Deloitte: 75% of GCC legal practitioners expect an increase in eDiscovery services in 2015

13 May, 2015 - Deloitte recently conducted a survey to highlight the importance of eDiscovery services in the Middle East. eDiscovery technology allows the electronic discovery of data to help companies and legal counsel find critical electronic evidence in cases of disputes, investigations or regulatory requests.

The survey, led by Deloitte’s Financial Advisory Practice in the Middle East, addressed six hundred legal practitioners in law firms, and corporations in the following GCC countries: United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

“eDiscovery services have recently received significant attention in the GCC region where arbitration, corporate investigation and regulatory matters account for the majority of electronic document review,” said Wendy Robinson, Deloitte leader of eDiscovery services in the Middle East.

The survey revealed that three out of four legal practitioners polled expect that the need for electronic document review in the GCC region will increase, as the sensitivity of data and the desire to keep information locally, strongly influences respondents to choose to conduct and host document reviews in the region.

Other survey findings include:

• 70 percent of respondents have used hosted eDiscovery technology for a review within the past 3 years
• 95 percent of respondents view hard copy documents as still comprising the majority of evidence collected to support a case. Email server information was the next most likely evidence item to be involved.
• 75 percent of respondents have been involved in at least one case in the GCC in the last 3 years which required electronic document review

“The market for eDiscovery expertise and technology within the region is clearly growing, and the survey has provided us with some clear insight into some of the key drivers and challenges ahead for GCC firms and multinationals operating in the region,” concludes Robinson.

About Deloitte

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities.  DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) does not provide services to clients.  Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a more detailed description of DTTL and its member firms.  

Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality service to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. Deloitte’s more than 200,000 professionals are committed to becoming the standard of excellence.

About Deloitte & Touche (M.E.)

Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) is a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) and is the first Arab professional services firm established in the Middle East region with uninterrupted presence since 1926.

Deloitte is among the region’s leading professional services firms, providing audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services through 26 offices in 15 countries with more than 3,000 partners, directors and staff. It is a Tier 1 Tax advisor in the GCC region since 2010 (according to the International Tax Review World Tax Rankings). It has received numerous awards in the last few years which include Best Employer in the Middle East, best consulting firm, and the Middle East Training & Development Excellence Award by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).