Client: Leading Labor & Employment Law Firm
Services: Digital Forensics & eDiscovery Support
Focus Area: Employee Misconduct & Trade Secret Misappropriation
A premier labor and employment law firm engaged Sandline Global to assist in a series of sensitive investigations involving departing employees suspected of data theft and trade secret misappropriation.
Historically, such “bad leaver” matters focused on obvious signs of data exfiltration — USB transfers, personal email forwarding, or unauthorized downloads. Today, the investigative landscape is far more complex. Cloud integrations, mobile device usage, and personal storage accounts have expanded the surface area for potential misuse.
Sandline’s role was to help the firm move beyond traditional investigative boundaries, applying a modern forensic and eDiscovery framework capable of uncovering digital evidence across a wide range of sources, all while maintaining defensibility and speed.
With decades of combined experience in digital investigations, Sandline’s forensic experts delivered a tightly integrated forensic and eDiscovery workflow designed to bring clarity and control to an otherwise fragmented data environment.
1. Scoping & Identification
Every engagement begins with precision. Sandline collaborates with counsel to define the relevant custodians, data sources, and timeframes. Typical evidence includes:
- Corporate and personal computers, mobile devices, and tablets
- Cloud and webmail accounts such as Google Workspace, Dropbox, and OneDrive
- Network logs and third-party storage services
This early alignment ensures that no potential source of exfiltration is overlooked and that each step of the process is traceable and defensible.
2. Forensic Collection & Analysis
Using industry-standard and proprietary tools, Sandline performs forensic collections that preserve data integrity while capturing the metadata necessary to tell a complete story. Our reports provide insights into:
- File access and transfer patterns
- Cloud synchronization and external device activity
- Deletion, printing, and download events
- Indicators of user intent or concealment
Findings are reviewed collaboratively with the law firm’s attorneys, enabling quick alignment between technical discovery and case strategy.
3. Seamless eDiscovery Integration
Collected data is immediately processed through Sandline’s eDiscovery platform for efficient review. This dual-track workflow — where forensic and review teams work in parallel — empowers attorneys to explore both user behavior and document content simultaneously. The result: faster insight, reduced costs, and a consistent evidentiary narrative from investigation to litigation.
By uniting forensic precision with agile eDiscovery workflows, Sandline helped the firm uncover key evidence of trade secret theft and establish defensible, chronological timelines of employee activity.
Our experts translated complex technical findings into clear, plain-language reports and affidavits suitable for both legal and non-technical audiences. When required, Sandline’s specialists provided expert testimony that reinforced the credibility of the evidence and strengthened the client’s position in negotiation and trial.
- Broader Insight: Identification of sophisticated data theft methods beyond traditional USB or local storage.
- Increased Efficiency: Accelerated attorney review through parallel eDiscovery processing.
- Defensible Deliverables: Clear, accessible reporting for both legal and technical stakeholders.
- Expert Clarity: Testimony that transformed technical evidence into compelling courtroom narratives.
At Sandline Global, our combination of proactive communication, senior-level forensic consultation, and integrated technology workflows ensures consistent, defensible outcomes — no matter how complex the investigation.
