In a transformative step to redefine the nature of project management, e-Discovery leader Kiersted introduced Kiersted Direct at LegalTech 2012. This tool will be available in the next several months and will empower clients with direct access to projects during e-Discovery processing. Users will be able to directly drive the all-important culling process, which can radically reduce the amount of data placed under review. Built on Kiersted’s proprietary KEPS e-Discovery processing engine, Kiersted Direct “shines a light into the black box of data processing,” says Founder and President, George Kiersted.

“It is amazing to see how much our clients will gain by using our advanced interface to actually see the impact of culling decisions in near real time,” Kiersted notes. “These insights lead to better culling decisions, with the payoff being a radically more efficient review. A smaller, richer set of potentially responsive data is made available to reviewers, more quickly and with more accuracy.”

Clients will also benefit from the streamlined process, which reduces the need for communication and coordination with Kiersted specialists. In an aggressive move to drive adoption, Kiersted Direct will be available for all e-Discovery projects, at no additional cost. A cloud-based application, it requires no plug-ins or downloads.  Importantly, Kiersted Direct is review platform agnostic, working seamlessly with virtually all platforms, including Relativity, iCONECT, and Kiersted’s K4 Rapid Review. Clients can use Kiersted Direct to develop, run, and analyze their searches, perform the culling, and then export the data to the platform and host of their choice.

“The really great thing about this is that Kiersted Direct provides tremendous value to all projects — even those not hosted with Kiersted,” says Executive Vice President Andre Guilbeau. “The benefits accrue to all projects, since the direct access is applied to the early stages of culling and processing,” he adds.

Clients using Kiersted Direct will create and manage detailed lists of search terms, which can number in the thousands. These complex queries then run quickly in the background on a high-powered grid of search nodes, at the client’s direction. They can view the results and dynamically make changes in near real time. Kiersted Direct further enhances efficiency by providing a platform for project progress communication and reporting.

Kiersted Valid Review ensures acute accuracy and efficiency.
The process of Continuous Validation is another significant contributor to Kiersted’s radically efficient approach to e-discovery. Kiersted applies an elaborate set of checks, balances and rules throughout e-Discovery processing and review. This allows Kiersted to deliver on its promise of acute accuracy and efficiency. Minor errors caught early on drastically improve the overall process since, if undetected, even small anomalies can cause big problems at later stages.

A new element of this process is Kiersted Valid Review, a proprietary component that Kiersted has developed for review projects taking place in Relativity. Valid Review extends the Continuous Validation protocol into Relativity, providing confidence that the review process is being run as efficiently as possible, that coding is being performed in a consistent manner, and anomalies are caught and addressed early. Skilled Kiersted specialists develop custom rules specifically for each project.

About Kiersted:
Kiersted provides a full range of legal technology services for law firms and corporate legal departments, including electronic discovery processing, forensic data collection, review services, and consulting related to matter management, electronic billing and legal hold. Known since 1984 for exceptional service and proven results, its team of experienced, senior professionals helps clients manage costs, enhance quality and reduce risk. Kiersted has offices and data centers in Houston and New York City. For more information, visit http://www.kiersted.com.

Media Contact:
Linda Gordon, Vice President, Sales & Marketing
866-543-7789 ext. 306
lgordon@kiersted.com

Women in eDiscovery Announces Educational Session and “Go Red” Promotion at LegalTech New York

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – January 18, 2012 – Women in eDiscovery, a non-profit organization that brings together women interested in technology related to the legal profession, announced today that it will promote “Go Red” and host an educational session at LegalTech New York. Every year, Women in eDiscovery offers its members and other LegalTech attendees the opportunity to network and participate in panel discussions that demonstrate the knowledge and expertise of the organization. In addition to its “Social Media” educational discussion, attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a “Go Red” promotion that raises heart disease awareness to women throughout the month of February.

All LegalTech attendees, exhibitors, and Women in eDiscovery members are invited to participate in these events, which will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 1, in Concourse A at the Hilton New York Hotel.

