Statement of Purpose and Preparation of Principles

The goal of the Principles is to provide incentives for the early and informal information exchange on commonly encountered issues relating to evidence preservation and discovery, paper and electronic, as required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(f)(2). The Principles provide guidance on how to streamline the discovery process (e.g., suggesting formats of electronic discovery which are generally not required to be preserved, thus requiring a party to discuss the need for such formats early in the pretrial litigation process) and how to resolve disputes regarding electronic discovery.

The Principles also contain novel ideas, such as the use of e-discovery liaisons, to assist parties in efficiently managing discovery, particularly discovery involving complex electronically stored information. The Principles have generated a tremendous amount of interest in the legal community nationally.