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Digital Evidence for Legal Professionals

What digital evidence is, where it lives, what the rules require of it, how it gets lost, and how it is used and challenged. Taught by a forensic examiner, for attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants.

5 modules · 22 lessons · about 2 hrs 40 min of video · 18 references · 5 quizzes + 25-question final · 12 months access
Taught by Eric L. Waldrep, MCFE, court-qualified digital forensics examiner
Founders price
$497
$497 through Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 11:59 PM Central. From Thursday, October 15, 2026, the course is $697. The date is fixed, and the price does not come back down after it.
per seat · one person, one certificate
FormatOnline Self-Paced
Modules5 modules
Lessons22 lessons
Total timeAbout 5.5 hours
VideoAbout 2 hrs 40 min
References18 + CLE packet
Assessment5 quizzes + final
Access12 months
CLE creditNone claimed
CertificateYes
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Course Introduction · 1:09

The Course in About a Minute

Read the transcript

Digital evidence decides cases, and most legal professionals were never taught how it actually works. I'm Eric Waldrep, a court-qualified digital forensics examiner, and I built this course for the people who live with digital evidence every day: attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants.

Five modules. First, literacy: where digital evidence lives, how it moves from a device to an exhibit, and how to read a forensic report. Second, the rules: what authentication requires, when data can authenticate itself, and what makes a method reliable. Third, preservation: the litigation hold, how evidence disappears, and what happens when it does. Fourth, using and challenging digital evidence: how each evidence type is authenticated, attacked, and weighed. Fifth, the workflow: safe handling, chain of custody, examiner coordination, and production.

Every lesson runs on one continuous fictional case, so you follow a single story from the first lesson to the final exam. Each module ends with a short quiz, and passing the final earns your certificate of completion.

One promise holds through the whole course: I teach the evidence and the forensics. You bring the lawyering. Let's get started.

Why This Course

Cases Built on Digital Evidence Are Decided Long Before Trial

They are decided in what got preserved, how it was collected, and which questions somebody thought to ask the examiner. You do not need to run a forensic tool to work a case like that. You do need to know what the evidence is, where it came from, what it can and cannot prove, and where it breaks.

This course gives the whole legal team that working knowledge. It is taught from the examiner's side of the handoff, by the person who receives the legal team's work on the other end and then has to stand behind it.

Learning Outcomes

What You Will Be Able to Do

Map any matter to the data sources that hold its evidence, and tell data your client controls from data a third party holds
Read a production request, a protective order, and an expert report without a translator
Read a forensic report and an examiner's CV, and spot the conclusion that the attribution will not support
Separate authentication under FRE 901 from weight, and recognize when a 902(13) or 902(14) certification can replace live testimony
Describe what Daubert, Frye, and Rule 702 as amended December 1, 2023 ask of a forensic method
Identify whether evidence was collected within the limits of the Fourth Amendment, the CFAA, the Stored Communications Act, and consent
Say when the duty to preserve begins, name the technical ways digital evidence is lost, and explain the two tiers of FRCP 37(e)
Authenticate the common evidence types: social media, text messages, email, web captures, chat and ephemeral apps, and AI-generated content
Commission a forensic examination that holds up, and read the other side's examination for its weak points
Explain how a judge or jury weighs digital evidence, and the tells that separate a defensible forensic method from junk
Handle a device without harming it, keep a defensible chain-of-custody log, and assemble a clean production with a privilege log
Calendar the notice, production, and preservation deadlines that keep digital evidence usable
Who This Course Serves

One Course for the Whole Legal Team

One enrollment, one final exam, one certificate. Everyone takes all five modules in order. What changes from seat to seat is where you will spend your attention.

Attorneys
Modules 1 through 3 give you the literacy, the rules, and preservation. Module 4 is written from your seat: how each exhibit is used and attacked, how each evidence type is authenticated, and how to commission and read a forensic examination.
Paralegals
Module 5 is your workflow end to end: hold and preservation letters, custodian maps, examiner coordination, production mechanics, privilege logs, and deadline calendaring. Module 4 shows you how the evidence you handle gets used and attacked.
Legal Assistants
Lessons 5.1, 5.2, and 5.6 are the core of your part: do-no-harm handling, the chain-of-custody intake log, and the calendar that keeps notice and production deadlines from slipping. The rest of the course shows you why each of those steps matters.
Course Curriculum

Five Modules, 22 Lessons, One Final Exam

Every module opens with a short overview video and closes with a quiz. Lesson running times are the actual video lengths.

