Here is an interesting take on the issues of electronic discovery, its blossoming, and future legal malpractice cases. In short, learn and the new rules, or face problems.
"Much ink has been spilled about the demands of discovery in the current technological age. The storage of electronic data, the existence of metadata and the wholesale migration from printed hard copy documents to electronic documents have challenged all practitioners, particularly those trained in discovery during the era of banker’s boxes and hard copy documents. The 2006 e-discovery amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, along with other standard-setting rules, have raised the stakes. In fact, in the current climate, given the interplay between ethical obligations and standards for professional conduct and these e-discovery requirements, attorneys may be surprised to learn that inattention to e-discovery may not only work to the detriment of clients — it may lead to professional malpractice or the imposition of sanctions on counsel. If any doubt remained, the ongoing discovery dispute in the Qualcomm v. Broadcom case, discussed below, should eliminate
Despite the low standard, failure to provide competent representation nevertheless creates the potential for malpractice actions. Restatement, supra § 48 (2000). In legal malpractice actions, the client must establish that, but for the attorney’s neglect, the litigation would have ended in a result more favorable for the client. That is, the client must prove the existence of a duty, a breach of that duty, proximate cause and damage. 4 Ronald E. Mallen & Jeffrey M. Smith, Legal Malpractice § 30:5 (2007 ed.).
Thus, in general, an attorney owes a duty of care to clients to "exercise the competence and diligence normally exercised by lawyers in similar circumstances." Restatement, supra § 16 (2000). "