Review: ‘Digital Forensics for Legal Professionals’ Is Essential Reading
By David J. Kearney ContactAll Articles, Law Technology News, May 4, 2012
Authors Larry and Lars Daniel have assembled a nearly perfect book: Digital Forensics for Legal Professionals: Understanding Digital Evidence From the Warrant to the Courtroom is a reference manual, instruction guide, and a best practices and lessons-learned archive that’s essential reading for legal professionals working with digital evidence.
The topics covered in the book are designed efficiently and easily absorbed, with technical and legal concepts articulated by real-world examples. Technical concepts, such as HASH values, metadata, file carving, and thumbnail caches are simplified. Laws and acts, including civil and criminal proceedings, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, rules of discovery, and orders are explained clearly enough for non-lawyers to understand. Both authors have many years of practical hands-on experience, relevant certifications, and have spoken at dozens of events on the topic of forensics. By all accounts, the authors are experts and have been able to share their knowledge simply and articulately, while presenting forensic evidence, technical, and legal concepts eloquently.
The Daniels start chapters with an introduction to each topic, explain the topics with short but informational content supplemented with examples and graphics, and close with a recap of what was covered. The book is arranged into four sections: “What is Digital Forensics”; “Experts”; “Motions and Discovery”; and “Common Types of Digital Evidence.” The four sections and the chapters contained within focus on areas that everyone working with digital evidence should be familiar.
They also act as an easy reference for looking up specific topics, such as working with and qualifying digital forensics experts within various disciplines; discovery motions and how to request discovery from third parties that store data, including the Stored Communications Act, Electronic Communication Privacy Act, HIPAA, and the Fourth Amendment; and the countless types of digital evidence and the preservation and acquisition of evidence from desktop computers to GPS devices to gaming devices to financial systems — and everything else in-between. <READ MORE>