First, allow me to thank everyone who responded to my previous blog post regarding certification.  It has been an honor and a privilege to receive so many e-mails as well as comments on this as well as other blogs that picked up the post.
 
Since the majority of your responses focused on the field of education rather than certification, this post will be dedicated exclusively to it.  I think most would agree that e-discovery and the practice support industry are in dire need of solid and unbiased education.  So before you commit your hard-earned and heavily fought-for budget money to an education course, ask yourself the following questions:

What’s in it for me?

Unless you are a complete novice to the field, choosing an educational course that can fit your needs is difficult.  Most of the educational programs are directed to an assumed mean to attract the widest possible audience and it is hard to find a course whose focus matches yours.  Flexibility will be the key here.  Check that the level of each course is clearly described (the ILTA Conference and its year-round seminars are really good at this) so you can pick and choose the courses that not only match your interests, but are also taught  at the appropriate level.  Note who actually teaches the courses and find out as much as possible about the speakers and their background.
 
What’s in it for them?

Think about the benefits for the organization that offers education and choose wisely.  If the event does not charge admission, beware of possible bias – as we all know, there is no free lunch.  Find out what drives an organization to put out an educational course.  For example, LegalTech started as a trade show specifically designed to allow the exhibitors to present their products.  Some found it difficult to describe them on the trade show floor, so they asked for the conference rooms.  Over the years, however, these demo rooms developed into fully functional classrooms with education as their goal and an advisory board to police the “sell from the podium” factor.  Others followed this model that allows supervised sponsorship of the educational tracks and sessions.
  
There is a conflict which it is important to be alert to.  Once you move away from courses which are wholly funded by attendee fees, the only people with the knowledge, the funding and the motive to provide educational content are the providers of litigation software and services.  At one level, these are the best-qualified people to talk about practical experience, since they have more than anybody else.  The ideal lineup, perhaps, consists of providers, lawyers and Litigation/Practice Support professionals who have done a lot of e-Discovery work.  There is an obvious danger that they will take the opportunity to promote their own services and products as part of a quasi-educational event.  In a sense, who can blame them?
 
The last couple of years, however, have seen a higher quality of educational presentation from providers who appreciate that their marketplace will expand with a more educated body of users.  Some of them are very good speakers as well as being knowledgeable, and are prepared to take their chance that the newly-informed audience will come back to them on the strength of the speaker’s evident skills rather than because they have had sales material down their throats.

ILTA manages this properly by being sponsored by a large number of providers.  Another who has adopted this approach is Chris Dale of the UK-based e-Disclosure Information Project.  That is transparently sponsored by a number of providers, which allows an objective platform for all of them to bring their separate and combined expertise to lawyers, judges and others who need to know about the rules, the technology and the practical ways of using them together.  I asked him for his view on the role of providers in education:

“The position is much improved in the last two years or so.  I have heard only one supplier give a supposedly educational talk which was in fact indistinguishable from a sales pitch, and the reaction in the conference room was palpably hostile.  Audiences have come to expect better from the many eloquent and well qualified providers who appear on platforms these days. The speakers are more willing than they used to be to let their skills speak for their products, and they also buy in to the idea that they will benefit from an educated potential user base”.

However, even if you’ve opted to sign-up for the most respected educational program, you still have to remain vigilant not only about who is teaching, but how.
   
For example, there is a growing number of consultants who offer their services as educators.  There are a few like Craig Ball and Chris Dale who (at least in my own experience working with them) keep a complete “church and state separation” and became well-respected educators because their teaching has a solid practical base.  There are many others however that will only teach only a high-level theory apparently designed to make you think that you must engage their services.  Make sure to note these comments into your evaluations to assure these “consultants” never teach again.
 
As previously discussed, it is just as important to find out who runs the educational program (and therefore polices the vendor issue).  Almost every program has a chair (or co-chairs), a steering committee, an advisory board, etc.  Find out as much as possible about the members of such groups to reassure yourself that the “wolves themselves do not watch the sheep”.  Look for the involvement of industry professionals whose livelihood does not directly depend on the success of the educational institution.

How will it help my employer?

If your education is offered to you as a benefit from your employer, keep in mind how it will benefit them and consider what offers the best return on their investment.  When selecting a course, have regard to its cost, length and nature of the course and select courses which will pay immediate dividends by making you a better specialist.  After the course write a short report to your boss about what you’ve learned and how you are planning to apply your knowledge it in your everyday activities.  Better yet, offer to get involved in new and expended activities.

How will it look on my resume?

Make sure you understand how you can reference your achievement.  In addition to the recognition factor discussed above, it is important to emphasize that the course was focused, unique and specific enough to assure you “stand-out” in the crowd.

 

About George Rudoy

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