"BlueStar and DISCO Partner to Revolutionize eDiscovery with Cutting-Edge Technology"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

BLUESTAR and DISCO Forge Partnership 

CHICAGO, IL, December 13th, 2022 – BLUESTAR, an eDiscovery innovator and advisor to corporate clients and law firms around the world, announced today it has added new functionalities to its tech stack, with the addition of DISCO eDiscovery and DISCO AI for Corporations and Law Firms. These integrations will enable BLUESTAR to provide advanced capabilities to its clients and enable them to efficiently ingest, process, and host data more quickly and effectively with trusted security. 

The combination of DISCO’S eDiscovery and AI software solutions with BLUESTAR’S subject matter expertise and leading customer service model will give clients a more seamless user experience with lightning-fast processing, and enhanced hosting and document review capabilities that allow them to effectively manage time and significantly decrease costs associated with litigation and investigations.  

“DISCO’s eDiscovery solutions provided in conjunction with our consulting services will allow corporations and law firms to strengthen their litigation strategies while making discovery more cost-effective”, said Greg Estes, Managing Partner, BLUESTAR. “We’re delighted to integrate these cutting-edge litigation-ready capabilities into the BLUESTAR experience.” 

“We are excited to partner with BLUESTAR’s team, whose deep legal expertise spans from litigation support to complex data and compliance matters,” said DISCO VP of Business Development Marcelo Vieira. “DISCO has evolved to become a leader in providing innovative technologies and solutions that enhance the practice of law, and generate more efficiencies for legal professionals so they can win more cases and deliver better outcomes.”  

About BLUESTAR 

For over twenty years, BLUESTAR has been advising corporate clients and law firms around the world on matters across large-scale electronic discovery, innovative data and technology solutions, risk advisory, and compliance. BLUESTAR’s expertise spans from litigation support to complex data solutions to compliance and software platforms. As an official Microsoft 365 Security and Compliance Partner, BLUESTAR’s Microsoft advisory services range from utilization and optimization to in-depth training and development. www.bluestarcs.com 

About DISCO 

DISCO (NYSE: LAW) provides a cloud-native, artificial intelligence-powered legal solution that simplifies eDiscovery, legal document review, and case management for enterprises, law firms, legal services providers, and governments. Our scalable, integrated solution enables legal departments to easily collect, process, and review enterprise data that is relevant or potentially relevant to legal matters. For more information, visit www.csdisco.com. 

Deidra Sarego 

Director of Marketing - BlueStar 

1.800.471.8571 

Bluestarcs.com 

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"Interviews With In-House Legal: A Spotlight on Success"

“Why do we not have poutine in the American McDonald’s?” Sarah Thompson, Chief Product Officer at BlueStar, asked Diane Diaz, Senior Litigation Paralegal at McDonald’s this pressing question and more. In the video interview, Diane gets into the nitty details of eDiscovery, legal technologies, tips of the trade, and her personal journey of 17 years at McDonald’s. The evolution of eDiscovery and Diane’s trailblazing career is disclosed in the video interview.

[Sarah T.] Let’s talk about you, eDiscovery, litigation, and all that good stuff. What do you do in your role as Sr Litigation Paralegal at McDonald’s? What does your day-to-day look like?

[Diane D.] I have been with the company for 17 yrs. I have been around the block, kind of grew up in this eDiscovery space. I work with 9 lawyers, 2 paralegals, and 2 admins. Every day is different depending on what case we are working on. It’s a really fun group. We have a unique position and we touch all aspects of the business - like franchising, real estate supply chain, menu management, equipment, or government relations just to name a few. There never is a dull day at McDonald’s.

[Sarah T.] So that must be one of the things that you really love about your role at McDonald’s? It's just the fact that every day can be different, and you really don’t know what’s going to come your way?

[Diane D.] Yes, absolutely. You never know if it's going to be a good juicy subpoena or a juicy piece of litigation, not that we want that to happen, but it keeps me on my toes.

[Sarah T.] You say that there are a few attorneys, admins, and paralegals. It doesn’t sound like there is a huge team there. Is this just in the United States that you are talking about or is this global?

[Diane D.] We are a global legal department and our team is a global litigation team. So, if a matter comes up that involves another country, we take the opportunity to partner with our colleagues from that country and work on the resolution together.

