Comparing results against the company’s inaugural survey in 2009, this year’s report indicates that the departmental disconnect is getting worse. The survey, which examined the collaboration strategies of senior IT managers at enterprises averaging 13,000 employees, found that IT and legal teams aren’t collaborating on a number of issues, and are spending too much time questioning each other’s commitment to and understanding of e-Discovery and regulatory compliance.

At a time when e-Discovery and regulatory issues are gaining momentum, these results don’t exactly instill confidence across the enterprise. As well, with more e-Discovery platforms moving in-house, more IT departments are being called upon to help integrate technologies and train staff. While vendors make their products and services seem like the perfect marriage between IT and legal, the truth may indicate that there are tensions.

For example:

• In 2009, 67% of respondents described the relationship between the two departments as “good” or “very good”; in 2010, only 54% did.
• In 2009, 37% of respondents reported that IT and legal were working more closely together than the year before; only 27% reported that they were in 2010.
• In 2009, 40% of respondents stated that their IT department considered eDiscovery to be a high to very high priority; yet in 2010, only 26% said that it was.
• In 2009, 82% of respondents said that IT was “very involved” in eDiscovery technology purchasing decisions, with legal being “very involved” 48% of the time. Again, in 2010, those numbers dropped from 82% to 78% and 48% to 33%, respectively.

via Disconnect Between Legal and IT Getting Worse, Recommind Survey Reveals.