Frederick Owens is an electronic discovery project manager who joined Gunster in 2011. Fred has over 20 years of experience working with attorneys and professional support staff in the areas of information technology management, electronic discovery and litigation support, both in and out of the courtroom.

Fred is focused on ensuring compliance with state and federal electronic discovery rules, information governance requirements and ESI collection from clients, opposing counsel and third parties in all areas of litigation, including internal corporate investigations. Fred is also involved in document review team coordination, management budgeting and third party e-discovery vendor selection, as well as custodian interviews to identify relevant data sources, and the collection, processing and production of electronically stored data. In addition to his deep knowledge of state and federal ESI rules and case law, he has extensive experience in cases involving the Stored Communications Act, the Cable Privacy Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and has worked on various cases involving complex technology issues such as IP identification, IP history and social media user identification and has testified by affidavit, declaration or via live, oral testimony over 30 times in matters involving all of the above topics.  He seeks to ensure that advanced analytics are used to expedite document review. In addition, Fred works on initiatives pertaining to trial preparation, trial support, electronic evidence presentation, creation of demonstrative aids and the deployment of courtroom technology.

Fred is dedicated to delivering acute attention to detail when organizing and synthesizing large quantities of data. He is personally committed to remaining accessible to both clients and colleagues alike. Fred’s background in information technology, along with his law degree, aid him in bridging the gap between the law and electronically stored information.

Fred works to coordinate the response to client data breaches by working with Gunster attorneys, client information technology personnel, external forensic examiners and investigators to develop and implement an appropriate response from a technical perspective.

A member of ACEDS since 2015, Fred has served as president of the board of directors for the ACEDS South Florida Chapter since 2018.  Fred received a Kroll On-Track E-Discovery Certification in 2010. His e-discovery application experience includes CSDisco, Relativity, Ringtail, Catalyst, Recommind, iPro, LAW, Summation and Concordance. He is proficient in a wide range of litigation support applications including Trail Director/Sanction, Timeline Express, Deposition Director, Timecoder Pro, Depoview, chronology building applications and applications used to manage text and video deposition collections. He is also familiar with a variety of business and enterprise information technology applications including Microsoft enterprise level server, mail and database systems, cloud-based storage systems, file sharing and collaborative workspace applications, among many others.

• Wallace Sedgwick Client Service Award – Los Angeles Litigation, 2011
• Wallace Sedgwick Client Service Award – National Products Liability and Asbestos Litigation, 2011
• Wallace Sedgwick Client Service Award – Miami-Dade County Litigation, 2011
• Gordon Hargrove and James Above and Beyond Award, 2005

• “Florida Eminent Domain Conference – eDiscovery: Using the Rules and Technology to Cut Costs and Fees”
• “ESI/E-Discovery: Counsel Sanctions for E-Discovery Violations”
• “Emerging Issues in Work Product (Contributing Speaker on Metadata)”
• “Impact of the New Florida Rules Regarding Electronic Discovery”
• “Utilizing Early Data Assessment in Florida State Cases to Facilitate Cooperation in Electronic Discovery”
• “Attorney Client/Work Product Privileges and eDiscovery”
• “Technology Assisted Review – Implications to Legal Practice and Ethical Considerations”
• “E-Discovery: Enough of the Rules — A Practical Guide to Application and Compliance”
• “Controlling E-Discovery Costs Through Rule 26 Meet and Confers (or Florida Rules 1.200 or 1.201)”
• “Handling Your Clients Confidential Information”
• “I Stole Your Client’s Medical Records, Social Security Number, Bank Account Number and Trade Secrets… They’re Cool With That Right?”
• “Negotiating eDiscovery Requirements and Requests”

• Association of Certified Electronic Discovery Specialists (ACEDS)
  • South Florida Chapter, president, 2018-present
  • South Florida Chapter, vice president, 2017-18
  • Member, 2015-present
• Duke Law, EDRM, 2017-present
• Broward County Bar Association, 2016-present