Jeane A. Thomas is Chair of the firm's E-Discovery and Information Management Group and a partner in Crowell & Moring's Antitrust Group.
In her role with the E-Discovery practice, Ms. Thomas has managed many types of E-Discovery matters in both government investigations and private litigation. She regularly counsels clients on Litigation Readiness Planning, including the development and application of effective document/data retention policies, legal hold practices, and corporate content policies, as well as E-Discovery response plans. Ms. Thomas is a participating member of the Sedona Conference Working Group on E-Discovery, and co-chairs the Working Group's Healthcare Team. She is also a member of the Advisory Board and Faculty of the Georgetown University Law Center Advanced Institute for E-Discovery. She regularly speaks and writes on E-Discovery issues.
Ms. Thomas is engaged in all types of antitrust representations, including mergers and joint ventures, class and individual civil litigation, and civil and criminal government investigations. She also counsels clients on a broad range of antitrust issues, including intellectual property and licensing issues, trade association law, the Hart Scott Rodino Act, and pricing and distribution issues. She has focused extensively on the telecommunications, technology, chemicals and healthcare/pharmaceuticals industries.
Currently, Ms. Thomas is involved in counseling clients on a broad range of merger and joint venture issues. These representations include major transactions in the telecommunications, chemicals, electronics and metals industries. She played a principal role in Cingular Wireless' acquisition of AT&T Wireless, SBC's acquisition of AT&T, and AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth.
Throughout her career, Ms. Thomas has always maintained an active docket of pro bono representations. In the past, she has litigated post-conviction death penalty cases in Texas and Virginia in state and federal courts, and she currently represents an individual in post-conviction proceedings in Mississippi.
Ms. Thomas has been recognized by clients and peers as a top lawyer in Chambers USA in Antitrust.
Publications
· "Pippins v. KPMG Highlights the Need for Proportionality and Reasonableness Standards," Legal Hold Pro Signature Paper: Preservation and Proportionality, Eds. Brad Harris and Ron Hedges (November 2011). Author: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Using Price Discrimation to Define Relevant Markets: Lessons from Dean Foods," ABA Antitrust Section Agriculture and Food Committee e-Bulletin, Vol. 2, No. 1(Summer 2011). Co-Authors: Jeane A. Thomas and Elliot Golding.
· "Victor Stanley Revisited: Judge Grimm's Analysis of the Law Governing Spoliation Sanctions," Digital Discovery & E-Evidence, Vol. 10, No. 17, NBA, Inc. (September 17, 2010). Co-Authors: Jeane A. Thomas and Ronald J. Hedges.
· "Mohawk Industries and E-Discovery," Digital Discovery & E-Evidence, BNA, Inc., Vol. 10, No. 1 (January 1, 2010). Co-Authors: Ronald J. Hedges and Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Cooperative Process for Minimizing Discovery Burden, Expense," ARMA Journal (April 2009). Co-Authors: Jeane A. Thomas and Ronald J. Hedges.
· "Reducing the costs of privilege reviews and logs," The National Law Journal, In Focus: E-Discovery (March 23, 2009). Co-Authors: Jeane A. Thomas, David D. Cross and Courtney Ingraffia Barton.
· "The First Steps in a Legal Crisis," Legal Times, Vol. XXXI, No. 4 (January 28, 2008). Co-Authors: Jeane A. Thomas and James L. Michalowicz.
· "Lessons Learned," Law Firm, Inc. (March/April 2006). Co-Authors: Jeane A. Thomas and Benjamin C. Hawksworth.
· Federal Trade Commission's Report On Competition Policy In The World of B2B Marketplaces, (October 27, 2000). Co-Authors: Jeane A. Thomas and Monya A. Phillip.
· Federal Trade Commission B2B Workshop, (June 29-30, 2000). Co-Authors: Wm. Randolph Smith, Jeane A. Thomas and Monya A. Phillip.
Alerts & Newsletters
· "Federal Court Imposes Broad Preservation Obligation Regarding Potential Class Members in FLSA Action," Labor & Employment Law Alert - US (February 23, 2012). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, David E. Bell, Christopher Calsyn, Jeffrey W. Pagano, Thomas P. Gies, Mark A. Romeo.
