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Fios® Expands Litigation Readiness Services to Help Clients Prepare for FRCP Rule 26(f) Conferences

Assessing corporate systems and understanding best practices for identifying, preserving, collecting and producing ESI provides foundation for successful "meet and confer" negotiations

PORTLAND, Ore., March 20, 2007 — Fios® Inc., the leading expert in electronic discovery and litigation readiness services, today announced the expansion of its Litigation Readiness Services to help clients proactively prepare for Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (FRCP) 26(f) discovery conferences. The expanded consulting services are designed to help corporations and supporting outside counsel better understand the risks, costs and best practices approach specific to their organizations when planning for "meet and confer" negotiations.

"The upfront planning and preparation required for an FRCP Rule 26(f) conference can be overwhelming but the investment to prepare can bear fruit even beyond the current matter," said Prashant Dubey, vice president and general manager of Fios' Discovery Management Services consulting group. "We have now helped almost a dozen clients prepare for 26(f) conferences and have established a methodology for this matter-specific work to be used as a foundation for improving overall e-discovery processes."

As part of the planning services around the FRCP Rule 26(f) conference, Fios' consultants work with both the corporate client and the supporting law firm to understand the following:

Preservation Processes — How were litigation holds enforced and documented? Have preservation obligations for the matter been met? What voluntary disclosures are required as part of the 26(f)?
Content Repository Analysis — What data repositories contain potentially responsive electronically stored information (ESI)? How reasonably accessible are they? What systems are in place for identifying potentially relevant content?
Total Cost of e-Discovery Analysis — What is the likely total cost of e-discovery for the matter? What resources will be required to respond to potential discovery requests?
Accessibility Analysis — Where does ESI exist within the organization? How readily accessible is the data for discovery? What are the areas of greatest potential undue burden or cost? What is the basis for arguments, if available, to claim inaccessibility due to undue burden or cost?
Collection Methodologies — What are the available collection protocols as they relate to existing computer systems? Which approaches are best, both in terms of cost and defensibility, for the matter at hand? What documentation exists to demonstrate reasonable design of the process?
Production Format Recommendations — What are the different methods of production that are likely to be pertinent to the case? Which ones can the company best support?

Fios' FRCP 26(f) preparatory consulting services have been delivered by Fios since mid-2006 and are immediately available as part of the comprehensive Litigation Readiness Services offered by Fios' Discovery Management Services consultants. More information on this expanded service is available by visiting www.fiosinc.com.

About Fios, Inc.

Serving the legal community since 1999, Fios Inc. is committed to helping corporations and supporting outside counsel reduce the costs, risks and time associated with electronic discovery. Fios' IT-enabled discovery management, evidence collection, data processing and document review services are based on an in-depth knowledge of litigation and information technology, enabling fast, efficient and legally defensible discovery response. Headquartered in Portland, Ore., Fios is backed by top investors, including 3i, Fluke Ventures, FBR CoMotion, Digital Partners and Banyan Capital Partners, and has offices throughout the continental United States. Fios is also the principal sponsor of the leading Internet portals: DiscoveryResources.org and ComplianceResources.org. For more information about the company and its services, visit http://www.fiosinc.com.

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