London, ENGLAND (05 May 2010) – London-based Lineal Ltd and New York-based, Complete Discovery Source (CDS), today announced that they will enter into a strategic partnership.  The partnership will allow each company to provide electronic disclosure and electronic discovery support to its clients across the Atlantic.

Under the partnership agreement, discoverable data of multi-national litigants can remain within its international borders. International experts familiar with relevant jurisdictional data-privacy directives and laws will handle the data, while in-country project managers, local to the clients, will coordinate the efforts. 
 
U.S. Privacy Laws
Privacy laws in the United States differ dramatically from those in the E.U. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) define all electronic data as discoverable, with limited exceptions for personal medical information, attorney-client communication and company secrets. Under both national and state laws, mishandling or non-disclosure of data can result in fines and adverse rulings against the litigant.

Multi-National Litigation
Today’s corporations often have offices spread across the globe and multi-national corporations can be required to collect data from both the U.S. and E.U. for E.U.-based cases. CDS has developed proven protocols for gathering, processing and transporting evidence in compliance with United States rules and laws. By partnering with CDS, Lineal is positioned to better support its clients’ international disclosure requirements and provide a seamless service on all multi-jurisdictional matters.

The Partnership
“Our relationship with CDS combines the expertise of two preeminent forces in the edisclosure market and provides clients with a global service they can rely on,” stated Lineal’s Managing Director, Martin Pollard. Lineal selected CDS as its strategic partner because of the expertise and reputation that CDS has established in the U.S. markets. As a trusted advisor to law firms and corporate legal departments, CDS merges cutting-edge technology with a team of experts, to provide a best-of-breed suite of solutions.