In this episode of the Digital Detectives, board certified trial lawyer Craig Ball talks with Sharon Nelson and John Simek about information technology competency and the 2016 Georgetown Ediscovery Training Academy. Craig explains that the bootcamp is six days of extensive work and requires a great deal of effort on the part of the attendees for weeks before they arrive. He asserts that the program’s hour long written assessment exam, three full days of technical training, rigorous reading requirements, and week-long “meet and confer” exercise are a few of the things that differentiate this curriculum from other continuing legal education courses. Craig also shares that the goal of the program is to establish a certain level of competency and fluency in e-discovery and digital evidence and to help cultivate a passion in individuals interested in these fields. He continues by stating that lawyers graduate lacking the basic skills that are necessary to teach themselves what they need to know about information technology and this is why programs like this are so important. Craig analyzes the legal education system, the expectation of apprenticeship, and how many of the most seasoned lawyers know little or nothing about electronically stored information. He closes the interview with a discussion of where the legal profession will be in 10 years regarding tech competency and a reflection on his career today.

Craig Ball is a board certified trial lawyer, certified computer forensic examiner, law professor, and electronic evidence expert, who limits his practice to serving as a court-appointed special master and consultant in computer forensics and electronic discovery. He has served as the special master or testifying expert in computer forensics and electronic discovery in some of the most challenging and celebrated cases in the U.S.

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