Crane on Law by James Crane

On the eve of Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for all of the relationships in my life, with my family, friends, colleagues, and clients. It has been a great year with many outstanding experiences. Speaking of experience…

Think about what goes through your mind as a legal professional when a potential client inquires whether an attorney or paralegal with little or no experience can handle a legal matter as well as an experienced practitioner. Without a doubt, you feel like I do. There is no substitute for experience.

Over the years, there is less and less that will surprise an experienced paralegal or attorney. So much of the legal profession must be learned by doing, and cannot possibly be picked up in a classroom. As a client, it can be very costly to be part of the “learning curve.”

This is true in the litigation support business as well. As a younger practicing attorney, I didn’t pay much attention to the identity of the litigation support vendor. After a few episodes of heartburn caused by missed deadlines or paying twice for the same job, my view changed. Especially in light of the amended federal rules and the emphasis on a defensible process, a reliable litigation support partner is a crucial component in the execution of a case. Many of our best relationships with corporate clients resulted from Altep repairing the mistakes of other vendors and meeting deadlines.

The litigation support industry has changed dramatically in the last year, with literally hundreds of startups and companies with a foundation in other industries jumping into the fray. However, the axiom still applies: Experience Matters. My advice is to be very careful when selecting your partner - there is a tremendous difference between 10 years' experience, and 10 minutes' experience. I’m happy to talk with you about some of the important criteria to look for in a litigation support partner. You can also check out the Sedona Conference’s white paper regarding the selection of a litigation support vendor at http://www.thesedonaconference.org/dltForm?did=RFP_Paper.pdf.

For the record, Altep has been around since 1994.