“Go Red” Promotion

The day will begin with a presentation about “Go Red” and heart disease awareness.

Women in eDiscovery will support the American Heart Association’s “Go Red” promotion by giving away red dress pins to the first 150 attendees. The organization is also asking members to wear red for the event. Kiersted Systems, the exclusive sponsor and exhibitor at LegalTech, will provide two lavish gift totes for a raffle. Attendees can purchase $5.00 tickets at the door and a drawing will be held at the end of the event. All proceeds will go to the American Heart Association (AHA). Winners must be present to win.

Women in eDiscovery would like to raise a minimum of $2,012 in the month of February for the AHA, so members who are not attending LegalTech are encouraged to donate through its exclusive team site at http://honor.americanheart.org/goto/WiE2012GoForRed.

“Social Media” Educational Session

After the brief “Go Red” presentation, the stage will be turned over to a panel of experts for an educational session, entitled “Social Media and eDiscovery: A Perspective from Outside Counsel.”

The educational session, led by outside counsel, will address the challenges and strategies of social media. Topics will include how counsel can create and enforce effective and defensible social media policies while staying up-to-date with evolving technology and case law.

Panelists for the session include Alitia Faccone, partner and co-chair of McCarter & English’s e-Discovery committee, Patricia Alberts, Discovery Attorney at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, and Michelle Treadwell Briggs, eDiscovery Attorney and Sr. Litigation Technology Manager at Goodwin Procter LLP.

Since its inception, Women in eDiscovery has grown to more than 5,000 members and 28 chapters. The organization’s members comprise women from all walks of life, including general counsel, law firm partners, associates, chief operating officers, paralegals, litigation support, and e-Discovery professionals.

“Once again, we’d like to thank Henry Dicker, LegalTech, and the entire staff for their hospitality,” stated Shawnna Childress, co-founder of Women in eDiscovery. “Our members should be very excited about this year’s event, as it marks one of the few times we can feel the powerful influence of our membership and the organization as a whole.”

Through its strategic alliance with LegalTech, Women in eDiscovery members are eligible for a discounted registration fee. Please visit the Women in eDiscovery LinkedIn page or contact Amy Juers for more details at pr@womeninediscovery.org.

For more information on Women in eDiscovery, visit www.womeninediscovery.org.

Register to attend LegalTech New York at www.legaltechshow.com.

For more information on Women in eDiscovery’s membership and its events, visit www.womeninediscovery.org, or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

About Women in eDiscovery

Women in eDiscovery (www.womeninediscovery.org) is an organization that brings together women around the world who are interested in technology related to the legal industry. Its goal is to provide opportunities for businesswomen to grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and recognition. Currently, there are more than 5,000 members and 28 chapters worldwide.

Contact:

Amy Juers

National Director of Marketing and Public Relations

Women in eDiscovery

pr@womeninediscovery.org

651.450.9090

(August 16, 2011 – Houston, TX) The field of litigation is always changing — and it’s important for e-Discovery providers to listen to clients’ requests, and continue developing new solutions to meet their needs. For more than 26 years, Kiersted / Systems has been exceeding customer expectations for the largest and most complex projects in the industry — and this year, the company is presenting some of its newest e-Discovery solutions at the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) Conference.

Kiersted is proud to announce its partnership with Relativity, offering clients a new choice in web-based support platforms. A feature-rich review platform, Relativity allows for the analysis, review and production of discovery documents and case data, and provides controlled access to clients, experts and outside vendors from any Internet connection. Relativity is a well-known and respected brand in litigation support platforms, and when clients specifically requested its addition to the company’s suite of hosting solutions, Kiersted listened. Relativity’s intuitive user interface is designed to be simple to use, while delivering advanced features. With image and native file review, diverse coding options, flexible workflow capabilities, integrated production, foreign language support, text analytics, and visual data analysis, it provides all the tools necessary for quick, organized, and accurate review management. As a Premium Hosting Partner, Kiersted is excited to offer its clients this new e-Discovery solution. More information on Relativity can be found on the Kiersted website, or at the company’s booth, during the ILTA Conference.