· "FTC Proposes Changes to Rules Governing Investigatory Procedures, Primarily to Address Issues Regarding Electronically Stored Information," Electronic Discovery & Information Management Alert (January 27, 2012). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, Timothy (Ty) Carson.
· "Mandatory Indian Merger Control: What You Need to Know," Antitrust Law Alert (July 15, 2011). Contacts: Robert A. Lipstein, Jeane A. Thomas, Olivier N. Antoine.
· "Antitrust Division Issues Updated Policy Guide to Merger Remedies," Antitrust Law Alert (June 21, 2011). Contacts: Robert A. Lipstein, Jeane A. Thomas, Lauren B. Patterson.
· "Rambus Redux: Federal Circuit Reconciles District Court Split Regarding When Duty To Preserve Is Triggered," Electronic Discovery & Information Management Alert (May 27, 2011). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, David E. Bell.
· "Leading Judge Issues Seminal 89-Page Opinion Imposing Harsh Sanctions for Spoliation," Electronic Discovery & Information Management Alert (September 23, 2010). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, Andrew H. Marks, Justin P. Murphy.
· "Supreme Court Rules that Government Search of Employee's Text Messages Was Reasonable," Electronic Discovery & Information Management Alert (June 19, 2010). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, Kris D. Meade, Justin P. Murphy, Robin B. Campbell.
· "U.S. Courts Order Discovery Despite Foreign Privacy Laws," Electronic Discovery & Information Management Alert (May 11, 2010). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, David E. Bell.
· "Spoliation Sanctions: A Tale of Two Courts," Electronic Discovery & Information Management Alert (March 16, 2010). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, David D. Cross.
· "European Working Party Offers Guidance On Discovery For Cross-Border Civil Litigation," Privacy Law Alert (March 5, 2009). Contacts: Kris D. Meade, Jeane A. Thomas.
· "European Working Party Offers Guidance On Discovery For Cross-Border Civil Litigation," Electronic Discovery & Information Management Alert (March 5, 2009). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, Kris D. Meade.
· "Proposed FTC Final Interim Rules Regarding Adjudicatory Proceedings," Electronic Discovery & Information Management Alert (January 16, 2009). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, Michael G. Van Arsdall.
· "Judge Paul Grimm Weighs In on Parties' Duties to Cooperate in Discovery," Electronic Discovery & Information Management Alert (October 20, 2008). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, Andrew H. Marks.
· "Congress Passes New Federal Rule of Evidence to Address Privilege Issues," Electronic Discovery & Information Management Alert (September 9, 2008). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, Andrew H. Marks, David D. Cross.
· "Key HSR Filing Threshold Will Increase To $63.1 Million As Of Feb. 28," Antitrust Law Alert (January 30, 2008). Contacts: Wm. Randolph Smith, Jeane A. Thomas, Shawn R. Johnson.
· "FTC Issues New HSR Thresholds," Antitrust Law Alert (January 16, 2007). Contacts: Wm. Randolph Smith, Jeane A. Thomas, Shawn R. Johnson.
· "DOJ Issues Merger Process Reforms," Antitrust Law Alert (December 18, 2006). Contacts: Wm. Randolph Smith, Jeane A. Thomas, Shawn R. Johnson.
· "International Trade Bulletin - Volume 1, Issue 15," International Trade Bulletin(October 4, 2006). Contacts: Jeffrey L. Snyder, Jeane A. Thomas, Barry E. Cohen, Alexander H. Schaefer, Carrie F. Fletcher.
· "New Electronic Discovery Rules Approved," Government Contracts Bullet Points(April 19, 2006). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, Andrew H. Marks, Andy Liu.
· "Supreme Court Approves E-Discovery Amendments to FRCP," Electronic Discovery & Information Management Alert (April 18, 2006). Contacts: Jeane A. Thomas, Andrew H. Marks.
