For Immediate Release - October 7, 2010
Contact:
Isabel Arias
Editorial Director
iarias@aceds.org
786-517-2714
Arthur J. England Jr., Esteemed Appellate Lawyer and Former Chief Justice of Florida Supreme Court, Joins ACEDS Advisory Board
MIAMI (Oct. 7, 2010) -- Arthur J. England Jr., the nationally recognized appellate lawyer who as chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court took a leading role in groundbreaking decisions that allowed cameras in all state courts and created the Interest on Lawyers Trust Account (IOLTA) program, which became a model for similar programs nationwide, has been named to the Advisory Board of the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS).
Pioneer in lawyer certification, author of landmark laws
England is a shareholder with the international law firm Greenberg Traurig and co-chairs the firm's national appellate practice group. He served as chair of The Florida Bar's first Appellate Practice Certification Committee and as legal counsel to the Governor of Florida and the Florida House of Representatives. He wrote Florida's administrative procedures act, deceptive and unfair trade practices act, and corporate income tax code.
"The explosion in the volume of electronically stored information poses a historic challenge to our legal system and many of its most honored principles, those of accessibility, affordability and transparency," England said. "I'm glad to be able to contribute to ACEDS' efforts to bring consistent standards of competency and professionalism to the field of electronic discovery, and to keep our adversarial system affordable and fair."
Certification attests to knowledge and skill of specialists
ACEDS is a member organization for professionals who work in the electronic discovery field. Its focus is on ensuring that these professionals have the knowledge and skill to discharge the diverse and complex duties that arise in the proper handling of electronically stored information that may be exchanged among adversaries and admitted as evidence in civil and criminal trials and other dispute resolution proceedings.
ACEDS is developing the first psychometrically-sound certification in the e-discovery field, a credential that will be available starting in November 2010 to those who pass the rigorous examination.
England joins diverse Advisory Board of experts
England joins an Advisory Board that is led by Chairman William Hamilton, a partner at Quarles & Brady and pioneer e-discovery legal educator. The Advisory Board includes attorney John Barkett, partner at Shook Hardy & Bacon, who chairs the American Bar Association's National Institute on E-Discovery; Carnival Corporation general counsel Arnaldo Perez; plaintiffs' attorney Ervin Gonzalez of Colson Hicks; e-discovery consultant Carolyn Southerland of Huron Consulting; attorney and e-discovery specialist Bennett Borden of Williams Mullen; Deloitte Financial Advisory Services principal Anthony Reid, and Helen Moure, an e-discovery consultant and former partner at K&L Gates. They are described at www.ACEDS.org.
"We are honored to have a legal scholar of Arthur England's accomplishments, innovation and vision helping guide ACEDS in its pioneering work," said Chairman Hamilton.
After nearly a year of preparation, ACEDS was officially launched in May to meet the demands of providing the universe of e-discovery professionals in the United States and abroad a certification that meets the highest levels of integrity, professionalism and psychometric standards, as well as top-quality training, networking and specialized information to help them in their work.
High risks and costs make a compelling case for certification
"ACEDS is very pleased to add the great legal mind of Arthur England to the Advisory Board and to be able to count on his help in guiding the programs that serve the broad legal community. The risks and costs that litigants face in e-discovery are so high that an independent, professional certification attesting to the knowledge and skills of the professionals who deal with it is vital," ACEDS founder Charles Intriago said.
Intriago, a former Assistant US Attorney and partner in the national firm McDermott Will & Emery, established in 2001 the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), which developed the widely-respected Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist certification, the world standard bearer. The CAMS credential has been earned by 8,000 private and public sector professionals.
ACEDS' Executive Director is Gregory Calpakis, who held the same position at ACAMS. "The data deluge has become routine in courts and in corporate, law firm and government operations. This requires a new, sharpened focus on skills and standards, so that corporations, law firms, government agencies and the judiciary can be confident that the people who handle electronically stored information are competent--and fully understand what the law and best practices demand," Calpakis said.
"It is not merely a technology issue, but one that deals with the affordability of justice and equal access to the courts by persons who cannot afford to sort through the massive amounts of electronic data that now engulf our daily lives," he added.
(The ACEDS Annual E-Discovery Conference will be held March 23-26, 2011 at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Florida. Accredited members of the media may obtain credentials to cover the conference by contacting Nathaly Vera at 786-517-2707 or email at nvera@aceds.org)