The 2011 Conference theme, Rev-elation, is all about harnessing innovation, creativity and energy to create new strategies for success. In developing Kiersted’s newest product, Kiersted Portal, the company’s programmers had a revelation of their own. Originally, the portal technology was developed to improve communication and tracking for Kiersted’s Legal Hold Product. However, when clients began to discuss potential new ways to use the portal, Kiersted discovered a need for a software product that could empower corporate legal departments to provide secure information and data transfer between TeamConnect and internal and external parties. Kiersted Portal now includes features for eliciting responses, tracking, reporting, and more, providing an auditable trail of communication through a secure connection. It can be customized to meet clients’ unique needs, and help make complicated processes simpler. More information can be found at http://www.kiersted.com/software/.

Held in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort, the Conference will give legal professionals the opportunity to listen to informative educational sessions — and enjoy the sounds of Music City, USA. Attendees who visit Kiersted’s Booth, No. 214, can win a set of high-quality travel speakers with iPod docks. Prior to the event, the Company mailed postcards asking, “Have you Heard the Buzz About Kiersted?” Booth visitors can turn in their postcards, or mention the offer, to receive a free speaker set, while supplies last.

Visit kiersted.com, or drop by Booth No. 214, and find out what the buzz is all about with Kiersted / Systems.

About Kiersted:
Kiersted / Systems LP provides a full range of legal technology services for law firms and corporate legal departments, including electronic discovery processing, forensic data collection, native file review, hosting, and consulting related to matter management, electronic billing and legal hold. Known since 1984 for exceptional service and proven results, its team of experienced, senior professionals helps clients manage cost, enhance quality and reduce risk. Kiersted has offices and data centers in Houston and New York City. For more information, visit www.kiersted.com.

Media Contact:
Linda Gordon, Vice President, Sales & Marketing
866-543-7789 ext. 306
lgordon@kiersted.com

(August 15, 2011 – Houston, TX) Kiersted Systems LP has provided litigation support solutions for 26 years, and e-Discovery solutions since 1990 — and now, it’s offering clients a new choice in web-based support platforms through its partnership with kCura as a Relativity Premium Hosting Partner. A feature-rich review platform, Relativity allows for the analysis, review and production of discovery material and provides secured access to clients, experts and outside vendors from any Internet connection. Relativity is a well-known and respected brand in litigation support platforms, and when clients specifically requested its addition to the company’s suite of hosting solutions, Kiersted listened.

“We continue to look for solutions to compliment our proprietary systems, so our clients have choices,” notes George Kiersted, company President. “We feel that the addition of Relativity will significantly expand our scope of services, and keep our clients happy. Our certified Relativity project management team is eager to take on the challenge.”

Kiersted has formed strong relationships with its clients, and places special emphasis on understanding their needs, and learning their preferences in case management. It can be beneficial for litigation support professionals to continue working with a provider they trust for new cases and clients. Broadening the set of choices Kiersted offers allows clients to stay with one e-Discovery provider for all their needs.

“By responding to feedback, Kiersted provides solutions that meet the needs of their clients. We’re excited to see Relativity become a part of their customer-driven offering,” said Andrew Sieja, President and CEO of kCura.

Relativity’s intuitive user interface is designed to be easy to use, while delivering advanced features. With flexible and automated workflow capabilities, text analytics, and data visualization and analysis, it provides all the tools necessary for quick, organized, and accurate review management. As a Premium Hosting Partner, Kiersted is excited to offer its clients this new e-Discovery solution. The company has added experienced staff to support Relativity, and undergone extensive training to ensure clients receive the best possible experience.

Kiersted’s expertise in providing complex litigation support for large cases and Fortune 1000 companies has earned it a reputation as one of the most experienced project management and review teams in the industry. Now, the company is ready to assist its clients with another highly regarded review tool, as it proudly adds Relativity to its suite of services.

