The new course expands e-discovery skills and helps professionals build expertise in information governance.
April 1, 2025 – Dallas, TX – The Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS), the world’s premier organization dedicated to improving the quality of education and standards of the e-discovery industry and part of BARBRI Professional Education, today announced a strategic partnership with Contoural, a leading industry provider of information governance and records management strategic consulting services. Together, ACEDS and Contoural have developed the Information Governance Foundations certificate program, a practical online training course aimed at addressing growing challenges in records management, privacy and information management compliance.
This innovative certificate program is designed specifically for legal professionals, IT specialists, compliance officers, privacy specialists, and e-discovery practitioners. As regulatory records management and privacy requirements intensify and cybersecurity threats evolve, organizations increasingly need skilled professionals capable of implementing robust and sustainable policies, and practices to manage the risks of over retaining information while driving better management of privacy and other sensitive information and driving employee and business unit productivity.
“Contoural is excited to partner with ACEDS on providing training that provides real-world, practical and compliant approaches to manage the increasing challenges of both paper and especially electronic information,” said Mark Diamond, CEO of Contoural.
“The most effective e-discovery practices start with better information management before litigation strikes.”
Participants of the Information Governance Foundations program will gain an in-depth understanding of essential IG principles, including policy creation, records retention schedules, legal hold procedures, data security classification, and strategies for managing unstructured data repositories such as Microsoft 365. The course structure is divided into seven interactive modules, providing real-world examples and actionable insights to help participants immediately apply learned practices within their organizations.
Upon completion, course participants will receive a Certificate of Completion and a digital badge, allowing them to highlight their IG expertise on professional platforms such as LinkedIn and email signatures. Additionally, successful participants will earn 2.5 Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS) credits, applicable towards the CEDS exam eligibility or ongoing recertification requirements.
“Information governance is the very foundation for all upstream e-discovery processes, and it has become a critical competency for professionals responsible for managing data, navigating compliance complexities, and protecting organizations against risk,” said Mike Quartararo, President of ACEDS. “Our alliance with Contoural reflects our ongoing commitment to equipping our members and legal professionals in general with practical, relevant education that directly addresses the evolving needs of today’s regulatory landscape and helps them upskill.”
The Information Governance Foundations course offers flexible, self-paced online learning, enabling busy professionals to access comprehensive course materials, quizzes, and interactive exercises at their convenience.
Enrollment is now open. Professionals interested in expanding their information governance capabilities can register or obtain more information by visiting https://aceds.org/information-governance-foundations/.
About Contoural
Contoural is the largest independent provider of information governance, privacy and AI governance strategic consulting services. Serving more than 30% of the Fortune 500, hundreds of small and mid-sized companies, public sector organizations, and non-profits, Contoural reduces risk, ensures compliance, lowers costs, and drives employee productivity. With the industry’s widest offerings, it services include assessments and roadmaps, records management policy and schedule development, AI governance program development, privacy, data placement and automation, behavior change management and training as well as process development. As an independent provider, Contoural sells no products, provides no “reactive” eDiscovery services, stores no documents, nor receives referral fees.
About ACEDS
The Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS), part of leading legal education provider BARBRI Global, is the world’s leading organization for training and certification in e-discovery, information governance, and related disciplines. ACEDS provides training to corporate legal departments, law firms, the government, service providers, and institutions of higher learning. Our flagship CEDS certification is recognized worldwide and used to verify skills and competence in electronic discovery for organizations and individuals through training, certification, and continuing education. The CEDS credential is held by practitioners at the largest Fortune 500 companies, Am Law 200 firms and government agencies. ACEDS has 30 chapters in most major US cities, Canada, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Australia. Our goal is to help professionals and organizations reduce the costs and risks associated with e-discovery while helping to improve and verify their skills and advance their careers and overall technology competence in e-discovery and related fields.
About BARBRI
BARBRI is the global leader in technology-enabled legal education with leadership positions in the US and the UK. Dedicated to providing unparalleled innovation and excellence in legal education, BARBRI delivers outstanding success to learners by providing the most trusted and industry leading products under one unified experience and across every step of the legal learner’s path. Building on the success of its core bar courses, which have helped more than 1.5 million lawyers around the world pass a U.S. bar exam, BARBRI offers a comprehensive suite of learning solutions for higher education institutions and law-related businesses empowering every step of legal learning journey. Founded in 1967, BARBRI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with offices throughout the United States and around the world.
ACEDS Media Contact:
Katie Saylor
913.219.4444
[email protected]
