A Whitepaper by APT Search

Bridging the eDiscovery skills gap

Are you ready?According to respected market research consultancy Gartner,

the eDiscovery market is set to grow by 14% per annum over

the next four-to-five years. Already, the recruitment market is

tightening as competition for key staff intensifies. This paper

provides an overview of the eDiscovery market in the UK and the

effect that it is having on the recruitment market. It provides

advice for both employers and potential candidates on how to

take advantage of current trends to maximise their business and

employment opportunities.

Discover the marketThe eDiscovery market in the UK is a bit of an enigma. At face

value, conditions look almost perfect for explosive growth as the

economic downturn gives rise to more litigation and regulators

become more aggressive in the wake of various banking

scandals. Meanwhile, the volume and diversity of the search

exercises required in litigation or by regulators continue to grow

exponentially, while the tools provided by search technology to

cope have improved enormously.

Yet the growth of the eDiscovery market has remained steady, it

is not yet spectacular. One of the reasons for the industry’s

shallow growth curve is a lack of client understanding of what

the technology can do and some nervousness about using the

more innovative tools - such as predictive coding – despite

their obvious advantages. While the courts and regulators are

beginning to accommodate the use of cutting edge search

technologies, firm precedents remain thin on the ground.

This tentativeness also translates into business relationships

– there is relatively little appetite amongst clients to chop and

change eDiscovery providers when the technology is not fully

understood. Trust and personal relationships are the key drivers

of purchasing decisions rather than a desire for bleeding-edge

technological solutions. That said, many eDiscovery providers still

believe that conditions are ripe for growth to accelerate and are

trying to position themselves to take full advantage when it does.

This can be seen in two ways. Firstly, by changes in the market:

new entrants continue to arrive – mostly from the United

States - while smaller players are being absorbed into the larger

providers. Secondly, demand for business development and

client-facing staff is rising as vendors seek new opportunities.

At the same time, some law firms and companies - especially

banks - are waking up to the growing importance of eDiscovery

(and information governance generally). Many are responding

by developing their own in-house capability to complement the

services available from vendors. The effect of this is that the

market for eDiscovery is both consolidating and becoming more

diverse at the same time. It promises to be an interesting few

years ahead.

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Gartner report, Magic Quadrant for eDiscovery, May 2011

Companies are looking to prepare

themselves for better times ahead,

whilst defending existing market share.

Consequently, demand for eDiscovery

professionals is strong, with salary levels

continuing to rise, especially for those

business development professionals that

can win new business (see table).

Moreover, the changes in the market are

creating opportunities for people not

only in ‘traditional’ positions, but also

creating roles that did not exist before

and candidates need an open mind

about how their skills can be deployed

as the landscape changes. In particular,

those with technical backgrounds are

in great demand for sales and business

development openings if they can combine

this with the necessary people skills.

The industry is also developing rapidly

in parts of continental Europe, creating

opportunities here while also driving

the need for language skills – especially

German, French, Italian and Dutch – for

eDiscovery employees in the UK.

Bridging the eDiscovery skills gap

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Getting into positionBusiness Development Overview

• There is strong demand for high quality results driven business developers with relevant experience and understanding of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM).

• Vendors and Consultancies are and have been hiring and training those that have transferrable skills, where the relevant skills are not be available or difficult to acquire.

• Business development base salaries are continuing to increase. This is primarily due to increased competition to hire well-networked eDiscovery sales people at

mid-senior level who can potentially bring an array of clients to the business.

Project Management Overview

• Salaries for project managers have remained constant over the past year, albeit with significant variations in bonus and overtime rates from company to company.

• There has been notable demand from experienced project managers for a better work-life balance as well as a clear outline of opportunities for progression within an organisation.

• Demand has grown from some organisations for project managers with certified project management certifications such Prince2. Although other companies do not seek them as a pre-requisite, those with certification can only enhance their negotiating position when seeking new opportunities.

• Further demand has been seen for project managers with languages skills, as the growth of firms spread in to new geographical regions. The main languages that are in demand are German, French, Italian and Dutch.

Bringing in the brightest and the best

As in any market, differentiation is key.

