The Sedona Conference

I am a member of the Sedona Conference, a forum for lawyers, jurists,
academics, and other specialists who are interested in issues
surrounding antitrust law, complex litigation, and intellectual property
rights. Through conferences and mini think-tanks, these professionals
engage in dialogue, rather than debate, aimed at reasoned and just
progress and innovation in numerous aspects of law. Through its Working
Group Series, the Sedona Conference supports a forward-thinking
dialectic, developing practices and guidelines for areas of law lacking
adequate direction or needing revision. In conjunction with its peer
review process, the goal of the Working Group Series is to create
balanced and authoritative output that will immediately benefit not only
lawyers and the judicial process, but also the general public as a
whole.

The first Working Group was formed in Spring 2002; the Working Group
created the publication The Sedona Principles, which addressed
electronic document production over the course of a year. The Principles
were used by the Federal Judicial Center’s Civil Rules Advisory
Committee, the Southern District of New York, and the District of Kansas
as an authority in an area previously lacking precedent. This
conference has also produced The Sedona Conference Commentary on Legal
Holds, The Sedona Conference Commentary on Email Management and
Archiving, a Glossary, and a guide to the Best Practices for Navigating
the eDiscovery Vendor Selection Process. Eight additional Working Groups
have been formed since the first, offering similar advancements in
antitrust law, intellectual property rights, and complex litigation.

Upcoming 2010 conferences hosted by the Sedona Conference include a look
at eDiscovery Dispute Resolution Program For Special Masters &
Mediators, an antitrust law and litigation conference, a patent
litigation conference, and an examination of legislative a behavioral
changes as they relate to the future of civil litigation.