eDiscovery Daily Blog

ACEDS Shows Why You Need Those Stinking Badges: eDiscovery Trends

If you love classic comedy movies like me, you probably love the classic Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles.  My favorite quote from that movie is when the bandido says “Badges?  We don’t need no stinking badges!”  Well, the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS) is showing that you do, in fact, need those stinking badges to prove you’re CEDS certified.

According to Legaltech News (ACEDS New Digital Badge Aims to End E-Discovery Credential Fraud, written by Frank Ready), ACEDS has released a new digital badge that members can post to social media platforms, signature lines or LinkedIn to make it easier to  have their credentials validated with a single click to their social media pages, online résumé or signature line and prevent fraud.

ACEDS created the badge in partnership with credentials solutions developer Credly Acclaim. It was developed as a tool that could be used to prevent fraud or remind people that their certifications won’t renew themselves.

“We’ve had feedback from people who were concerned perhaps that some folks were putting initials after their names or keeping initials after their names even if they hadn’t re-certified,” Mary Mack, ACEDS executive director, said. “You just sort of forget that you have to re-certify. We communicate via email, and these days it’s really hard to get through spam filters. People move jobs, and so they may not even know that their certification is expired,” Mack said.

As of two weeks ago, it’s now available to members holding ACEDS’ Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS) credential. The badge can be posted to Facebook, LinkedIn or inside an email, where a single click will redirect users to a secure third party site maintained by ACEDS.

“Certainly, it would probably save a step for a reference check. Or if you were checking people’s credentials, you’d be able to just press on the badge, and then you would see when the candidate certified and if they were still in good standing,” Mack said.

The other side of the employment equation also stands to benefit. Job candidates on the prowl can use the badge to check the status of their own certification and receive instructions on how to re-qualify.

Bandidos, you do need those stinking badges after all (at least if you want to prove you’re certified).

By the way, with regard to the Blazing Saddles quote, that’s not where the quote originated on film or TV, click on a previous blog post here (and scroll to the bottom) to find out where the exact quote originally appeared.  You may be surprised! :o)

So, what do you think?  Are you more likely to hire someone with a CEDS certification for eDiscovery jobs?  As always, please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Image Copyright © Warner Bros. Inc.

Sponsor: This blog is sponsored by CloudNine, which is a data and legal discovery technology company with proven expertise in simplifying and automating the discovery of data for audits, investigations, and litigation. Used by legal and business customers worldwide including more than 50 of the top 250 Am Law firms and many of the world’s leading corporations, CloudNine’s eDiscovery automation software and services help customers gain insight and intelligence on electronic data.

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by CloudNine. eDiscovery Daily is made available by CloudNine solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Daily should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.

print