Judges: Don’t Hire Lawyers Who Aren’t Tech-Savvy

A panel of four “cyberstar” federal judges at a recent legal tech conference had a pointed message for corporate counsel: An understanding of e-discovery is now essential for any serious litigation practitioner, no matter how seasoned or proficient he or she might be otherwise. “Why,” asked U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola of the District of Columbia, “hire a lawyer who doesn’t even have the technological competence to complete simple, everyday tasks like converting a Microsoft Word document into a PDF?” The panel members were, in addition to Judge Facciola, Judge Shira Scheindlin, Magistrate Judge James C. Francis, and Magistrate Judge Andrew J. Peck, all from the Southern District of New York.