[Sarah T.] Wow, your team is tasked with handling the litigation for one of the largest corporations on the planet. That sounds like a small team. You must really have your hands full every day.

[Diane D.] Small but mighty. We have good protocols in place and that we follow. It’s a great, great group of people that I have the privilege and pleasure of working with daily.

[Sarah T.] You mention that you have been at McDonalds for 17 years as a paralegal. What has evolved for you in the position as paralegal during that time because a lot has changed with tech and litigation?

[Diane D.] Yes, it sure has changed a lot. Coming in 17 years ago we were really focused on issuing legal holds via email or in-office mail. We focused on identifying and collecting paper files. But as the digital landscape evolved the collection extended to electronics. And the EDRM was created and I just grew into the space. I didn’t know it. It wasn’t until I actually put pen to paper and wrote down all the tasks that I do throughout the year where I realized I am supporting this EDRM from left to right in every single area of that space.

[Sarah T.] Do you find that the technology in the legal tech space has helped you a lot? Is it helping you more now than before? What is your sense in terms of the legal technology tools available to teams like yours?

[Diane D.] Yes, I mean going back to when we were reviewing emails natively and how time-consuming that was and the antiquated processes that we had in order to do that. I was begging for help and to bring on a tool to assist with this review process. I knew tools were out there and because I was talking to vendors that were selling them. It took a while, but there was an amazing lawyer we hired who helped me put together a business case and pitch the reasons as to why we needed a tool in-house. We got approval and brought on an early case assessment tool and it was a game-changer. With all the data today, you have to have a tool. You can’t do this natively. 

[Sarah T.] Do you remember what your first legal tech tool was?

[Diane D.] Yes, I do. The first tool that we had was Clearwell. It was a great tool for where we were with reviewing data. We made sure it wasn’t just that shiny red car that we parked in the garage and looked at without driving. We pounded on that tool and used it for all it was worth.

[Sarah T.] Are there any problems that technology should be solving but isn’t today?

[Diane D.] If I had a wish list, and I don’t think I am alone in this space, I would wish that legal technology would just have this end-to-end solution. Just one tool, easy to use, and that I don’t have to be certified to use it.

 [Sarah T.] I mean you talk to some legal tech vendors, and they might argue with you, but I think I agree. There is not a one size fits all kind of solution out there, and certainly, if there is, it's not easy to use which may be by design. We kind of like that because we (BlueStar) are certified in those tools. On the other hand, is it something that you would want to do, would you want to be running the entire eDiscovery process and not having to outsource everything or do you like the fact that you are actually getting some work off your plate when giving it to outside vendors?

[Diane D.] That is a great question. I don’t want to do it all. I don’t want to be the person reviewing all the data. I am happy to run the preservation process, interview the business clients, identify where the data is, collect the data, manage the data, load, and process the data. I don’t want to remediate it. I’ll pass that along to my vendor for support. And I don’t want to review it. I’ll pass that along to my outside counsel as well.

[Sarah T.] You mentioned that you have a small team, and it seems like a lot of them are women, is that true?

[Diane D.] It is. My two colleagues that I talk to and collaborate with on a daily basis are women.

[Sarah T.] That’s not uncommon for in-house counsel to be supported by a largely female staff, why do think that is? Is there something about the position that women are just like, “Oh I love it”? Why is that we are attracted to these roles?

[Diane D.] I don’t know. It’s a really great question. We have about 50 paralegals in the US legal department and only one is a man. He is the lone soldier in the pack. I don’t know why that is. From McDonald’s legal department someone just recently said that 60% of the legal department is women. So it’s a thing.

[Sarah T.] What got you started in this line of work? Maybe that will lead us to the answer. What attracted you specifically?

[Diane D.] Well, I can say what attracted me to the legal profession was my grandmother. Going way back to when I was a kid in elementary school, she was a legal secretary at a law firm. She would have to work on a Saturday on occasion and she would take me or my sister in there and I thought it was great. I would get to use her typewriter and she would let me pick out some pens and markers from this big supply room. And she would take notes in shorthand and then type them up. I was fascinated. Maybe it was the pretty pens and paper, or the typewriter. And after work, she would take me to McDonald’s for lunch. We would bring it home to eat, but she would say we have to eat the fries first because they were best when they were hot. SO true.

