Meet…
19 June 2009
MARA Student Brande Gex Manages Digital Assets for City Attorney
A recent change to the procedures that govern how electronically stored records must be produced in litigation spurred Masters of Archives and Records Administration (MARA) student Brande Gex to return to school to boost her digital information skills.
Handing over electronically stored information in civil court cases at one time was voluntary. Revisions to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure now make it mandatory.
Gex, who has worked some 30 years in the legal field, realized that the modification will have a significant impact on how her employer – the San Jose City Attorney's office – and other organizations store and maintain electronic data. So she enrolled as a member of the first cohort of the MARA degree program, starting her studies in Fall 2008. Her coursework has already paid off in a promotion.
“One of the things that my manager was really looking for when filling the open position was someone who could manage records and is knowledgeable about electronically stored information,” said Gex. “Our applicant group was highly qualified. I really believe the MARA program gave me the extra leg up that I needed to get the job.” In November 2008, Gex was promoted to senior legal analyst from legal administrative assistant.
Gex now supervises seven legal administrative assistants and helps develop new procedures related to electronic discovery and management of electronic documents in litigation. She will also work on updates of the office intranet site and plans to improve records management procedures.
One of the biggest benefits of the MARA program for Gex has been working with her tightly knit cohort of seven other students, who have varied backgrounds ranging from archivists to recordkeepers. “There's a great synergy among us, and I'm learning a lot from my fellow students,” she said. “I imagine that if I ever run into any problems at work, there's always someone who I can ask for advice.”
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