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Digital Trace Australia expands to Sydney
Adelaide-founded law firm Digital Trace Australia has established a Sydney office, on the back of “increasing demand” for digital forensics and e-discovery services primarily from the legal sector.
Jerome Doraisamy
The firm’s new Sydney office will be led by Nigel Carson, who spent 13 years with KordaMentha and six years with Ferrier Hodgson and is a “seasoned forensic technology specialist”, the firm said.
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The appointment, the firm said in a statement, “gives the brand additional credibility and a formidable presence on the eastern seaboard”.
“The recruitment of Nigel Carson is a coup for our business and positions us strongly to grow our brand in the engine room of Australia’s economy at a time when digital forensics and e-discovery are becoming integral to an ever-increasing number of legal cases,” said Digital Trace director Briston Talbot.
“Digital Trace Australia is a specialist computer investigation firm that can assist investigators and litigators in any matter involving electronic documents and devices. We are often called to assist in investigations involving employee disputes, IP theft, industrial espionage, or sexual harassment in the workplace.
“The accelerated migration of data and communications to the cloud with increased reliance on electronic contracts and digital signatures is a driving force for the engagement of digital investigators whose expertise is required to identify and clarify the relevant metadata associated with key documents in dispute to help establish their provenance.”
Mr Talbot is keen, he continued, to position Digital Trace Australia as a trusted adviser in matters related to electronic evidence and to highlight the importance of getting experts involved early, if only to provide general advice without necessarily having a formal engagement or further involvement.
“Very often, the company’s IT manager or even an external IT service provider is engaged to undertake the initial investigation, but it’s important that company decision-makers and their legal counsel treat the digital environment as a potential crime scene in cases where significant wrongdoing is expected,” he said.
“Invariably, it will make a difference to the outcome of criminal investigations or legal proceedings.”
Mr Talbot said that he believes the use of internal resources can compromise further investigation.
“There may also be a conflict of interest where internal staff are involved in an investigation,” he noted.
“Digitisation continues to have a significant impact on the way the law is applied and how cases are managed,” the firm added.
“As digital communication evolves, so does the need for sophisticated e-discovery and digital forensic services that extend beyond just the assembly of evidence in emails, voicemails and social media.”
Digital Trace Australia was borne out of the digital evidence management arm of DuncanPowell in Adelaide.