[Sarah T.] You mentioned that in-house is just litigation, is that the only difference between law firms and in-house counsel?

[Diane D.] Well, I think in-house there are more opportunities for development. I never worked at a large law firm so I can’t compare what opportunities are there. . In our legal department, you can cross-train on other teams to learn real estate or contracts.

[Sarah T.] Do you think there is more of a focus in-house on eDiscovery technology or is the opposite true?

[Diane D.] On my team there is certainly a focus on eDiscovery and technology. We are the only team that focuses on that. We handle it for all of our cases. From a technology perspective, that lands in my lap and my colleague’s lap just. We make sure we are using up-to-date technology that’s going to get us where we need it in a quick and reliable fashion.

[Sarah T.] What advice would you give yourself 17 years ago?

[Diane D.] First, I wouldn’t do anything differently. I think I have done pretty well in my career here. But what I would say is don’t just sit back and watch things happen, speak up. Had I not spoken up 17 years ago when that email process was changing, I don’t know what would have happened. Maybe someone else would be leading the show for this particular part of my job. Speak up and be positive. No one likes a negative nelly. Staying positive just makes for a better day.

[Sarah T.] In all of your 17 years at McDonald’s, of all the tools and processes you have implemented, is there any one of them that you are most proud of?

[Diane D.] I don’t know if there is one that I am most proud of. I pride myself on being that strategic thinker. You know, we’ve got a problem how are we going to solve it? I love being that strategic thinker and solving a problem. Finding the needle in the haystack. That’s what I am most proud of.

[Sarah T.] Is there any problem today that is top of mind that you are strategizing about or trying to solve?

[Diane D.] The data! Oh the data! You know, just trying to wrangle that beast. I think any large company is going to have a lot of data. You want one lens into what you have. That will always be the beast, right?

[Sarah T.] Definitely. Has it ever happened that the company has taken on a certain technology or tool, it could be cellphones or whatever, that is too challenging and too expensive in terms of fulfilling your corporate preservation obligations?

[Diane D.] Nothing that comes top of mind. If there is something out there, we will do our best to wrap our heads around it to be able to preserve and produce it if we need to.

[Sarah T.] Right now, this is a really interesting time for everyone on the planet with this pandemic that seems to be never-ending. How has McDonald’s had to change their processes or the way that they work at this time?

[Diane D.] I can only speak from my seat. The business as a whole pivoted. In the legal department, we were already in that hybrid workspace where we were working a couple of days from home and a couple from the city. We are very flexible, and I am extraordinarily pleased that I work for such a flexible team.. One technology that rolled out to the company during the pandemic was Microsoft Teams. So, as the eDiscovery paralegals, we took the opportunity to figure it out - at least from an eDiscovery perspective. It was quite a web to untangle. The communications were more difficult to track. But, we had lots of meetings and figured it out.

[Sarah T.] You mentioned Microsoft Teams and having an end-to-end eDiscovery platform. Microsoft does have what they claim to be an end-to-end eDiscovery platform. Do you have any comments about that?

[Diane D.] I have a lot of opinions. I don’t know if they are right, but they are my opinions. We look at tools all the time. We looked at using the security and compliance center for the end-to-end eDiscovery solution. But we noted some holes we couldn’t fill. Microsoft seems to have made it very lucrative for themselves to ensure you have all the holes filled. You have to have that big E5 license in order to work with it all. And we were not going to spend that kind of money. So, we work with a portion of it and created processes to use some of it but not all of it and we utilize other tools to complete the solution.

[Sarah T.] In mentioning Microsoft Teams again, Microsoft 365 has that functionality that comes along with that lower-level license to be able to preserve any data in Teams and along with every other source in Microsoft. So, does that bring any concerns to a team like yours because the nature of those Teams conversations tends to be a little more casual, a little more conversational. What do you think about that?

[Diane D.] Yes, like I said Teams was really one of those webs that we had to untangle. There were a lot of pieces. We try to educate people on the messages when we talk to them. But there are policies in place that employees should read and be aware of. RIM does a great job of putting the policies out there for people to refer to.

