Insights · For the Bench & Bar
Practical writing for judges, clerks, and litigators researching when and how to engage a court-appointed technical special master, discovery referee, or forensic neutral.
Rule 53 gives courts the authority to refer technical disputes to a neutral. The harder question is when an appointment is warranted. Five recurring signals tell the bench it is time.
Read the piece →Machine-learning systems break the assumptions behind ordinary discovery. A technical special master gives courts a way to examine models, training data, and outputs that the rules were not built to reach.
Read the piece →The three titles are used loosely and often interchangeably, but they carry different authority and arise from different sources. Knowing which role the case needs sharpens the appointing order.
Read the piece →A technical special master can only do what the order authorizes. A precise appointment order prevents scope fights, protects sensitive material, and tells everyone how the master’s findings will be reviewed.
Read the piece →Inquiries from the Court & Counsel
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