Wendy Butler Curtis

Wendy Butler Curtis, eDiscovery of Counsel, is the chair of Orrick's eDiscovery Working Group. 

Ms. Curtis consults with Orrick attorneys and clients on eDiscovery strategy in litigation matters.  She has been engaged by Fortune 100 companies and major financial institutions to create and deploy eDiscovery and records management programs. In this role, she advises clients on the deployment of policy, process and technology to reduce eDiscovery cost and risk.  She works with in-house lawyers, information technology professionals and risk managers to develop information management practices in the face of mergers, acquisitions, data transfers, down-sizing and out-sourcing.  Ms. Curtis is a frequent speaker and author on preservation, eDiscovery and records management topics.

Ms. Curtis has substantial experience in pharmaceutical, product liability and class action litigation.  Her litigation experience includes multiple trials, supervision of regional and local counsel, management of complex discovery and meet-and-confer negotiations. 

Ms. Curtis also devotes a portion of her practice to pro bono matters including adoption cases and the Lawyers Serving Warriors & National Veterans Legal Services Program.

Before joining Orrick, Ms. Curtis was a senior associate at Fulbright & Jaworski, L.L.P and served as a Special Assistant Attorney General with the District of Columbia office of the Attorney General. 

Admitted in

• Texas
• District of Columbia

Memberships

• Sedona Conference
• American Bar Association: Pretrial Practice & Discovery Committee, Trial Evidence Committee, Technology for the Litigator Committee, Woman Advocate Committee
• E-Discovery Committee, District of Columbia Bar Association: Litigation Section
• ARMA International
• Healthcare Businesswomen's Association
• Women in e-Discovery

Multimedia

Publications

• "Cloud Computing: eDiscovery Issues and Other Risk," Author, Orrick Litigation Alert, June 2010
• "Qualcomm Six Ultimately Avoid Sanctions but Case Remains a Cautionary Tale," Co-Author, Orrick Litigation Alert, May 2010
• "Recent S.D.N.Y. Decision Declares Failure to Issue a Litigation Hold Gross Negligence and Outlines Standards for Preservation and Collection," Author, Orrick Litigation Alert, January 2010.
• "Virtual Roundtable: e-discovery," Co-Author, JAMS Publication, August 2009.
• "New California Electronic Discovery Rules Differ From Federal Rules in Notable Ways," Co-Author, Orrick Litigation Alert, July 2009.
• IDG News Service, May 6, 2009: Quoted as an e-Discovery expert in article about data management.
• "Preparing for E-Discovery," Note Co-Author, Third Edition of NACUA's Handbook for Lawyers New to Higher Education, 2009.
• "New Evidence Rule Limits Waiver of Attorney-Client Privilege and Promotes Judicial Economy in Discovery," Co-Author, Orrick Litigation Alert, November 2008.
• "Electronic Discovery Issues for Higher Education Institutions," Co-Author, NACUA Note, Fall 2007.
• “Electronic Discovery: Definitions and Uses,” Co-Author, NBI E-Discovery for Paralegals, Baltimore, Maryland, July 25, 2007.
• “E-discovery and Record Retention Issues from a Practical Perspective,” Presentation Co-Author, American Health Lawyers Association In-House Counsel Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, June 24, 2007.
• Corporate Counsel, June 04, 2010: quoted as an eDiscovery expert in article 'To Preserve and Collect': Oil Spill a Discovery Nightmare for Lawyers, by Amy Miller

Speeches & Programs

• "eDiscovery Trends: Outsourcing vs. In-sourcing," Panelist, Association Corporate Counsel Webinar, March 23, 2010.
• "Cloud Computing & Social Media" Guest Lecturer, University of Maine Law School, Portland, Maine, March 1, 2010
• "The Impact of Pension Committee on ESI Preservation & Collection," Panelist, Recommind eDiscovery Webinar, February 24, 2010.
• "Effective Document Collection and Legal Hold Protocols," Panelist, Association Corporate Counsel Webinar, February 11, 2010.
• "Data Retention Plans and Early Case Assessment Technology-Moving Towards a More Effective System In-house," Panelist, LegalTech, New York City, February 2010.
• "Is the tail wagging the dog? Winning on the law instead of winning on eDiscovery," Panelist, LegalTech, New York City, February 2010.
• "eDiscovery Implications of Outsourcing," Legal Quick Hit Speaker, Association of Corporate Counsel Litigation Committee Monthly Teleconference, October 2009.
• The Masters Conference, Speaker and Moderator on eDiscovery Panels, Washington, D.C., October 2009.
• "Early Case Assessment: An Analysis of Today’s Tools," Panelist, Cowen Group Thought Leadership Breakfast, Washington, D.C., August 2009.
• "Managing Client Costs," Panelist, Orrick Successful Strategies for Efficiently Managing IP Litigation Seminar, Menlo Park, California, July 2009.
• "Quality in E-Discovery: Measuring and Achieving It," Speaker, H5 Webinar, July 2009.
• "Cutting Edge Litigation Strategies for Online Businesses," Panelist, Sixth Annual E-Commerce Best Practices Conference, Stanford Law School, June 2009.
• "The Role of Litigation Support in the E-Discovery Life Cycle," Panelist, Association of Litigation Support Professionals Chapter Meeting, Washington, D.C., April 2009.
• "E-Discovery Life Cycle: What Happens to Data After a Forensic Collection," Panelist, High Technology Crime Investigation Association Chapter Meeting, Washington, D.C., February 2009.
• "Relevancy Quick Peek Agreements in E-Discovery, Strategies for Containing Production Costs by Using First Look Agreements," Panelist, Stafford Legal Teleconference, November 2008.
• "Helpful Insights and Observations from the Corporate and Government Perspectives," Moderator, Masters Conference, Washington, D.C., October 2008.
• "Digital Discovery & E-Evidence Course," Guest Lecturer, University of Maine Law School, Portland, Maine, September 2008.
• "Meet and Confer," Panelist, E-Discovery: An A to Z Workshop, Washington, D.C., July 2008.
• “Women Leading Healthcare: The Government Perspective,” Moderator, HBA National Leadership Conference, Washington, D.C., December 2007.
• “Electronic Records & E-Discovery,” Moderator, National Association of College and University Attorneys Fall Workshop, Washington, D.C., November 2007.
• "Spotting & Resolving Legal Issues in Your Company's Records Management Policy," Panelist, Association of Corporate Counsel Annual Meeting, October 2007.
• "A Practical Guide to Records Management for Pharmaceutical Companies," Panelist, Pharmaconference Webinar, January 2007.
• "Current Legal Trends in Records Management," Northern Virginia Chapter of Association of Records Managers and Administrators, September 2006.