[Sarah T.] I definitely think number one; understanding your data source, having a great policy for your employees, and education is really the key to having a great preservation policy. You have been in this position for 17 years and it has evolved over time, really taken on a lot of legal technology, implementing different policies and procedures, what's next for you? What are you aspiring to?

[Diane D.] I love my job. It probably wasn’t until a few months ago that I put pen to paper and was like what the hell am I really doing? It was crazy. I mean what I do in looking at this EDRM. I was like, holy smokes and then when I quantified where the bulk of my work is focused, which is information governance and data and technology, it was eye-opening. And, I really love doing this. It started out we were focused on legal holds and getting that out to our business but the technology has just exploded. So, where do I want to be in 5 years? I don’t know. I hope that I am still with the company and growing in this eDiscovery career and taking it to the next level (to be determined).

[Sarah T.] Diane, in your 17 years at McDonald’s in what ways do you think you have brought value to that corporation in your role as Sr Litigation paralegal?

[Diane D.] In thinking about it, and I always go back to this EDRM, it's just kind of what I follow and what I do. And being sort of an early adopter, user, and follower of this spectrum and just the historical knowledge that I bring is how I add value. Again, it's not just preserving anymore. It’s learning about what technologies are being brought on. How does that function? How does the metadata look like? I never thought I would talk about metadata and get all excited but, I do. Having my head in this space, being interested in it, and continuing to learn about the technology and the tools available to help drive down risk and cost is how I add value.

[Sarah T.] I think it’s a really great point that you are making, and I want to take it a step further. To really illustrate the value of your position and people that are doing the work you are doing in a corporation. What would happen if you weren’t doing that work? What would be the consequences to a corporation that wasn’t preserving and collecting like you are with all the different data in the ESI landscape?

[Diane D.] Yes, obviously it’s a big risk and I think it puts more pressure on the lawyers. If they didn’t have us, they might be relying more on outside counsel and those fees are going to go up. They would have to do what I do and figure out where did this technology comes in, what is it connected to type of thing. We are helping drive down risk and control costs from outside counsel.

[Sarah T.] Well, not only that but you are ensuring that you are fulfilling your corporate preservation obligation, therefore avoiding sanctions possibly in some cases. I also think that there are times when the data you preserved can help you, some people think of it as a hindrance, but it can actually help you in litigation, so you are ensuring that that evidence is there when they need it. Hats off to you! Having people in-house like you actually preserving and collecting in a forensically sound manner, you really are preventing a huge risk to this company, and we didn’t even mention spoliation. You talk about metadata. If we want to nerd out on metadata, this is all about making sure that the document you preserved or collected is as pristine as it can be, meaning it’s forensically sound, no one has tampered with it. Because you are thinking about it, your litigators are not going to be facing sanctions or having evidence thrown out because of spoliation, so I think this is an extremely important job that you do! Thank you so much for your time today, Diane!

Established in 2003, We get your house in order! BlueStar‘s experts are eDiscovery and data solution consultants. We craft a tailored solution based on your needs built around our core consultation process.

We are experts in litigation support, complex data solutions, compliance, data privacy, and software platforms.  

All you ever wanted to know about Microsoft 365 but were afraid to ask!

Stay ahead of the curve in technology and eDiscovery with expert guidance from Sarah Thompson, a seasoned Microsoft 365 eDiscovery specialist. Join her in a session that demystifies the intricacies of Microsoft 365, detailing its features, capabilities, limitations, and advantages. Engage in an interactive Q&A session and get your questions answered by a seasoned industry professional.

Sarah Thompson, Chief Product Officer of BlueStar Case Solutions, is a seasoned executive with over 15 years of experience in legal technology innovation. Sarah possesses a unique combination of legal and cloud technology expertise, including product management, e-discovery, data privacy, and Microsoft 365 Security and Compliance.

With a proven track record of developing, launching, transforming, marketing, and promoting legal technology products and services that drive customer adoption, engagement, and revenue, Sarah is a results-oriented product leader. She has a talent for understanding the legal, cyber-security, and compliance needs of the top Law Firms, Government agencies, and Corporations globally and developing innovative, cloud-based solutions that meet those needs. With her extensive knowledge and passion for legal software development and delivery, Sarah is a true builder, having established both software and hosting businesses that remain closely attuned to their customers' needs.