And at a time when the products on

offer from the eDiscovery providers are

becoming more standardised, people are

the key differentiator. There is driving

demand for staff with people-facing skills,

both in respect of business development

and sales, but also technical staff with

the skills to manage ongoing client

relationships.

How employers come across during

the interview process is often just as

important – in the current market, the

selection process is most definitely two-

way, and while candidates still need to be

able to sell themselves, it is important

that employers do the same.

Good candidates can often receive two or

three offers and a candidate’s decision on

whether to join an organisation will often

hinge on whether they feel that they will

fit in, on both personal and professional

levels. Making sure that candidates

are interviewed by people of sufficient

seniority and the ability to demonstrate to

potential recruits where they would fit in

the organisation is critical and something

that employers sometimes fall down on.

With key staff in such demand, employers

also need to think laterally about

where they source their staff from.

While the preference will always be for

candidates with square-on technical

and legal backgrounds, these people

are an increasingly scarce resource.

Employers and candidates therefore

need to think about transferable skill

sets. Some companies have taken on

significant number of people from

diverse backgrounds, even taking on new

graduates to train from the ground up.

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How can we help?

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Salary table

Permanent Salaries Range Typical

E-Discovery Project Manager

Senior PM’s £65,000 - £85,000 p/a £75,000 p/a

Mid Level PM’s £45,000 - £60,000 p/a £55,000 p/a

Junior PM’s £25,000 - £40,000 p/a £35,000 p/a

E-Discovery Business Development (Base salary only) (Base salary only)

Senior-Director Level £100,000 - £200,000 p/a £150,000 p/a

Mid Level £50,000 - £75,000 p/a £68,500 p/a

Junior Level £22,000 - £40,000 p/a £30,000 p/a

Computer Forensics

Head of Department £60,000 - £100,000 p/a £80,000 p/a

Senior Forensic Consultant £50,000 - £70,000 p/a £60,000 p/a

Mid Level £35,000 - £40,000 p/a £38,000 p/a

Junior Forensics (Graduate) £25,000 - £30,000 p/a £28,000 p/a

eDiscovery and litigation support requires

a unique combination of technical and

legal know-how and for recruitment

companies operating within this market,

it is essential to have a thorough

understanding of the skill sets required

and the demands on the companies and

people within it.

Apt Search and Selection are the United

Kingdom’s first recruitment specialists

fully dedicated to the eDiscovery and

Litigation Support sectors. Based in

Central London, Apt Search has extensive

knowledge and experience of this market

gained over a number of years working in

the sector.

The Apt Search team will review and take

the time to understand both the needs

of the business and the individual to

ensure that the right fit is made. APT

Search will work with candidates not only

to find them a position now, but also to

assist with their career planning over the

next five-to-10 years. Being focused on

the eDiscovery market means that APT

Search can assist candidates to develop

and define their career goals, enabling us

to find the best position for them, not just

for now but for many years to come. The

benefits of this approach for candidates

is obvious, but for employers it also has

the advantage of finding employees who

have made a positive, well-informed

decision to develop their careers with

them. This provides employers with a more

productive, better motivated workforce

and reduces staff turnover.

Apt Search will also use their market

knowledge to work with employers to

examine their resourcing needs in the

short and medium terms, and to help

them to develop strategic recruitment

plans as well as finding candidates for

specific vacancies.

Finally, eDiscovery and litigation support

is a niche market and discretion in

the recruitment process is key. The

eDiscovery world is a relatively small and

interconnected one, and Apt Search will

ensure that confidentiality is guaranteed

for both candidates and companies alike.

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Taking a bespoke approachFor employers: If you are new to the

market, or if you have had difficulty in

finding the right people or getting the

right message across, feel free to get in

touch with our consultancy arm. We can

assist you in growing your organisation

with the right people. We have a deep

insight into the market, potential

candidates and the major players in the

UK and can help to position you to attract

and retain the best talent in the market.

For candidates: Whether you’re actively

looking for a new position, or just looking

to be more proactive in the management

of your career, contact us today for a

confidential review of your career plan and

the options available to you.

For further information, call us on 0845 689 6499 or visit www.apt-search.co.uk