Senior Counsel
October 22, 2021
There are four rules-based approaches to document disclosure in legal disputes. From broadest to narrowest they are:
- Relevant: Each party discloses all documents relevant to the issues in dispute.
- Responsive: Each party discloses documents responsive to requests by the other party.
- Material: Each party discloses only those documents that could have an impact on the outcome of the dispute.
- Reliance: Each party discloses only those documents upon which it intends to rely.
Each of these approaches is often supplemented by two underlying principles: first, a party can always be ordered to produce a document the arbitrator deems relevant (which enhances fairness but expands disclosure), and second, all disclosure models may be subject to proportionality, so that the cost of disclosure does not overtake its value to the parties.… Read More