As Chief Product Office, Sarah has developed software called Siemly.

With Siemly You Can Access the advanced tools of Microsoft 365

The Siemly platform is a game-changing solution for businesses that utilize the Microsoft 365 suite of products. Siemly allows you to gain a deep understanding of your Microsoft 365 environment, and to proactively address potential issues thereby mitigating risk.  With the help of cutting-edge artificial intelligence, Siemly collects, stores, and analyzes Microsoft 365 activity logs giving Legal, Compliance, and HR Teams the ability to:

• Detect potential employee malfeasance

• Identify data storage locations, SharePoint sites, and devices connecting to Microsoft 365

• Place legal holds and preserve data

• Launch investigations, view vital employee information, and monitor internal and external group activities

• Predict future employee behavior

Established in 2003, We get your house in order! BlueStar‘s experts are eDiscovery and data solution consultants. We craft a tailored solution based on your needs built around our core consultation process.

We are experts in litigation support, complex data solutions, compliance, data privacy, and software platforms.  

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Microsoft 365 and WFH Considerations: An Interview with Sarah Sims-Thompson

Microsoft 365 and WFH Considerations: An Interview with Sarah Sims-Thompson

Millions of employees globally are now working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since many have not done so before, they are facing challenges in managing their workflows and coordinating and collaborating with their peers. Corporate legal teams are now faced with the challenge of fulfilling their legal and ethical obligations in this new landscape. Though this has happened due to very unfortunate circumstances, by adopting the right tools and technologies, remote working can be a safe, convenient, and most importantly, compliant, way to work.

I sat down with Sarah Sims-Thompson, Chief Product Officer of Blue Star Case Solutions, to talk about Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) and best practices in relation to the pandemic work-from-home paradigm.

[Deidra.S] What recommendations do you have from a litigation readiness perspective?

[Sarah.T] I think that corporate legal teams need to take stock of how employee behavior has changed and make sure that they update their ESI protocol to reflect those changes. Basically, they need to have a plan on how to preserve and collect all user-generated data now that workers are at home. They need to start off by identifying exactly where this data is being generated; from the devices to the software they use.  If the company did not support remote workers prior to Covid-19, then they probably have a lot more work to do than those that did. 

Although every corporation has a unique litigation profile, in general, the following can be considered to be best practice; provide your employees with the devices necessary to perform their tasks like laptops, have an allowed software list of applications and platforms that support litigation readiness and back up your plan with employee policies. You want to know where people are storing their data and communications, you can’t have employees making their own choices. The more data sources you have, the more complex and fallible your preservation strategy will be since all employee data is discoverable, regardless of where it is.  Legal teams need to work with their IT teams to reduce their ESI landscape with a clearly allowed software policy which will narrow their field of scope when developing their preservation strategy. Even though they can’t prevent an employee from using apps that aren’t on their approved list, the employee would however be in breach of policy if they did so. 

We must remember that a preservation strategy must be “reasonable” and defensible. It does not, and some would argue, cannot, take into consideration all possible data sources, that would be unduly burdensome. Most corporations are using Microsoft 365 (M365), which includes built in eDiscovery capabilities that can make the legal team’s job much easier.

[Deidra.S] What type of eDiscovery capabilities?

[Sarah.T] Microsoft 365 has end to end built-in eDiscovery capabilities from legal hold notification through to production. However, the features available all depend on the corporations Microsoft 365 licensing. The Advanced eDiscovery features in M365, such as legal hold notification, early case assessment, processing, and review require an E5 license or the equivalent which not a lot of corporations have for all of their employees. Most corporations have E3 licenses which allow you to preserve data in place, perform search and investigation and export the data if further review is required.  With an E3 license Microsoft 365, eDiscovery allows you to preserve in place Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive data and allows you to apply date range limitations and other filters. I work with a lot of corporations to help them leverage their Microsoft 365 licenses. Not just because it’s cost-effective but because they are preserving data in place and not collecting to preserve so they are reducing risk as well by only preserving what they need and only collecting when they need to.

[Deidra.S] You mentioned Teams, how would that benefit a company that’s now facing WFH?

{Sarah.T] Teams is replacing Skype, it’s basically Skype on steroids. Many corporations are using Teams for video conferencing, collaboration, messaging, and more.  Since Teams data is easy to preserve in M365 it is a smart choice. 

