What are litigation support professionals and how do they work?

Posted by Proteus Discovery
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Sep 13, 2021
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A litigation support professional helps attorneys with complex claims. They can create and maintain databases, review documents, retrieve records, and develop test presentation materials.

What is litigation support professional?

Litigation support professionals help attorneys manage large-scale litigation. Litigation is the method of managing a case in the court system.

These professionals design and implement databases to manage, classify, index, summarize and coordinate the large volumes of data produced in major litigation.

Litigation support professionals can also develop data management strategies, assist with technology in the courtroom, provide user support and training in commercial and proprietary software, and coordinate with technology vendors.

Some litigation support specialists are legal assistant / IT hybrids who do traditional paralegal duties while assuming information technology roles.

How a Litigation Support Professional Works

Litigation support professionals are mainly employed by law firms, corporations, and legal consulting companies.

Litigation support specialists often have administrative roles that oversee teams of IT staff, suppliers, litigation support staff, paralegals, lower-level lawyers, document encoders, and data entry staff.

The salary of a litigation support specialist is paid differentially depending on whether his or her career and management work is included. A new litigation support specialist can expect an annual salary of $ 60,000. Experienced litigation support managers can earn more than 6 digits of revenue. Of course, this depends on the company, the legal field in which the company mainly performs its work, and the location. 1?

Litigation support professionals are in high demand. As the industry develops and litigation support technology becomes more complex, the demand for specialists with specialized litigation support services and technological skills is expected to continually grow?

Requirements for litigation support professional

Litigation support professionals typically possess a four-year bachelor's degree in a related field and advanced technical skills and training in databases and litigation support applications. You can also enter the field as a paralegal, which generally requires an associate's degree.

In many litigation support services companies, educational requirements may be less important than advanced skills. It is preferable to have related legal experience in the range of four to seven years.

Some litigation support professionals have advanced degrees, and some have even earned law degrees. Understanding the discovery process is critical, so anyone with prior experience in this area would have an advantage. Discovery is the method of transferring data between the parties to a lawsuit. Today, litigation support ediscovery typically includes hundreds, or even thousands, of electronic documents, which is why litigation support specialists are in demand.

Desired Skills

Solid IT knowledge and familiarity with document management systems and trial filing software, hardware, and graphics applications are critical to your success as litigation support professional. They must also have strong communication skills because their profession requires interaction with lawyers, employees, and suppliers. It also requires excellent organizational skills, critical thinking skills, and meticulous attention to detail.

Certification

Certification is a one-way way for litigation support specialists to differentiate themselves from other applicants. The Association of Certified Electronic Discovery Specialists provides certifications that demonstrate knowledge of a variety of technologies, including data processing and document review. To be certified, you must pass a wide range of exams, provide proof of credit in electronic search and other related fields, and provide two professional reference materials. Your credits can be an aggregate of professional experience, education, and training?

Key takeaways

• A litigation support professional helps attorneys with complex claims.

• They perform a wide range of tasks, including the design and implementation of databases and technology assistance.

• They are typically employees of law firms, corporations, and legal consulting firms.

• They often have a bachelor's degree, but also enter the field as paralegals or with a law degree.

• Litigation support professionals can earn eDiscovery certification, which shows prospective employers that they have experience and knowledge in critical areas.
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