In light of Proteus Discovery Group’s recent acquisition of Novitas Data, we’ve brought together Ray Biederman, Co-Founder and CEO of Proteus, and Rob Oliver, Co-Founder and former CEO of Novitas (and current Vice President at Proteus) to chat about their backgrounds, the evolution of eDiscovery, and the acquisition that’s staged to propel Proteus to new heights.
Ray Biederman (RB): Rob, let’s start with your journey. How did you first get started in the eDiscovery space, and what drew you to this industry?
Rob Oliver (RO): I started in the industry out of college as a recruiter and trainer for a company called Nightrider for legal copy work – and I grew from there. in 2000, I joined Pacific Legal as a partner, which later turned into Discover-e Legal, then to Novitas Data. I love the constant pressure, deadlines, and challenges that we face in the industry. I guess that makes me a little bit of adrenaline junky, but I love achieving results when backs are against the wall. The industry is very close and I have met some great people along the way both internally and externally that I'm thankful for.
RB: Yes the eDiscovery industry certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. So, what was your vision when you co-founded Novitas Data?
RO: My vision was to create a company that wasn’t just another eDiscovery vendor, but a true partner to our clients. That’s actually one of the reasons why the acquisition with Proteus felt so right — we share that mentality. Actually, that’s a question for you – what is it that excites you most about Novitas coming into the Proteus fold?
RB: I definitely share your sentiment and what excites me the most is the expansion of our capabilities. With the acquisition, we’re now able to offer services that go beyond what we were already offering such as Relativity Server hosting, digital forensics support, and scanning services. It’s all about giving our clients more comprehensive solutions under one roof. I’m also excited about adding some great talent to our team.
RO: I couldn’t agree more. And now let me turn the tables. How did you get started in the legal industry, and what led you to focus on eDiscovery?
RB: I got started in eDiscovery through a paid internship at Butler University. I had to pay for my music degree and thought working at a law firm would be cool way to do that. My internship consisted of scanning boxes of printed out emails and coding the to, from, date and subject matter of the emails in a then cutting-edge piece of software called Summation. From there, I learned how to search in the software, how to maintain and categorize data and the rest was history. I decided to go to law school at the end of undergrad and it was around the time the Federal Court released the 2006 amendments to the Federal Rules, which codified the role of eDiscovery. It was meant to be.
RO: That’s quite the interesting path. One last question, Ray. Where do you see Proteus moving forward?
RB: Proteus is well positioned to continue to provide top-tier eDiscovery and legal technology solutions. I want us to be known not just for the tools we offer, but for the experience and care we bring to every client relationship. We’ve built something great, and with the added capabilities from Novitas, I believe we’re ready to make an even bigger impact.
RO: I couldn’t agree more. Here’s to the future of Proteus, and to continuing to serve our clients with excellence.
Conclusion
This acquisition marks a pivotal moment for Proteus Discovery Group as it continues to expand in the eDiscovery space. For more information about the acquisition, visit resources.proteusdiscovery.com/acquisition and watch Ray and Rob's video announcement too!