[Deidra.S] What do legal teams find challenging about Microsoft 365?

[Sarah.T] With Microsoft 365 we have an overlap between Legal and IT, I see this as being the greatest challenge. Typically, the M365 licensing budget lies with IT, not Legal, so they are often not at the table when licensing decisions are being made and therefore, they frequently aren’t getting the licensing they need to leverage M365 functionality like preservation in place. Another challenge is that Legal and IT often don’t speak the same language making it hard to communicate their needs. IT teams aren’t usually experts in a corporation’s legal obligations and eDiscovery process whilst Legal teams don’t typically understand all the IT jargon and security requirements. We also see a reluctance from IT to give Legal permissions to access the Security and Compliance center, where the eDiscovery functionality sits because this is really considered to be IT’s domain since this is where all the corporation’s security and threat management is managed. Even when permissions are granted to Legal, the technical interface, designed for IT, can be daunting for legal teams. I work with both Legal and IT as a translator of sorts to help educate both sides on the benefits, features, and functionality of Microsoft 365 and how it will help them to reduce cost and manage risk.

{Deidra.S} I also asked Aaron Crockett, attorney at Harrang Long Gary Rudnick, who has the same challenges at his firm. Aaron stated that the skills set of the users and training attorneys on a new platform are hard.

[Sarah.T] Yes, most definitely, Legal does not want to be spending time learning another platform, they want to do what they do best - which is practice law.

[Deidra.S] Sounds like Microsoft 365 is the only solution a company needs to fulfill their duty to preserve. 

[Sarah.T] Actually, that is rarely the case. Even if a corporation is using Microsoft 365 and has the right licensing, there is almost always data that requires preservation outside of Microsoft 365. Some corporations use cloud platforms like Slack, Salesforce, or Asana and of course, there is often relevant computer, network, and phone data. Things can get complicated pretty quickly. I often challenge corporate IT and Legal teams to think about creative ways to streamline preservation without limiting their employees’ ability to get the job done. As an example: let’s say your employees are currently using their phones to text with other employees. If this data is subject to discovery, it can be VERY difficult and expensive to collect those text messages off those phones. The phrase, “I'll give you my phone when you pry it from my cold, dead hands", comes to mind. So why not issue a policy that forbids text messaging and allows for messaging through Teams on the phone instead? This way you won’t need to fight to the death to get a phone from someone. You can instead preserve those conversations when you are preserving their email in Microsoft 365. Cheaper, easier, and less risky. 

[Deidra.S] What if they don’t have Microsoft 365 or the right licensing to perform preservation there?

[Sarah.T] Of course, that is often the case and even if they do have all the right licensing they will still face the challenge of preserving non-365 data sources. I think it all starts with the allowed software policy. Pick applications that have built-in preservation functionality. For instance, for messaging, choose something like Chatter 365 that allows you to easily place holds and preserve in place and that exports the data in an easily reviewable format, as opposed to Slack which is notoriously difficult to preserve, collect and review. 

[Deidra.S] Any final thoughts?

[Sarah.T] Preparing a team to work remotely can be challenging - especially when it happens quickly with no warning as it did in March because of the pandemic. Whether you use Microsoft 365 or not, try to limit your ESI landscape so that your preservation strategy is manageable and cost-effective, repeatable, and defensible. If you need help or have questions, BlueStar can help. Get in touch with us to learn more about how Microsoft 365 is important to manage your remote workplace and the best ways to implement it in your organization.

 We are currently offering a personalized 1-hour consultation with an eDiscovery industry expert on Microsoft 365 eDiscovery or Remote Workplace Risk assessment at no cost through September 30th. Just go to https://www.bluestarcs.com/onlineconsulting and enter code COVID-19 to waive the $495 fee.

Sarah Thompson (nee Sims), is Chief Product Officer for BlueStar Case Solutions, Inc. Sarah is passionate about legal technology innovation having developed, brought to market, positioned, and managed some of the legal industry’s leading technology offerings for over 15 years. Sarah brings a wealth of legal and cloud technology expertise in the areas of product management, e-discovery, data privacy, and Microsoft 365 Security and Compliance. 