Where evidence lives, the seven-stage lifecycle from identify to admit, the working vocabulary of electronically stored information, and the line between what a tool shows and what a person did.

  • Module overview (2:18)
  • 1.1 Where Digital Evidence Lives (6:36)
  • 1.2 The Evidence Lifecycle (6:16)
  • 1.3 The Vocabulary of Electronically Stored Information (7:50)
  • 1.4 Reading a Forensic Report and an Examiner CV (7:17)
✓ Module Quiz (20 questions, 15 to pass)  ·  4 downloadable references

Authentication under FRE 901 and how it differs from weight, self-authentication under Rules 902(13) and 902(14) (in effect since December 1, 2017), Daubert, Frye, and Rule 702 as amended December 1, 2023, and the constitutional and statutory limits on collection.

  • Module overview (2:04)
  • 2.1 Authentication and the 901 Threshold (6:48)
  • 2.2 Self-Authentication by Certification (7:07)
  • 2.3 Reliability, Daubert, and Rule 702 (6:29)
  • 2.4 Collection Limits, the Constitution and the Statutes (6:38)
✓ Module Quiz (20 questions, 15 to pass)  ·  3 downloadable references

When the duty to preserve begins, how auto-delete, sync, remote wipe, factory reset, and rolling buffers destroy evidence, and what FRCP 37(e) addresses when electronically stored information that should have been preserved is lost.

  • Module overview (2:01)
  • 3.1 The Litigation Hold (6:25)
  • 3.2 How Digital Evidence Is Lost (6:22)
  • 3.3 Spoliation in Plain Terms, Rule 37(e) (7:12)
✓ Module Quiz (20 questions, 15 to pass)  ·  2 downloadable references

The same exhibit seen from both seats, authentication for each evidence type including deepfake and AI-generated content, the best-evidence rule for electronic data, and how to commission, read, and weigh a forensic examination.

  • Module overview (1:58)
  • 4.1 How Digital Evidence Is Used and Challenged (7:16)
  • 4.2 Authenticating Each Evidence Type (8:34)
  • 4.3 Commissioning a Forensic Examination (7:12)
  • 4.4 Reading the Opposing Examination (6:03)
  • 4.5 How the Fact-Finder Weighs Digital Evidence (7:41)
✓ Module Quiz (20 questions, 15 to pass)  ·  3 downloadable references

Do-no-harm handling, the chain-of-custody intake log, hold letters and custodian maps, coordinating the examiner, production mechanics and the privilege log, and the deadlines that decide whether a certification or a production is timely.

  • Module overview (2:03)
  • 5.1 Do-No-Harm Handling (5:16)
  • 5.2 The Chain-of-Custody Intake Log (5:28)
  • 5.3 Preservation and Hold Logistics (5:55)
  • 5.4 Coordinating the Examiner (5:44)
  • 5.5 Production Mechanics (6:45)
  • 5.6 Calendaring Notice and Production Deadlines (6:18)
✓ Module Quiz (20 questions, 15 to pass)  ·  5 downloadable references
  • 25 questions, five drawn from each module's pool
  • Pass mark 75% (19 of 25)
  • Retakes are free, each with a fresh draw; after an attempt that does not pass, the next one opens 24 hours later
★ Complete all 22 lessons, pass all five module quizzes, and pass the final to earn the Certificate of Completion, Digital Evidence for Legal Professionals
The Reference Library: 18 Downloads Plus the CLE Packet
Module 1
  • Where Digital Evidence Lives: Source Map
  • The Evidence Lifecycle: One-Page Reference
  • ESI and Digital Evidence Glossary
  • How to Read a Forensic Report: Annotated Checklist
Module 2
  • Authentication Quick Reference: FRE 901 and 902
  • Reliability at a Glance: Daubert, Frye, and Rule 702
  • Collection Limits at a Glance: Fourth Amendment, CFAA, SCA, and Consent
Module 3
  • How Digital Evidence Is Lost: Risk and Preservation Map
  • Spoliation in Plain Terms: FRCP 37(e) Reference
Module 4
  • Authenticating Each Evidence Type: Reference
  • Commissioning a Forensic Examination: Checklist
  • Opposing Examination Red-Flags Worksheet
Module 5
  • Do-No-Harm Quick-Reference Card
  • Chain-of-Custody Intake Log
  • Litigation Hold and Preservation Letter, with Custodian and Data-Source Map
  • Production and Privilege-Log Kit
  • ESI Deadline and Notice Calendar
Course-wide
  • Dated Authority Table: the core rules, statutes, and cases, each with its citation and effective or decision date
  • CLE Self-Application Packet
The Running Case

One Case, From the First Lesson to the Final Exam

Every walkthrough in the course runs on the same matter: Northwind Logistics, Inc. v. Dana Reyes. Northwind, a freight brokerage, sues a former senior account manager who resigned and joined a competitor, Cardinal Freight Partners. Northwind says she took its customer list and pricing models and coordinated the move before she left.

