JOLT 2013-2014 Outlook and Announcement of 20th Volume Alumni Celebration

by Benjamin Fox, Editor-in-Chief

Following the announcement of the new staff members in August, JOLT turned its full attention to Volume XX.  I would like to take a few moments to discuss our outlook for this year, and announce some special plans.  First, however, I would like to say a huge “Thank You” to Editor-in-Chief Laura Cahill and the rest of the JOLT Volume XIX Editorial Board for all their exceptional work last year and help in the transition process.  In addition to publishing four issues and organizing an e-Discovery Symposium, the Board oversaw a complete re-design of the website, which now offers blog posts, reader and author interaction, and advanced searchable features.  We hope to build upon their advances.

Our staff is hard at work editing articles for Issue One and looking for quality articles to publish throughout the year.  We strive to continue JOLT’s tradition of publishing insightful, informative, and well-written articles that will drive discussion on a topic.  It is this tradition that has made JOLT the second most cited science, technology, and computing journal in judicial opinions over the past eight years.[1]  Furthermore, we have expanded our blog post section and will continue to increase the number and frequency of posts, so check back often!  Our blog posts present an opportunity to address evolving issues at the intersection of law and technology as they emerge.  As always, we appreciate your comments.  Additionally, while many of our blog posts come from JOLT staff, we welcome submissions from all sources.  Therefore, if you are interested in writing an article or blog post, please contact us at jolt@richmond.edu.

JOLT’s Annual Symposium is scheduled for February 28, 2014, and looks to be our biggest yet.  This year’s Symposium will focus on e-Discovery and Information Governance, with topics including the ethics of data retention, privacy and security of data, the importance of developing and implementing information governance procedures, and the effects of the proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.  We will provide updates under the “Symposium” tab on the site and will publish blog posts from a number of the authors and speakers in the months leading up to the Symposium.

Finally, it is with genuine excitement that I announce the JOLT 20th Volume Alumni Celebration.  On November 15, 2013, we will be hosting a reunion event for all University of Richmond JOLT alumni and their families.  JOLT alumni should be on the lookout for a save-the-date and a formal invitation with more information.  We will provide further updates on the website, but in the meantime, if you have questions about the event, please contact our Managing Editor Morgan Ackerman at morgan.ackerman@richmond.edu.  We hope to see many of you then!