Established in 2003, BlueStar‘s experts are eDiscovery and data solution consultants. We craft a tailored solution based on your needs built around our core consultation process. We get your house in order!

We are experts in litigation support, complex data solutions, compliance, data privacy, and software platforms.  

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BLUESTAR BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends,

At BlueStar, our thoughts and well-wishes are with you during these challenging times. We understand the difficulties and uncertainties you may be facing, and we are here to offer our support and assistance.

As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic together, we want you to know that BlueStar remains fully committed to serving your ediscovery needs. Our team is available to you, operating remotely and following all necessary precautions to keep our employees and clients safe and healthy. Rest assured, our commitment to delivering top-quality service remains unwavering.

During this time of uncertainty, we recognize the importance of staying connected and supporting one another. If there is anything we can do to help, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you for being a valued client of BlueStar. We are deeply grateful for your trust and support, and we will continue to work tirelessly to earn it every day. If there is anything we can do to assist you in the weeks and months ahead, please don't hesitate to reach out. We are here for you and wish you all the best.

Sincerely, The BlueStar Team

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VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLE EVENT TO DISCUSS BUSINESS CONTINUITY AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

On April 7th, BlueStar held an exclusive virtual roundtable event to discuss business continuity amid the Covid-19 pandemic with thought leaders from a variety of organizations across the United States. The participants [1] featured representatives from Morgan Lewis, Winston & Strawn, Korein Tillery, Farmers Insurance, Bryan Cave, TechNoir Solutions, and BlueStar Case Solutions. Moderated by BlueStar’s Vice President of Client Solutions, Salvatore Mancuso, the discussion addressed pre-Covid-19 work policies, the “new norm” and challenges of working from home, current adoptions of existing and new technologies, and predictions of post-Covid-19 work life.

It goes without saying the degree to which this global pandemic has impacted society could not have been foreseen.  When Covid-19 emerged, the personal and professional lives of people around the world were abruptly changed forever.  Many were forced to make changes on the fly with very little notice.  Some changes were drastic while some were minor, and some changes will be temporary while others will be long lasting.  Recently, BlueStar brought together a panel of professionals from the legal and technology sectors via a virtual roundtable to discuss how some of these changes have affected their work lives and organizations they are employed by.

Moving away from the “Old-Norm” - From a professional standpoint, one of the biggest changes many of us had to make was moving from an office environment to a work from home or “WFH” setting. All of our participants were willing to candidly share that their organizations’ existing WFH policies were challenged beyond the majority of the participants’ expectations but, for the most part, were up for the challenge. Existing WFH policies spanned the gamut including a six-day per month WFH allowance while others required specific departments to maintain a full-time physical presence in the office. 

It seems that all of the represented organizations transitioned to WFH rather quickly - taking no more than a week to be fully operational again - albeit with some unforeseen challenges.  Some organizations thrived by bolstering their existing technology while others were already prepared for the level of impact this pandemic caused through their business continuity planning. One roundtable participant stated, “I was impressed and give credit to the IT teams and our preparedness plan. We were able to transition over two thousand employees to WFH within a day!” Many of the participants mentioned their respective organizations had already made an investment in cloud-based solutions and services – making email and network resources easily accessible for colleagues. However, as one participant mentioned, “a lot of things were stored on premise only.  No one imagined an entire firm working remotely so we had to make some adjustments.”  

The Impact - Between March 19th and March 23rd, in addition to many corporations and law firms transitioning to a WFH scenario, most schools moved to remote “e-learning” and, just like that, parents became tutors, wine was the new coffee, and pajamas were the new suit and tie. Most people across the nation, with the exception of essential workers, were instructed to shift to WFH and unfortunately some were even furloughed or laid off. Luckily, pre-existing policies and technology allowed for a smoother than expected transition for all of our participants. However, working from home brought new challenges as one participant noted, “Meetings within the organizations and with clients used to take place in conference rooms, restaurants, and coffee shops. We did not have to chase around a 2-year-old in between calls or play phone tag with someone who sat just several feet away a couple of weeks ago.”  Other challenges mentioned included: the screaming toddler in the background of conference calls, the family dogs barking for attention, and the necessity to share working space with significant others – just to name a few. The list is endless and contains new struggles for some but familiar norms for others.  An attorney in the group offered, “Lawyers at our firm are always expected to be on call all day and night so it was nothing new to us.” 