Speaking Engagements
· "Future of the Rules/New Developments," Advanced eDiscovery Institute, Georgetown Law CLE (November 18, 2011). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "E-discovery in Transition: New Trends and FRCP Amendments on the Horizon," ALI-ABA Webinar (October 25, 2011). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· Federal Judicial Center E-Discovery Seminar for Federal Judges, Washington, D.C.(June 29 - July 1, 2011). Faculty: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "The 'Ins' and 'Outs' of Electronic Information in Government Investigations," BNA Webinar (June 16, 2011). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Ethics and Technology in the 21st Century," The Fifth Annual National Institute on E-Discovery: Practical Solutions for Dealing with ESI, ABA Section of Litigation and Center for CLE, Washington, D.C. (May 19, 2011). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "The Electronic Age: How Courts are Dealing with Major Issues - ESI Quarterly," ALIABA Webinar (April 13, 2011). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Managing Electronic Information: Legal Risks Involving the U.S., EC, Hackers and Leakers," IBJ-IJE Seminar, Brussels, Belgium (February 8, 2011). Co-Presenters: Flip Petillion, Thomas De Meese and Jeane Thomas.
· "The E-Discovery Reality Show: Surviving the Meet and Confer," LegalTech New York (January 31, 2011). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Electronic Data in Litigation: Trends and Developments - ESI Quarterly," ALI-ABA Webinar (January 12, 2011). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· 7th Annual Advanced E-Discovery Institute, Georgetown Law CLE (November 18 - 19, 2010); Planning Co-Chair: Jeane A. Thomas; "2010: A Sanctions Odyssey" (November 19, 2010). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· Federal Election Commission Seminar on E-Discovery (November 9, 2010). Faculty: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "The Slippery Slope from Preservation to Sanctions: A Review of 2010's Major E-Discovery Cases from Pension Committee through Victor Stanley," BNA Webinar (October 13, 2010). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· E-Discovery Seminar for Federal Judges 2010 (September 27-29, 2010). Faculty: Jeane A. Thomas and Stephen Byers.
· "Electronic Data in Litigation: Trends in Discovery and Ethics," ALI-ABA Webinar (May 3, 2010). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· 'Rimkus Consulting Group v. Cammarata and Pension Committee v. Banc of America Securities LLC: Is it a New Day for Preservation and Collection of ESI?" BNA Webinar (March 23, 2010). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Cloud Computing & Web 2.0: Discovery Challenges for Lawyers," ALI-ABA Webinar (February 12, 2010). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Let's Have A Debate Presentation: The Hottest 'Behind the Scenes' Topics in Search and Retrieval Today," Legal Tech New York (February 3, 2010). Speaker: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Ethics: Professional Obligations in eDiscovery," ALI-ABA Webinar on e-Evidence and Ethics (November 16, 2009). Speaker: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "E-Discovery and the Health Care Industry," Georgetown Law Center Advanced E-Discovery Institute (November 12-13, 2009). Moderator: Jeane A. Thomas.
· Sedona Conference on Antitrust Law and Litigation (October 29-30, 2009). Faculty: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Ethical Issues for Attorneys in E-Discovery," The Masters Conference (October 14, 2009). Speaker: Jeane A. Thomas.
· Federal Judicial Center, Educational Program for Federal Judges on E-Discovery (September 10-11, 2009). Faculty: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Putting Litigation Back in E-Discovery," BNA Audioconference (July 21, 2009). Speaker: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Ethics: Professional Obligations in eDiscovery," ALI-ABA Webinar on e-Evidence and Ethics (June 30, 2009). Speaker: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "E-Discovery And The Preservation Of Electronic Information For Government Contractors," Crowell & Moring's Ounce of Prevention Seminar 2009 (OOPS), Washington, D.C. (May 27-28, 2009). Speaker: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "E Discovery: What You Should be Doing Right Now," Department of Energy Contractors Association, Las Vegas NV (May 8, 2009). Speaker: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Money Saving Solutions For E-Discovery: Concrete Steps You Should Take Now To Manage Risks & Control Ballooning Costs," Huron Consulting Group Briefing, Washington, D.C. (April 2, 2009). Faculty Member: Jeane A. Thomas.
