Introduction

In an increasingly digital world, the volume of electronically stored information (ESI) generated daily is immense, making the ability to effectively uncover, preserve, and analyze digital evidence paramount for regulatory compliance, internal investigations, and legal proceedings. E-Discovery and Digital Investigations are no longer niche skills but essential competencies for organizations facing scrutiny from regulators, litigators, or internal stakeholders. This essential training course focuses on E-Discovery and Digital Investigations for Compliance, equipping professionals with the critical knowledge and practical methodologies to navigate the complexities of digital data, conduct defensible investigations, and ensure that all electronic evidence collected meets legal and regulatory standards. You will learn to transform vast, unstructured digital data into actionable insights, proactively mitigating risks and strengthening your organization's position in any investigative scenario.

This intensive training course delves into the core stages of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM), from information governance and identification to preservation, collection, processing, review, and production of ESI. We will explore various digital forensic techniques for uncovering hidden, deleted, or otherwise obscured data from a multitude of sources, including email, collaboration platforms, mobile devices, and cloud environments. Participants will gain hands-on experience with leading e-discovery tools and learn best practices for maintaining the chain of custody, ensuring data integrity, addressing privilege, and preparing comprehensive digital investigation reports suitable for both internal use and external legal submission. By the end of this training course, you will possess the expertise to confidently lead e-discovery and digital investigation efforts, ensuring your organization's compliance readiness and robust defense against evolving digital risks.

Target Audience

• Compliance Officers
• Legal Counsel & Paralegals
• Internal Auditors
• Fraud Investigators
• Information Governance Professionals
• IT & Cybersecurity Teams
• Records Managers
• Risk Management Professionals

Course Objectives

• Understand the fundamental concepts of E-Discovery and its role in digital investigations and compliance.
• Learn about the phases of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM).
• Master methodologies for information governance and data retention in the context of E-Discovery.
• Develop skills in identifying and preserving Electronically Stored Information (ESI) under legal hold.
• Understand best practices for forensically sound data collection from diverse digital sources.
• Learn about techniques for processing ESI (deduplication, de-NISTing, text extraction).
• Explore best practices for effective document review, including technology-assisted review (TAR).
• Master techniques for handling privileged and confidential information in E-Discovery.
• Understand the legal and ethical considerations in digital investigations and evidence handling.
• Learn about preparing comprehensive and defensible digital investigation reports.
• Apply practical E-Discovery and Digital Investigations for Compliance strategies to real-world scenarios.

Duration

5 Days

Course Content

Module 1: Introduction to E-Discovery and Digital Investigations

• Defining E-Discovery and its importance in modern compliance and legal matters.
• Exploring the differences and overlaps between E-Discovery and Digital Forensics.
• Understanding the lifecycle of E-Discovery through the EDRM framework.
• Overview of common sources of Electronically Stored Information (ESI) (email, chat, cloud, mobile).
• The legal and regulatory drivers for robust E-Discovery capabilities.

Module 2: Information Governance & Legal Hold Management

• Learning the principles of information governance for E-Discovery readiness.
• Understanding the legal obligation to preserve ESI upon trigger events.
• Mastering techniques for issuing, implementing, and managing legal holds.
• Developing strategies for data mapping and identifying relevant ESI custodians.
• Mitigating the risks of spoliation and potential sanctions.

Module 3: Data Identification & Forensic Collection

• Mastering methodologies for identifying potential sources of relevant ESI.
• Understanding forensic principles for data collection to ensure integrity and authenticity.
• Techniques for targeted collection, forensic imaging, and remote collection.
• Addressing challenges with collecting data from ephemeral messaging, social media, and cloud platforms.
• The critical importance of metadata and chain of custody.

Module 4: ESI Processing & Early Case Assessment (ECA)

• Understanding the purpose and stages of ESI processing (e.g., deduplication, text extraction, normalization).
• Learning filtering and culling techniques to reduce data volume for review.
• Methodologies for Early Case Assessment (ECA) to gain quick insights and estimate costs.
• Utilizing analytics tools for initial insights, privilege identification, and issue coding.
• Maximizing efficiency in the processing stage for compliance investigations.

Module 5: Document Review & Technology-Assisted Review (TAR)

• Mastering principles of effective document review for responsiveness, privilege, and issues.
• Distinguishing between manual review and Technology-Assisted Review (TAR) methods.
• Introduction to TAR (Predictive Coding) for large datasets.
• Processes for training, validating, and defending TAR models.
• Optimizing review workflows for accuracy and cost efficiency in digital investigations.

Module 6: Production, Privilege & Ethical Considerations

• Understanding legal requirements for ESI production (formats, privilege logs, clawback agreements).
• Common production formats (Native, TIFF, PDF) and their implications.
• Techniques for redacting privileged or protected information.
• Navigating ethical considerations related to data privacy and attorney-client privilege.
• Ensuring defensibility of the E-Discovery process.

Module 7: Digital Investigations Reporting & Future Trends

• Strategies for preparing clear, concise, and defensible digital investigation reports.
• Communicating findings, conclusions, and recommendations to stakeholders and legal teams.
• The role of an expert witness in presenting digital evidence.
• Exploring emerging trends in E-Discovery: AI, blockchain for chain of custody, IoT data.
• Continuous improvement for E-Discovery and digital investigation programs.

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org  Tel: +254 702 249 449

Training Venue

The training will be held at our Skills for Africa Training Institute Training Centre. We also offer training for a group at requested location all over the world. The course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, and buffet lunch.

Visa application, travel expenses, airport transfers, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Skills for Africa Training Institute certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org  Tel: +254 702 249 449

Terms of Payment: Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 10 working days before commencement of the training.