Employees not accustomed to working from home found themselves relying on technology to help facilitate communication. “It is a challenge when you are used to being able to walk to a colleague’s office and now must send an email or set up a virtual meeting,” offered one participant while another mused, “I miss the face to face and the office setting as I sit working solo at home – a change we had to adjust to overnight.”  

During our conversation, we also heard of organizations investing in new technologies to assist with making working from home as easy as possible while others were well prepared on the technology front and simply utilized their existing resources. Personnel within a few of the organizations represented at our discussion found themselves relying on their colleagues via impromptu training sessions to help with (re)training on how best to put available technology to use. Other organizations offered more formal training sessions – via video conferencing of course. 

One of our guests shared an ominous warning, “Since Covid-19 emerged there has been a malware increase of 475%.  Those working from home need to continue to be aware and take every precaution they can from clicking on links or attachments within emails from unknown senders.” Apparently, hackers have taken the Covid-19 situation as an opportunity to try to wreak even more havoc than usual. This is certainly one more thing for all of us to keep in mind during these unsettling times.   

The concept of innovation was also discussed.  Even before Covid-19 emerged, some of our thought leaders said their organizations had been investing in new technologies and approaches in order to be more accessible to their clients, improve internal efficiencies, and differentiate their organizations from the competition.  One of our participants was excited to share that his company’s transition to WFH was seamless and it encouraged their teams to think outside the box which included a new way to communicate through a proprietary app named Chatter 365[2].  “It’s a platform that quickly allows our organization to share important updates, brings our individuals and teams together in a collaborative environment and gets everyone out of email.” It appears these organizations are taking this pandemic challenge head-on via a creative approach with hopes of emerging from it in a better position than before.  

Embracing the “New Norm” and some Predictions - We asked our guests which solutions they may carry forward post-pandemic and their work-life predictions for the future. In response, we heard the long-term impact of all of this may not necessarily be negative. Many of the participants agreed this “new norm” has interestingly brought teams closer together even though individuals are physically located farther apart.  Others shared it has forced them to manage their time and workload better. New norm technology adoptions also included an increase in utilizing virtual meeting platforms such as Skype, GoToMeeting, and Zoom. “I think we will see more use of these virtual meetings. People may not have to necessarily travel as much going forward. These solutions could help organizations reduce costs,” was one comment we heard. Another participant added, “The concept of WFH and increasing our data security spend was more of a trend prior to COVID-19.  Tomorrow, it may just become a standard.” The new norm predictions also included a decrease in reliance on brick and mortar office space due to the apparent effectiveness of WFH, which, in the long run, may also prove to be more cost-efficient for many businesses. 

Takeaways Tips

1. Encourage weekly virtual team meetings (yes, we also count happy hours) to bolster cohesiveness and ensure everyone is on the same-page while working in unison towards individual and organizational goals. 

2. Make yourself accessible and be flexible. Communicate with your team and clients as much as possible. If you are partaking in childcare or have other non-work commitments, let your team and your clients know up front and schedule accordingly. Most will understand.

3. Offer educational content to your employees and clients in the form of documentation and/or online classes.

4. Prioritize training staff on the technologies you have adopted as well as WFH policies.

5. Create or review a “playbook” or business continuity plan to assure your organization is better prepared in the future to handle a pandemic such as Covid-19.  

6. Stay aware and vigilant about cyber security and data privacy. 

7. Take time to take care of yourself and your loved ones. A short walk or stint on the exercise bike can do wonders for one’s mindset and productivity.

[1] Participants:

Lauren Doerries – Global Information Governance & Business Process Manager, Morgan Lewis 

Joe Utsler – Litigation Support Manager, Farmers Insurance 

Scott Cohen - Managing Director - eDiscovery & Information Governance/Practice & Client Services, Winston & Strawn 

Christian Auty – Of Counsel, Bryan Cave 

James Velco – CIO/President, TechNoir Solutions 

Stephanie Clerkin – Director of Litigation Support, Korein Tillery 

Brent Gustafson – Vice President of Business Development, BlueStar Case Solutions

2 Chatter 365 – A BlueStar app designed by their sister company, Siemly Global.

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