Extract from Dean Athanasopoulos’s article “My Certified eDiscovery Specialist Journey”
I’ve been a Litigation Support Specialist for almost 20 years. I learned on the job after college in 2005 when the word eDiscovery started to be tossed around. So, you may ask why someone like me would need to go through the time and cost of the CEDS exam. Here’s why.
I would have loved the benefit of a structured certification course to learn about eDiscovery instead of learning it piecemeal. Knowing all the legal terminology better helps you when working with attorneys. Ultimately, I wanted something globally recognized as a stamp of approval, showing I knew what I was doing professionally.
We in the eLitigation world sometimes get stuck in bubbles. Some of us only work on certain portions of the EDRM. I got primarily stuck in processing to presentation (sometimes mostly presentation). However, ACEDS’ certification ensures you understand all phases of the EDRM, how they’re connected, and the rules of discovery.
Signing up
The cost of the standard CEDS prep and exam package is $1495. That comes with access to video modules, a study manual, and one chance to pass the exam. ACEDS offers discounts for these packages throughout the year, usually on major holidays, Cyber Monday, Black Friday, etc. The discount can range from 20% to 30% off. That takes down much of the price, so jumping on those deals is best. I recommend following ACEDS on social media to learn when discounts are offered. A discount can add to less pressure to dive into the certification process. I was worried about spending a lot of money and not passing, which caused me to delay signing up.