· Georgetown Law Center Advanced E-Discovery Institute Training Academy, Washington, DC (February 9-13, 2009). Faculty Member: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Strategic E-Discovery: Taking Steps to Avoid Litigation's Black Hole," The Knowledge Congress Live Webinar (January 28, 2009). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Critical Aspects of E-Discovery Practice," Georgetown Law Center Fifth Annual Advanced E-Discovery Institute, Washington, D.C. (November 21, 2008). Planning Co-Chair; Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Best Practices for Developing, Communicating and Applying Search Terms," The Masters Conference: View E-Discovery Through the Corporate Veil, Washington, D.C., www.themastersconference.com (October 16-17, 2008). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Case Law Overview," BNA Legal & Business Edge, E-Discovery for the Enterprise, Washington, D.C. (September 19, 2008). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "E-Discovery in Antitrust Lawsuits and Investigations," Strafford Legal Teleconference (September 4, 2008). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "E-Discovery: An A to Z Workshop," West Legalworks, Washington, D.C. (July 15-16, 2008). Faculty: Jeane A. Thomas.
· DESI II: Second International Workshop on Supporting Search and Sensemaking for Electronically Stored Information in Discovery Proceedings, University College London, U.K. (June 25, 2008). Keynote Address: Jeane A. Thomas.
· 2008 E-Discovery Training Program, sponsored by the Federal Judicial Center and Georgetown Law (June 23, 2008). Panelist: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "E-Discovery in Antitrust Lawsuits and FTC/DOJ Investigation: Managing and Producing Electronic Information under the Amended Federal Rules," Strafford Legal Teleconference (February 26, 2008). Co-Presenter: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Electronic Discovery Collection Technology: Commercial and Government Approaches," Advanced E-Discovery Technology Workshop, Georgetown University Law Center CLE (November 14, 2007). Panel Moderator: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Antitrust Update," ABA Corporate Counseling Committee (October 11, 2007). Presenters: Wm. Randolph Smith, Kent A. Gardiner, Jeane A. Thomas, Robert Lipstein, Christopher E. Ondeck, Bridget E. Calhoun, Daniel A. Sasse, Werner Berg and Thomas De Meese.
· "E-Discovery in Antitrust Lawsuits and Government Investigations; Electronic Information Management Under the New Federal Rules," Sponsored by Stafford Publications (September 6, 2007). Presenter: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Federal E-Discovery Rules: Tips, Techniques and Pitfalls from the Front Line," Virginia State Bar Annual Meeting (June 15, 2007). Presenter: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Smart Searching: Applying Advanced Review & Retrieval Models to E-Discovery," Kroll Ontrack Electronic Evidence Thought Leadership Series (June 14, 2007). Panel Presenter: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Developing Effective Strategies to Address the Challenges Associated with Electronic Evidence," International Association of Defense Counsel, Corporate Counsel College (April 19, 2007). Panel Presenter: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "E-Discovery and Privacy Issues," International Association of Privacy Professionals, Human Resources and International Working Groups (March 9, 2007). Panel Presenter: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "The Ten Commandments of E-Discovery: Managing ESI and E-Discovery in the New Rules Environment," AT&T Legal Conference (March 1, 2007). Co-Presenters: Jeane A. Thomas and James Michalowicz.
· "Electronic Discovery Under the New Federal Rules," DuPont Legal Conference (December 14, 2006; January 17, 2007). Presenter: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "How to Manage Large Document Productions," District of Columbia Bar Litigation Section Brown Bag Program (November 7, 2006). Presenter: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "Evolving Law Firm Staffing Models," Hildebrandt Law Firm Administrator Conference (October 2006). Presenter: Jeane A. Thomas.
· "E-Discovery 'Best Practices'," Counsel to Counsel: Managing Discovery in the Digital Age Forum - Atlanta, GA; Philadelphia, PA (January 25, 2006; September 27, 2006). Presenter: Jeane A. Thomas.