Legal Discovery Request    

Legal Discovery will be required on an as requested basis. This document provides the minimum requirements for Technology Services to start the legal discovery process in relation to electronic data and resources managed by Technology Services - Galveston.

If requested, and permitting time and resources, Technology Services will assist with the collection and transmission of Legal Discovery information from named persons in the initial request. The affected parties MUST be present during the Legal Discovery process if their devices are being searched.

Technology Services will:

  • create a helpdesk ticket that details the request, the date it was received and include any non-confidential information within the helpdesk ticket.
  • dedicate personnel to carry out the discovery to the best of our ability and within our current workload requirements.
  • update the helpdesk ticket during and at completion, documenting what was provided and the time and date of completion.

Technology Services will NOT:

  • filter the recovered data. All data recovered based on the locations and keyword search will be provided. Technology Services will not make determinations on what data will or will not be included.
  • cover any costs related to providing storage media or forensic outsourcing.

Technology Services does not employee any computer forensic specialists. No guarantee can be provided that data can be successfully located due to the many technical scenarios related to data backup and availability. Any search will be on a “best effort” basis.

If required, computer hardware will be sent out to a forensic specialist utilizing the current College Station contract. Any costs incurred as part of the forensic work will be passed back to the requestor and will not be covered by Technology Services.

Requirements:

  1. All requests for legal discovery must be generated by the Office of General Counsel (OGC) in College Station.
  2. Technology Services can only act on a legal discovery request if it has been requested by OGC. Once a request has been received from OGC, Galveston Human Resources or a senior member of the Galveston Administration (Vice President and above) will then deliver the written request to Technology Services.
  3. The form “Legal Discovery Request – Galveston” should be completed and signed by the requestor and provided to Technology Services prior to any discovery starting.
  4. Any request from OGC for a legal discovery needs to be delivered to Technology Services as soon as possible. The Legal Discovery process takes time to search, collect, and transmit the information. If inadequate time is provided for Technology Services to perform the Legal Discovery process, any retrieved data will be handed over at the time deadline, an extension will be requested by the requestor and if approved the process will continue.

    Key information to be included in the request is:
  • Requesting parties name and contact information.
  • Date and Time the response is required by.
  • Types of data to be searched (email, file shares, computer).
  • Format that the data is to be delivered in (electronic, printed, other).
  • Key search criteria such as what locations are to be searched, employees affected by the search and a short list of keywords to be searched for.

 

Legal Discovery Request Form