This week, ACEDS is celebrating the value of professional certifications and the individuals who take this step towards enhancing their careers. In an industry that is constantly growing, certifications build technical skills and expand knowledge that contribute to successful client outcomes. This is particularly important today since more and more legal professionals who are not lawyers have critical roles in the e-discovery process.
Certifications also play a vital role in validating one’s skills and allowing legal professionals to stand out to hiring managers and to recruiters looking to fill roles in an active hiring environment. Actual work experience is surely important. But there is no better way to demonstrate the knowledge, skill and talent required in a professional role than through standardized, psychometric testing and certification.
And most certifications also require continuing education credits, which signifies a commitment to ongoing learning and dedication to one’s craft.
During World Certification Week, ACEDS recognizes the hard work that goes into earning certifications and the advantages they provide.
Below, we’ve included thoughts and comments from legal professionals and e-discovery experts on the value of the CEDS certification and how ACEDS’ training programs have enriched their careers. We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
“Not only does a certification help you stand out in a crowded field of professionals, but it is invaluable to your clients and colleagues.”
– Susan Jackson, CEDS, Legal Counsel for Commercial, Trade, and Information Governance at Novelis Corporation
“There are many values to the CEDS certification. To me, it proves competence in a very specialized and very important field. I’ve hired several people because they have the CEDS certification and it initially told me that they were smart and really knew what they were doing, and in every instance that actually proved to be true.”
– Alvin Lindsey, CEDS, Partner, Hogan Lovells LLP
“If I had two candidates coming in for the same position, I would hire the CEDS Canada candidate over the other one because they have a basis of knowledge on which to train on.”
– Ann Halkett, CEDS, Manager of eDiscovery Services, Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP
“A certification in e-discovery is extremely valuable right now because no one is providing standardized education in this area. States are now requiring individuals to have some level of technical competence without developing any standards and ACEDS is providing the only systematic and recognized certification available to satisfy this requirement.”
– Tom O’Connor, CEDS, Director of the Gulf Coast Legal Technology Center
“If you’ve been in the industry for awhile and you have different technology certifications, the CEDS certification is a good way to upgrade your current skill set.”
– Carolyn Anger, CEDS, Senior Director, Consilio Canada
“E-discovery has its own terminology and people often use phrases without understanding their meaning; the CEDS exam provides professionals with the ability to learn the language of electronic discovery, which improves communication and understanding across the team.”
– Julie Brown, CEDS, Director of Practice Technology at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
To learn more about CEDS certification and ACEDS’ other training programs, visit www.aceds.org/.
