EDRM opens public comment on major 2.0 model update

EDRM has opened public comment on EDRM 2.0, a broad update to its discovery reference model that adds information governance as a foundation and expands analysis across the workflow. The comment period runs through July 30, 2026, and the changes are meant to better reflect how legal teams handle data in the AI era.

Why it matters: - EDRM 2.0 updates a widely used framework for e-discovery, information governance and legal technology after nearly two decades of change in data, regulation and court practice. - The new model is meant to give courts, legal teams, agencies, service providers and technologists a more current shared language for how electronic evidence is handled from creation to final disposition. - The update arrives as AI changes how legal teams analyze data and make discovery decisions.

What happened: - The Electronic Discovery Reference Model opened public comment on EDRM 2.0 on June 30, 2026. - The comment period runs through July 30, 2026. - Practitioners and other stakeholders can review the model and submit feedback at the EDRM 2.0 comment page. - Project trustees will review every submission and decide whether more committee review or revisions are needed before final publication.

The details: - EDRM 2.0 is the first substantive update to the model since EDRM incorporated the full Information Governance Reference Model, or IGRM. - About 150 multidisciplinary practitioners across the global EDRM community helped develop the update. - The model now places IGRM as the foundational layer for the discovery lifecycle. - Identification, Preservation, Collection and Processing are grouped into a unified Data Acquisition framework. - Disposition is now a discrete phase. - Analysis is shown as an activity that spans every phase of discovery. - EDRM says the updated framework reflects two decades of changes in technology, data volumes, rule changes, regulatory expectations, cross-functional practice and court decisions. - The update builds on IGRM version 4.1, released in June 2026. - EDRM says the combined models provide an integrated reference for managing information from creation through final disposition in the AI era. - The project was led by co-project trustees Shannon Lex Bales, Rian Kennedy, Stephanie Clerkin and Brett Burney, with leadership support from Dave Cohen and guidance from EDRM’s global advisory council chaired by Robert Keeling. - Megan McKeirnan provided graphic support and Holley Robinson provided operational support. - Contributors authorizing public identification include Hon. Ralph Artigliere (ret.), Kostantino “Dean” Athanasopoulos, Denise B. Bach, CEDS, Hans-Ulrik von Bülow, Moira Cochran, Jen Coleman, Robert Daniel, Diane Diaz, Sally Evans, Irene Fiorentinos, Brandy Freeman, Colleen Freeman, Tristan Jenkinson, Doug Kaminski, Alisa McLellan, Tom O'Connor, Chris O'Connor, Grace Parker, Partha Ray, Rob Robinson, Chuck Rothman, Jill Rubio, Adam Schryer, Jyoti Singhal, Julie Son, Jonathan Tu, Adam Wehler and Bradley Wolf.

Between the lines: - The shift toward continuous analysis signals a broader move away from treating discovery as a linear checklist. - Making governance the base layer puts policy, retention and lifecycle management closer to the center of discovery practice. - The update also reflects a growing emphasis on AI-assisted legal work, where analytics and judgment are becoming part of the process at every stage. - EDRM says sponsorship and trusted-partner status do not affect community consensus work, and trustees judge comments on substance alone. - Mary Mack said the volume, variety and velocity of data in the agentic AI era is pressuring familiar evidence workflows and that public comment is how the community improves the model. - Shannon Lex Bales said EDRM 2.0 gives the profession a stronger foundation for the future and increases the focus on analysis. - Rian Kennedy said the main improvements are making IGRM the foundation, extending analysis across the workflow and better grouping the phases on the left side. - Stephanie Clerkin said the model needed to reflect how discovery actually works across different roles as AI reshapes legal work. - David R. Cohen said the revision took two years and drew on input from more than 100 EDRM members. - Brett Burney said the model had to adapt to reflect the changing nature of electronically stored information and litigation practice.

What's next: - EDRM trustees will evaluate the public comments and determine whether further revisions are warranted. - EDRM will publish the final version after the review process ends. - The organization is inviting global feedback throughout the comment window to strengthen the consensus model before adoption.