The civil claims are trade-secret misappropriation and breach of the duty of loyalty. Module 4 adds an unauthorized-access theory, a login after her access was revoked, so you see the same evidence from a prosecute-and-defend posture without a single new fact.

The iMessage thread
Reyes and a recruiter at Cardinal, backed up to iCloud. Module 1 walks it through the evidence lifecycle, and Module 2 authenticates it.
The Signal thread
Disappearing messages on, mostly self-deleted. The most perishable source in the matter, and the thread that drives the Module 3 hold, loss, and spoliation analysis.
The laptop image
USB copy events and a pricing spreadsheet sent to a personal Gmail account, on a company laptop her assistant also used.
The whiteboard photo
A pricing model photographed on her iPhone, with GPS coordinates embedded in the file's metadata.
Badge and camera records
Office badge logs the company controls and parking-garage video a third party holds on short retention, both placing her on site after hours.
What the two sides fight about
  • Did Reyes copy the files, or did the assistant who shared her laptop?
  • Do the after-hours timestamps mean what Northwind says, given the laptop's clock and time-zone settings?
  • Did items land on the iPhone because she put them there, or because they synced from another device or account?
  • What was in the Signal thread before it deleted itself, and who is responsible for the loss?
  • Was the post-resignation login Reyes, or an automated session or a shared credential?

All names, entities, and events in the running case are fictional and exist only for instruction. No real case or person is depicted, and no Waldrep Company casework appears anywhere in the course.

Everything In Your Seat

What Your Seat Includes

1
The DELP Curriculum. 5 modules and 22 lessons, about 2 hours 40 minutes of video instruction, all built on one running case. Plain-language definitions come before any rule citation, and the Dated Authority Table gives the effective or decision date of each core rule, statute, and case.
2
The Legal Team Reference Library. 18 downloadable references: source maps, quick references on FRE 901, 902, and 702 and FRCP 37(e), checklists, and working templates for hold letters, custodian maps, intake logs, productions, privilege logs, and deadline calendars.
3
The CLE Self-Application Packet. A timed agenda, written learning objectives, and instructor credentials, for attorneys in states that allow self-application. No credit is claimed.
4
Five module quizzes and a 25-question final exam. 20 questions per module quiz, 15 correct to pass. The final draws five questions from each module and 19 of 25 passes. Retakes are free, each with a fresh draw; after a final exam attempt that does not pass, the next one opens 24 hours later.
5
The Certificate of Completion, Digital Evidence for Legal Professionals. Issued in your name, with a certificate ID anyone can check on our public verification page.
6
12 months of access. All curriculum updates during your window included.
Founders price through Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 11:59 PM Central: $497. From October 15 the course is $697, the same as Mobile Device Forensics Fundamentals.
CLE

CLE, Stated Plainly

This course is not accredited continuing legal education, and it claims no CLE credit.

Many states allow attorneys to self-apply for CLE credit for relevant programs. Where your state permits it, the course supplies a completion certificate, a timed agenda, written learning objectives, and the instructor's credentials to support your own application.

Credit is not guaranteed and varies by state. Confirm with your state's MCLE authority before you count on it.

Scope

What This Course Is Not

We teach the evidence and the forensics. You bring the lawyering.

Not legal advice
The course does not tell you how to litigate, what motion to file, or how to meet a professional-responsibility obligation. The rules are taught as facts about what the evidence must satisfy, not as strategy.
Not a tool course
You will not install software or image a phone. You learn what the examiner's work means, where it breaks, and what to ask for.
Not a forensic credential
The certificate shows you completed the curriculum and passed the assessments. It is not a license, an accreditation, CLE credit, or a forensic examiner certification.
Your Instructor

Taught From the Examiner's Chair

Eric L. Waldrep
Eric L. Waldrep
MCFE  |  Court-Qualified Digital Forensics Examiner  |  U.S. State Dept. ATA Cyber Mentor

Eric L. Waldrep, MCFE, court-qualified digital forensics examiner, has 27 years in law enforcement and 19+ years in active digital forensics, with casework in federal and state courts. He was selected by the U.S. State Department's Antiterrorism Assistance program as a Cyber Mentor, training allied nation law enforcement in digital forensics. He built this course for the people on the other side of his work: the attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants who send the devices, write the hold letters, frame the questions, and then put the findings in front of a judge or a jury.

