and technical worlds. Technical considerations extend to include software selection.

Historically, Litigation Support staff came from a paralegal background because they understood case lifecycle. Today, there is a need for Litigation Support staff who have a technical background. Ideally, one should employ a technician who happens to understand case lifecycle. Lieb's book, Litigation Support Department provides the tools and education so that any technician can understand both the case and technology lifecycles. At the same time, it provides materials to help any legal professional explain litigation technology costs to the clients and the technological route their discovery will take from pleading to trial.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mark R. Lieb is the President of Ad Litem Consulting and author of the books, Litigation Support Department and Litigation Support Technical Standards. Mr. Lieb has provided Litigation Support to legal teams for cases ranging from small collections to multinational, multi-firm litigation, involving millions of pages of ediscovery. He currently consults with firms, law departments, service bureaus and software companies on litigation technology best practices. If you would like to learn more about using technology in litigation, please feel free to visit Ad Litem Consulting www.AdLitem.com or call (866) 477-4523.