What to consider when choosing a Digital Forensics Expert
It’s always difficult for a legal professional when a digital forensics expert is required. As a solicitor, 3 quotations are required before passing them onto the Legal Aid Authority. Once those quotations are sent off to the LAA, the decision is practically taken out of your hands. But how do you choose the right experts to put forward?
Everyone has their favourite firms who they have dealt with in the past or have headed off on the recommendation of a colleague, friend or fellow legal practitioner. However, just in case your preferred firm does not get awarded the opportunity to work with you on your case, it’s always important that you supply the quotations from firms who you know can get the job done, and get it done right.
Here are some friendly pointers on things to consider when choosing a digital forensics provider.
Staff
The Digital Forensics industry is incredibly niche and it’s not uncommon for everybody to know everybody. However, some analysts are more experienced than others, be this through expertise, knowledge, qualification, time in the industry and even their personal background. It’s important if you don’t know the company, you discuss with the provider what expert may be best equipped to deal with your case, how it will be handled and delivered, and a free consultation with the expert prior to instruction.
Some important things to consider:
- Qualifications – BSc, MSc, PhD?
- Experience – Have they experience of working in a digital forensics unit before, or a commercial lab. Have they been a consultant? and how might that experience benefit your case?
- Ad-hoc courses and expertise – Are they trained in courtroom practice by Bond Solon? Or trained in EnCase and EnCE accredited?
We believe a wealth of expertise from various industries and backgrounds is vital to providing the best service for our clients. This allows our staff to acquire a variety of perspectives, knowledge and ideas on how to streamline and make our service even more efficient, and what sort of questions may be raised by the CPS in court proceedings and how to pre-empt these in our reports.