About Kiersted:
Kiersted Systems LP provides a full range of legal technology services for law firms and corporate legal departments, including electronic discovery processing, forensic data collection, native file review, hosting, and consulting related to matter management, electronic billing and legal hold. Known since 1984 for exceptional service and proven results, its team of experienced, senior professionals helps clients manage cost, enhance quality and reduce risk. Kiersted has offices and data centers in Houston and New York City. For more information, visit www.kiersted.com.

About kCura:
Recognized as a “Leader” in Gartner’s 2011 E-Discovery Magic Quadrant and one of Chicago’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For, kCura are the developers of the e-discovery software Relativity, a web-based platform for the review, analysis, and production of electronic data. Relativity has more than 40,000 active users worldwide from organizations including the U.S. Department of Justice and 95 of the top 100 law firms in the United States. Relativity also powers Method, kCura’s workflow and notification system for managing legal hold and risk assessment processes. kCura helps corporations, law firms, and government agencies meet e-discovery challenges by installing Relativity and Method on-premises and providing hosted, on-demand solutions through a global network of partners. For more information, contact kCura at info@kcura.com or visit www.kcura.com.

(June 27, 2011 – Houston, TX) Your teenage son plays video games with kids from Japan. Your company has offices in Europe, Asia, and the United States. And your clients are spread across the globe. We’re truly living in a global economy — but are corporate legal departments keeping up?

It can be tough to communicate across a geographically diverse work force — much less maintain compliance. Many of today’s corporations comprise hundreds or thousands of employees located around the world, and every one must be held accountable for complying with corporate and legal practices. Add to that the increasing pressure to control electronically stored information from customers, vendors and outside legal counsel, and it’s easy to see how corporate legal departments can become overwhelmed. Houston-based Kiersted / Systems LP has responded to the growing problem by creating a new software product that helps corporations reach beyond borders to improve communication and ensure compliance.

Kiersted Portal empowers corporate legal departments to provide secure information and data transfer between TeamConnect and internal and external parties, andincludes features for eliciting responses, tracking, reporting, and more.

“The software was originally designed as part of our Legal Hold product,” explains Amanda Heldt, Vice President of Kiersted / Systems LP. “Improperly executed holds can lead to crippling sanctions or adverse jury verdicts, and we wanted to help legal departments ensure compliance. However, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that our clients were using the software in a much broader context.”

One popular use is in the creation of HR applications, such as tracking employee status and terminations, distributing company policies, promoting codes of ethics, and accepting or tracking employee grievances. Clients also began to use the software for communication with outside legal counsel, and even vendors.

“I use Kiersted Portal for contract review and approval,” notes David Cambria, of Aon. “It’s saved a tremendous amount of time for our business partners and attorneys, and it provides an auditable trail of all approvals and changes.”

Kiersted now offers customization of its portal product to meet the unique needs requested by all its TeamConnect customers — and it’s becoming a particularly important tool for global companies. Kiersted Portal is built with the flexibility to create unique templates in various languages, allowing communication with a diverse employee group. Kiersted can also configure the software to track employee relocations and automatically distribute new, location-specific policies and materials.

“Kiersted’s comprehensive approach to eDiscovery is all about using technology to make the complicated seem simple,” says Heldt. The software is designed to be easy to use. Administrators log in to TeamConnect, then use an intuitive graphic interface to quickly create and distribute policies, request information from recipients, track responses, automatically send reminder E-mails, monitor processes, and escalate communication for individuals who don’t respond within designated time frames. The technology is simple for recipients to use, as well. New notifications appear via E-mail, and the recipient then clicks a link opening a separate web page with a unique login to Kiersted Portal. Responses are recorded and tracked in real time, and follow-up is automatic, removing the burden from administrators and improving productivity.

The corporate world is becoming ever more diverse — and Kiersted Portal is a new way to help corporate legal departments stay connected, and stay compliant — no matter where they are.

About Kiersted:
Kiersted / Systems LP provides a full range of legal technology services for law firms and corporate legal departments, including electronic discovery processing, forensic data collection, native file review, hosting, and consulting related to matter management, electronic billing and legal hold. Known since 1984 for exceptional service and proven results, its team of experienced, senior professionals helps clients manage cost, enhance quality and reduce risk. Kiersted has offices and data centers in Houston and New York City. For more information, visit www.kiersted.com.

