Overview
Charles R. Ragan (“Chuck”) began his practice of law in California, where he worked with large international clients as well as emerging companies on a variety of commercial disputes in state, federal, and international venues. Through his work with the U.S. District Court there, Chuck was at the forefront of the ADR movement and from that developed a practice as a neutral arbitrator and mediator. Since 2002, a primary focus of Chuck has been developing best practices and reasonable approaches to managing electronic information through its entire lifecycle, including e-discovery, privacy, and security.
Leveraging his experience as a neutral, Chuck listens closely to clients to understand not only their legal issues but also how they relate to business objectives. Chuck then crafts practical and executable game plans that fit the client’s needs and its culture.
Chuck’s experience in Information Law includes:
- developing legal hold procedures and guidelines for Fortune 50 companies,
- developing global records and information policies and schedules
- preparing strategic risk assessments for moving enterprise data to cloud platforms,
- strategizing with and representing clients in e-discovery disputes,
- vendor contracting and management, and
- serving as an expert witness.
Among Chuck’s numerous writings in the areas of information law and alternative dispute resolution are major contributions to publications of The Sedona Conference, which courts have referred to as “the leading authorities on electronic document retrieval and production.”
Honors
- AV Preeminent rating as independently determined by Martindale-Hubbell
- Chambers Global, Band 1 in eDiscovery, 2010
- Chambers USA, "Leaders in their Field," Privacy & Data Security, 2008-09
- Bay Area Super Lawyers, ranked multiple years
News & Insights
- Cyber-Liability for the C-Suite: Mitigating the Risks of Senior Management (and Potentially Directors) Being Held Personally Accountable for Data Breach Incidents, The Circuit Rider, the Journal of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association, 28 (May 2023) (co-author).
- It’s 10 p.m. Do you know how secure your data is?, March 21, 2023.
- Death By a Thousand Scans? Illinois Supreme Court Says that Claims Under BIPA Accrue Early – and Again and Again, Redgrave LLP Client Alert (February 23, 2023).
- Updated ISO Standards Require Enhanced Information Governance (published by Bloomberg Law, January 2023) (co-author).
- Act Now or Pay Later: The Case for Defensible Disposition of Data (Thompson Reuters, Practical Law Article, published December 2022) (co-author).
- New ISO Information Governance Standard Can Help Fuel Organization Initiatives (Redgrave Client Alert, October 2022).
- Cooperation in the Discovery Process After the Sedona Conference Proclamation, Bloomberg Law (September 2022) (co-author).
- The Ballad of the Sad Non-Party: Practical Guidance for True Non-Parties Handling Documents Subpoenas (2020 co-author).
- The Sedona Principles: Best Practices Recommendations & Principles for Addressing Electronic Document Production, Third Edition, 19 Sedona Conf. J. 1 (2018 drafting team and editorial style committee member).
- “A Wake-Up Call to Counsel re: ESI Discovery,” Law 360 (September 11, 2014) (co-author).
- “Information Governance: It’s a Duty and It’s Smart Business,” 19 Richmond J. Law & Tech. 1, (2013).
Involvement
Professional Associations & Memberships
- The Sedona Conference, 2002-Present
- American Arbitration Association
- Commercial Arbitration panel, 1986-Present
- International Arbitration panel, 1997- Present
- U.S. Council for International Business (ICC) panelist, 2013-Present
- Silicon Valley Arbitration & Mediation Center, Tech List panelist, 2015-Present
- U.S. District Court, W.D. Pa., e-Discovery special master list, 2013-Present
- Academy of Court-Appointed Neutrals, 2023-Present
- International Bar Association, 1989-2016
- Chair of ADR subcommittee, 1995-99
- U.S. District Court, N.D.CA
- Lawyer Delegate to Circuit Conference, 1985-91
- Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Group, 1995-99
- ADR Rules Committee, 2008
Practices
Education
- Princeton University, Princeton, N.J., A.B., 1969
- Fordham University, New York, N.Y., J.D., cum laude, Law Review Editor-in-Chief, 1974
Admissions
- New York Bar, 1975
- California Bar, 1976
- Minnesota Bar, 2006
*Admitted to practice in New York, California and Minnesota. Not admitted to practice in Florida.
