On October 1, 2011, changes to the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure will bring E-Discovery to North Carolina state courts. The rule changes largely mirror the 2006 Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, with a few significant modifications.
Discovery Plans: Either party to a case now has the right to require the development of a discovery plan, which extends to all discovery in the case (not just E-Discovery). The parties are required to meet and discuss the possibility of settlement and the preparation of a discovery plan which addresses discovery of electronically stored information (“ESI”), production of ESI, discovery limitations or phasing, and the deadline for completion of all discovery.
Please see full publication below for more information.