eDiscovery Certification Council
A Practical and Strategic Guide to eDiscovery, Digital Forensics, Data Governance, AI and Electronic Evidence
The Handbook brings legal principles, technology, evidence handling and professional practice together in one structured reference for people working with electronically stored information, investigations, litigation, disclosure and digital evidence.
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Complimentary access available until 30 October 2026.
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Electronic evidence now sits at the centre of litigation, regulatory investigations, internal investigations and many forms of corporate decision-making. Email, collaboration platforms, cloud systems, mobile devices, databases, social media, messaging applications and AI-enabled systems have increased both the volume and complexity of potentially relevant information.
The eDiscovery Handbook 2027 is a professional reference designed to help readers understand how electronically stored information (ESI) is identified, preserved, collected, processed, reviewed, analysed, produced and ultimately used as evidence. Rather than treating eDiscovery as a software exercise, the Handbook examines the interaction between law, technology, process, people and information governance.
Its practical focus is on the decisions that make an eDiscovery process proportionate, repeatable, auditable and defensible: defining the issues, identifying relevant information sources, preserving context and metadata, choosing appropriate collection methods, controlling review, validating technology-assisted processes and documenting material decisions.
The Handbook follows the connected lifecycle of information governance, identification, preservation, collection, processing, review, analysis, production and presentation. It considers how decisions at one stage affect the quality, cost and defensibility of later stages.
Digital evidence must be handled in a way that preserves its context, integrity and evidential value. The Handbook addresses forensic acquisition, metadata, chain of custody, validation, authenticity and the relationship between forensic investigation and wider eDiscovery workflows.
What is Digital Forensics? →
Electronic Evidence: A Complete Guide →
The 2027 Edition examines Technology Assisted Review, machine learning, analytics and generative AI. The emphasis is on controlled professional use: validation, quality assurance, human oversight, confidentiality, explainability and documentation appropriate to the task and risk.
AI in eDiscovery: A Complete Guide →
AI, TAR & the Future of eDiscovery Careers →
Effective eDiscovery begins before a dispute. The Handbook considers data mapping, retention, records management, legal holds, privacy, security, defensible disposition and the organisational controls that make discovery response faster and more reliable.
Cloud computing and multinational organisations mean that relevant evidence may span several jurisdictions. The Handbook addresses the practical tension between discovery obligations, privacy requirements, data-transfer restrictions, proportionality and the need to coordinate legal and technical decisions across borders.
Technology operates within legal and evidential frameworks. The Handbook considers preservation, proportionality, disclosure, production, professional responsibility and the need to demonstrate that reasonable, validated and well-documented processes were followed.
The Handbook is intended both for professionals already working in the field and for people building a career in eDiscovery and related disciplines. It is particularly relevant to:
For newcomers, the Handbook provides a structured route through the terminology, lifecycle and professional principles of the field. For experienced practitioners, it provides a cross-disciplinary reference connecting discovery practice with digital evidence, governance, AI and emerging data sources.
The Handbook forms part of eDCC’s wider professional knowledge ecosystem. Readers can move from a Handbook subject into deeper vendor-neutral guidance in the eDCC Knowledge Hub, including eDiscovery, eDisclosure, eForensics and digital evidence, AI and advanced review, data sources and collection, governance and privacy, technology, careers, research and standards.
The purpose of these links is not simply navigation. They allow the Handbook to operate as a gateway into continuously maintained professional material while the published book remains a stable reference edition.
The eDiscovery Certification Council (eDCC) is a US-based professional certification body focused on education, knowledge and professional development across eDiscovery and associated disciplines.
Its professional knowledge ecosystem encompasses certification, training and a substantial Knowledge Hub covering eDiscovery, eDisclosure, digital forensics, electronic evidence, information governance, artificial intelligence, legal technology, careers, standards and practical resources.
The Handbook is available as a professionally published Kindle edition through Amazon. For a limited period, eDCC is also making a complimentary personalised PDF edition available through this page.
Complimentary access available until 30 October 2026.
