Law360, New York (July 22, 2011, 11:40 AM ET) -- Companies and law firms routinely rely upon third-party vendors to shepherd them through the technical aspects of complying with e-discovery obligations in litigation. Some companies see vendor services as a panacea to the burgeoning complexities of the e-discovery arena. After all, vendors can assist with identifying, processing, culling and producing data.

While vendors can assist with some of the complicated, technical aspects of e-discovery review and production, over-reliance on vendors by companies and law firms can carry significant risks, including sanctions. This is especially true where...