Legal Cyber Academy

A Guide for Lawyers on Authenticating Social Media Evidence in 2022

Cyber Incidents· PremiumLevel: Intermediate

Overview of A Guide for Lawyers on Authenticating Social Media Evidence in 2022

Social media evidence has become a routine—and frequently contested—element of modern litigation, yet courts continue to grapple with inconsistent standards for authentication and admissibility. This two-part course provides attorneys and legal teams with practical, up-to-date guidance on collecting, preserving, and authenticating social media posts and other electronically stored information in a defensible manner. It addresses the full discovery workflow, from structuring preservation obligations and drafting targeted requests for production to countering hearsay objections and other admissibility challenges at trial. Drawn from relevant case law and real-world discovery scenarios, the course equips legal professionals to handle social media evidence with confidence and procedural rigor.

What you’ll learn in A Guide for Lawyers on Authenticating Social Media Evidence in 2022

  • Explain the eDiscovery obligations that apply when social media content is potentially relevant to litigation
  • Apply accepted methods for authenticating social media posts and other electronically stored information under current evidentiary standards
  • Structure preservation duties to reduce the risk of spoliation findings related to social media evidence
  • Draft requests for production that accurately and effectively capture social media content from opposing parties
  • Address common admissibility challenges—including hearsay objections—arising from the use of social media evidence
  • Apply lessons from relevant case law to anticipate and resolve social media discovery disputes in practice

Audience and prerequisites

Who should take this course — A Guide for Lawyers on Authenticating Social Media Evidence in 2022

Legal advisors, including litigators, in-house counsel, and legal team members who handle discovery and evidentiary matters involving social media or other electronically stored information.

Prerequisites for A Guide for Lawyers on Authenticating Social Media Evidence in 2022

A foundational understanding of civil litigation and discovery procedures is helpful, though no technical background is required.

Curriculum

  1. 1. A Guide for Lawyers on Authenticating Social Media Evidence in 2022 Part 1 of 2

    In Part one (1) of this seminar, our expert panelists begin by giving an overview of eDiscovery and then introduce the duty for attorneys to make eDiscovery cost-effective for clients. They highlight some key elements of eDiscovery, including where ESI can be found and key steps for complying with eDiscovery. Finally, our speakers break down the key elements for preparing social media evidence for trial. Topics covered in this webinar: Introduction to e-Discovery Attorney’s Duty to Make e-Discovery Cost Effective for Your Clients Preparing Social Media Evidence for Trial

    Video coming soon

  2. 2. A Guide for Lawyers on Authenticating Social Media Evidence in 2022 Part 2 of 2

    In Part two (2) of this seminar, our expert panelists discuss social media evidence practical discovery and authentication examples, review how to word requests for production, when duty to preserve is triggered, and the preservations of different data mediums. Our speaker give an overview of how evidence is authenticated and what factors could block admissibility and conclude with a review of social media and email E-discovery case law. Topics covered in this webinar: Social Media Evidence: Practical Discovery and Authentication Examples Authenticating Evidence Case Law

    Video coming soon

Learning track

Part of a learning trackCyber Incident Response for Legal TeamsCourse 4 of 8 — see the full path

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