Media Contact:
Linda Gordon, Vice President, Sales & Marketing
866-543-7789 ext. 306
lgordon@kiersted.com

(March 23, 2011 — Houston, TX)  Kiersted / Systems, a leading provider of electronic discovery services and legal technology consulting, has announced that it will showcase the latest technology available to enforce enterprise compliance obligations and to manage a defensible legal hold process during Interact 2011, a legal and compliance technology forum held in Miami, Florida on May 15-18.

Company president George Kiersted will moderate a session on Tuesday, May 17 in which attendees will learn how to leverage attestation portals to assist in enforcing key obligations—government, industry or company-specific. Experts will show how this technology reduces enterprise risk and promotes accountability by making employee acknowledgement of their obligations easy, auditable, and defensible, and why using a platform-based compliance solution delivers long-term value.

Kiersted says, “As enterprise obligations expand beyond internal employees and into the entire value chain, meeting regulatory obligations is becoming more and more difficult. At Kiersted, we are developing new technologies to help. Attestation portals, for example, help ensure compliance whether the tasks involve managing employee training, distributing company policies, or promoting codes of ethics.”

Another area that warrants the strategic use of technology is legal hold management. According to Amanda Heldt, Vice President of Consulting Services, “Legal holds are perhaps the most litigated aspect of e-discovery, and can be just as challenging to plaintiffs as defendants. As the volume of litigation increases, companies find that managing all of the holds can be daunting, expensive and disruptive to business operations. Moreover, improperly executed holds can lead to crippling sanctions or adverse jury verdicts. Fortunately, tools for managing the many aspects of holds are increasingly user-friendly and powerful.”

Heldt will lead a live demonstration of state-of-the-art technology for defensible legal holds on Monday, May 16. Electronic discovery veterans will show how to easily identify and notify recipients; automatically authenticate and track responses; automate the interviewing process; monitor the collection process; and gain visibility and control with audit trails and reports.

George Kiersted adds, “As a long-time Mitratech consulting partner, we are pleased to continue our ongoing participation at Interact. Targeted discussions about practical strategies help our clients remain agile and efficient in this ever-changing compliance and legal environment.”

About Interact 2011
Interact 2011: The Legal & Compliance Technology Forum is a peer-driven forum providing practical strategies tested in the marketplace. Attendees learn from legal and compliance visionaries through case studies and panel discussions; discuss the latest industry trends and challenges with forward-thinking professionals from the Fortune 500; and earn CLE credits and satisfy education requirements. The solution center will feature demonstrations of the newest legal, compliance, and risk applications. The conference will take place May 16-19, 2010 at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle in Miami, FL. For more information, please visit http://www.mitratech.com/interact2011.

About Kiersted / Systems
Kiersted / Systems, LP is a proven leader in electronic discovery and legal technology consulting. Its team of experienced, senior professionals provides a full range of legal technology services that includes electronic discovery processing, forensic data collection, native file review, hosting, and consulting related to matter management, electronic billing and legal hold. Kiersted’s powerful proprietary KEPS platform for electronic discovery includes the easy-to-use K4 Rapid Review system for accuracy, reliability, security, quality and speed. More information is available at www.kiersted.com or 866-543-7789.

Media Contact:
Linda Gordon, Vice President, Sales & Marketing
866-543-7789 ext. 306
lgordon@kiersted.com

(February 28, 2011 — Houston, TX)  Kiersted / Systems, a leading provider of electronic discovery services and legal technology consulting, announced that its extensive participation in the recent 2011 LegalTech New York conference was an outstanding success. The annual event serves as a valuable forum for legal professionals to personally meet with technology providers. Amid a plethora of e-Discovery exhibitors, Kiersted / Systems stood out as one of the most experienced in the industry and among the largest e-discovery processing companies in terms of capacity and throughput.

