ILTA’s Information Management Content Committee recently conducted an informal survey regarding eDiscovery certifications. We thought you would appreciate a brief summary of the results.
A total of 37 respondents completed the survey, with the vast majority of respondents coming from the law firm environment with significant years (10+) of experience in the industry.
When asked what certifications were held by the respondents, roughly one-third named CEDs and another handful indicated they were Relativity Certified Administrators. Interestingly, almost 75% of the respondents named other certifications, primarily software-specific certifications including Concordance Administration, Casesoft, Summation, iPro Eclipse, Xera, and Relativity User. Other certifications referenced included PMP, Paralegal certification, and Lean Six Sigma. Several respondents possess multiple certifications, which is probably not a surprise to many in our industry.
The key reasons for obtaining a certification were for the purposes of helping one’s career and, secondarily, demonstrating value to clients. While a few indicated the certifications were obtained to help them advance their salary or to garner greater respect for their expertise, just over 10% of the respondents indicated certification was required for their job. The overwhelming majority of respondents indicated that certification – and membership dues – were paid for by their employer (or, in one instance the cost was shared by the employer and employee). It will be interesting to see if there is a growing expectation for certification and if employers will be willing to continue to pay for the certification as an aspect of professional development of their employees.
As to why folks do not have certifications, the responses were pretty widely distributed, but nearly half indicated that certification does not take the place of hands-on learning and practical experience. Others indicated that the value and recognition for eDiscovery certifications is only recently growing in visibility, and therefore, certification may not be a priority or may not be fully appreciated by an employer. One international respondent made note of the fact that CEDs certification is specific to the US, which is not necessarily helpful to someone practicing outside the US.
When asked, from the hiring perspective, which certifications bring the most value, just under two-thirds of the respondents who are involved in hiring eDiscovery staff identified product-specific certifications as the most valuable. Just under a half of the respondents named CEDs as being valuable in the hiring process, while others named Forensic certifications, Records/IG certifications, and the Organization of Certified E-Discovery Professionals exam as being valuable certifications for potential employees to possess.
Conversely, when asked which certifications do not bring value, CEDs was most frequently cited by the 19 respondents to this question. Other comments reflected earlier responses, ranging from “experience matters more” to “any certification can be helpful.”
We are interested in continuing this conversation with the membership and would love to hear what further programming we can provide that can help you in determining whether certification is for you and, if so, what type of certification makes the most sense. Let us know your thoughts!
eDiscovery_Certification_Survey.pdf
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