Alumni Spotlight

Goldsmith '83 Leads DOJ Effort on Electronic Discovery

Andrew Goldsmith '83

July 02, 2012

As national criminal discovery coordinator for the U.S. Department of Justice, Andrew Goldsmith '83 recently wrapped up an 18-month initiative to streamline the production and exchange of electronically stored information (ESI) in cases involving electronic discovery.

Goldsmith served as a co-chair for the joint venture between the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and the Department of Justice. The group issued its recommendations, titled "Recommendations for Electronically Stored Information Discovery Production," to all U.S. attorney offices, federal defenders and Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel attorneys earlier this month.

In a statement, Goldsmith said that the initiative resulted in “a pragmatic approach to the increasing challenges presented by ESI in criminal cases.”

“They are the product of a unique level of collaboration among representatives from the Department of Justice, federal public defenders, and private attorneys who accept appointments under the Criminal Justice Act,” Goldsmith said in the statement. “The recommendations provide meaningful, how-to guidance in dealing with ESI in a way that minimizes unnecessary costs and motion practice.”

As the DOJ's national criminal discovery coordinator, Goldsmith oversees the implementation of a number of initiatives designed to provide prosecutors with the training and resources they need to meet discovery obligations in criminal cases. He also act as the primary liaison to all of the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and Department components on these issues, as well as issues relating to electronic evidence in criminal cases.

Goldsmith previously served as the first assistant chief of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section, as well as chief of the Environmental Crimes Unit of the New York Attorney General's Office and an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey. He has also worked as an assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and in private practice.