Professor Blake A. Klinkner Presents Research on Digital Evidence Preservation

At the Central States Law Schools Association Annual Scholarship Conference, Professor Klinkner shared new insights from a decade-long statistical analysis on the impact of key amendments to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37.

Professor Blake A. Klinkner was recently invited to present his latest research at the Central States Law Schools Association Annual Scholarship Conference. His presentation focused on his current law review article, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37 and the Failure to Preserve Electronic Information: Has the 2015 Repeal of the Safe Harbor Provision Resulted in Improved Preservation of Digital Data?

In his presentation, Professor Klinkner explored the complex landscape of electronic information preservation in civil litigation. Drawing from a robust statistical analysis spanning ten years of case data, he examined whether the 2015 repeal of the Safe Harbor provision has meaningfully improved preservation practices. His findings shed new light on how courts and litigants have adapted to evolving digital evidence standards, offering valuable insights for practitioners, policymakers, and academics alike.

CSLSA is an organization of law schools dedicated to providing a forum for conversation and collaboration among law school academics. The CSLSA Annual Conference is an opportunity for legal scholars, especially more junior scholars, to present working papers or finished articles in a relaxed and supportive setting where junior and senior scholars from various disciplines are available to comment. Additionally, scholars have an opportunity to test new ideas in a less formal setting than is generally available for their work.