Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS) study guide
CEDS · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS) credential is awarded by the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS) to qualified individuals who pass a rigorous certification exam. ACEDS describes it as a trusted global indicator of e-discovery competence, built to validate skills across the e-discovery spectrum, support sound hiring practices, and give a competitive advantage to those who earn it and their employers. The exam is assembled with the help of 40 experts under the auspices of a psychometric firm and a worldwide survey, producing what ACEDS calls a neutral, legally defensible professional certification program. Study materials and exams designed for the US and Canada cover the entire e-discovery lifecycle, including e-discovery project planning, international discovery, and ethics in e-discovery. Topics on this exam: E-Discovery Project Planning, International Discovery, and Ethics in E-Discovery. The CEDS study guide has 3 sections and about 969 words.
01E-Discovery Project Planning
Project planning is where a matter's defensibility is won or lost. A candidate must be able to translate a case theory into a scoped, budgeted, resourced plan. Core concepts include the EDRM framework (information governance, identification, preservation, collection, processing, review, analysis, production, presentation), the litigation hold process, proportionality under the Federal Rules (notably Rule 26(b)(1) as amended in 2015), the ESI protocol/agreed order , custodian and data-source mapping , and review strategy (keyword, TAR/predictive coding, or sampling). Understand how a project charter defines scope, deliverables, and roles, and how budgeting models (per-GB, per-document, hourly) shift risk between client and provider.
334 words, about 2 min02International Discovery
Cross-border discovery turns on the tension between U.S. discovery obligations and foreign law. Candidates must know The Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad (its procedures, central authorities, and the fact that many civil-law states object to pre-trial discovery), letters rogatory , and 28 U.S.C. § 1782 (federal assistance to foreign tribunals).
324 words, about 2 min03Ethics in E-Discovery
Ethics questions test whether you can apply professional responsibility rules to technology-driven workflows. The central duties are competence (ABA Model Rule 1.1, Comment 8-lawyers must understand the benefits and risks of relevant technology), confidentiality (Rule 1.6), supervision of nonlawyers and vendors (Rules 5.1, 5.3), and candor to the tribunal (Rule 3.3). Know the duty to preserve and the sanctions landscape under FRCP 37(e) , which requires intent to deprive for the harshest curative measures. Understand privilege protection : inadvertent production, clawback agreements under FRE 502(d) , and the difference between waiver and non-waiver orders.
311 words, about 2 min