Company president George Kiersted observed a continuing trend in corporations seeking to bring parts of the electronic discovery process in house and establish solid defensible processes while managing costs. Organizations of all sizes are searching for the best balance between in-house tools and interfaces with service providers such as Kiersted Systems. According to Kiersted, “No matter how sophisticated a solution may be, having the right people behind it is crucial. Our ‘rock star’ team is always eager to show how we help law firms and corporations meet their toughest e-discovery challenges, always with an eye on the value that comes from a project properly managed from start to finish.”

“Companies want a repeatable and defensible legal hold strategy to avoid risks, sanctions and fines,” elaborates Kiersted. “And everyone is working to reduce the volume of ESI to be processed and reviewed through clever collection strategies and smart application of advanced culling and de-duplicating techniques. Tackling where the real costs come in, there is increasing interest in highly streamlined rapid review techniques.

Conference attendees confirmed that Kiersted’s approach is on the right track. Executive Vice President Andre Guilbeau explains, “We understand that time is money, and our review platform’s built in validation and workflow give clients the best possible solution for getting a team of reviewers through vast amounts of materials quickly and on schedule. Our easy-to-understand and quick-to-learn system helps review teams find the relevant material rapidly and work through it with a minimum of re-work and errors. And our case assessment tools help teams with the challenge of finding relevant material and deciding how to proceed with a case.

“For legal hold, we designed an easy tool to manage the entire process in an elegant, yet highly comprehensive way,” says Amanda Heldt, Vice President of Consulting. “Clients can finally gain visibility, and defensibility, making it easy to administer a large number of holds even when the number of employees is quite high. Our clients are thrilled with the ability to get control over a very challenging process, and thereby reduce costs and overhead as well as the risk inherent in a less well-managed process.

George Kiersted moderated two important LegalTech panel discussions that offered insight to corporations and law firms about how to respond when Uncle Sam is the opposing party. From compliance to discovery, the rules are different and the consequences can be more severe than in typical litigation. “This was a rare opportunity for session attendees to hear directly from prosecutors and regulators in government about discovery issues without being in adversarial positions,” said Kiersted. “The government is rapidly coming up to speed on a variety of e-discovery issues, and it’s great to hear directly from them about this subject.”

For example, one panelist explained that the government will more often request material in both native and TIFF formats due to the richness of the native format when it comes to metadata and context. Also, the government panel members discussed the value of obtaining privilege logs in a timely manner during production, rather than waiting until the end of production. Corporations and their partners in the discovery process must be prepared for these challenges. Fortunately, Kiersted Systems has a platform that can easily accommodate these requirements and has repeatedly been called upon to meet the demanding requirements of cases involving the government.

Linda Gordon, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said, “There was a lot of buzz this year at LegalTech about “the cloud” and what it means for e-discovery. While the term “cloud” means many things to many people, Kiersted is on top of the latest technology trends and what they mean to our clients. Our review platform is hosted in the cloud; we have experience working with client data stored in the cloud; and of course we continue to develop proprietary solutions to meet the changing needs in the e-Discovery space.”

Kiersted adds, “We were pleased to see continued high levels of attendance at LegalTech New York. It’s always such a great chance for legal professionals to interact directly with us and other providers. We love the opportunity to have our “rock stars” meet with show-goers. As great as our technology is, ultimately it’s the people working together who make things happen. We are gratified that this conference reinforces our reputation for exceptional service and proven results.”

About Kiersted / Systems 
Kiersted / Systems, LP is a proven leader in electronic discovery and legal technology consulting. Its team of experienced, senior professionals provides a full range of legal technology services that includes electronic discovery processing, forensic data collection, native file review, hosting, and consulting related to matter management, electronic billing and legal hold. Kiersted’s powerful proprietary KEPS platform for electronic discovery includes the easy-to-use K4 Rapid Review system for accuracy, reliability, security, quality and speed. More information is available at www.kiersted.com or 866-543-7789. 

Media Contact:
Linda Gordon, Vice President, Sales & Marketing
866-543-7789 ext. 306
lgordon@kiersted.com