MCFE Certified
State Dept. ATA Cyber Mentor
19 years forensics
27 years law enforcement
The Guarantee

Two Guarantees, in Plain Language

The 30-Day Look
Enroll, open every module, download the templates, and if within 30 days you decide the course is not right for your work, email info@thewaldrepcompany.com for a full refund. One condition, for the integrity of the credential: a refund revokes any certificate issued for this course and removes it from the public verification registry.
The Pass Commitment
Complete every lesson and module quiz inside your 12-month window and attempt the final exam, and if you cannot pass, we extend your access at no charge and point you to exactly what to restudy until you do.

What we do not guarantee: that any court will qualify you as an expert witness, that any specific agency will accept this training for a particular purpose, or any case outcome. Nobody can honestly guarantee those things, and you should be careful with anyone who does. See the full refund policy.

Free Download · PDF

Not ready to enroll? Get the full syllabus.

Every module and lesson in Digital Evidence for Legal Professionals, plus the assessment, the certificate, tuition, and the CLE position stated plainly. Enter your email and download the PDF. No spam, no sales calls.

Prefer to talk? Call (251) 216-1164 or request group pricing above.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants who commission, receive, evaluate, handle, or rely on digital evidence. It is one course with one enrollment: everyone takes the same five modules in order, sits the same final exam, and earns the same certificate.
No. Every term is defined in plain language before any rule is cited, and there is nothing to install. The course teaches what forensic work means and where it breaks, not how to run the tools.
It is not accredited CLE and claims no credit. Many states allow attorneys to self-apply for credit for relevant programs. Where your state permits it, the course supplies a completion certificate, a timed agenda, written learning objectives, and the instructor's credentials to support your application. Credit is not guaranteed and varies by state; confirm with your state's MCLE authority.
No. The course is professional education about digital evidence and electronic discovery. It does not tell you how to litigate, what motion to file, or how to discharge a professional-responsibility obligation. We teach the evidence and the forensics. You bring the lawyering.
About 5.5 hours in all: about 2 hours 40 minutes of video across five module overviews and 22 lessons, plus reading the lesson text. The five module quizzes, the final exam, and the reference library come on top of that. It is self-paced, and your access runs 12 months from enrollment.
The lesson videos are presented by an AI-generated likeness and voice of Eric L. Waldrep, built from his own recordings, and deliver scripts he directed and reviewed. The course content, the running case, the quizzes, and the final exam are the same whoever is on screen, and every lesson carries its full written text.
Each module ends with a 20-question quiz; 15 correct passes. The final exam is 25 questions, five drawn from each module's pool, and 19 correct passes. Each attempt re-draws the questions from the bank, and retakes are free. After a final exam attempt that does not pass, the next attempt opens 24 hours later. The certificate requires all 22 lessons, all five module quizzes, and the final.
No. Northwind Logistics, Inc. v. Dana Reyes is fictional, built for instruction, and carries the same parties, sources, and exhibits from Module 1 to the final exam. No real case or person is depicted. Every rule and case cited in the lessons is public authority.
If you were enrolled in All-Access when this course launched on September 30, 2026, yes. It is added to your account at no charge, and you do not need to buy it. If it is not on your dashboard yet, email info@thewaldrepcompany.com. All-Access remains a four-course bundle, so enrollments after launch do not include this course.
Yes. Each person needs their own seat under their own email address, because the certificate is issued in the student's name. For five or more seats, contact us for group pricing and invoicing. Government purchase orders and net-30 invoicing are accepted.
$497 is the founders price, and it holds through Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 11:59 PM Central. From October 15 the course is $697, the same as Mobile Device Forensics Fundamentals. The date is fixed, and the price does not come back down after it.
Two guarantees, in plain language. The 30-Day Look: enroll, open every module, download the templates, and if within 30 days you decide the course is not right for your work, email info@thewaldrepcompany.com for a full refund. One condition, for the integrity of the credential: a refund revokes any certificate issued for this course and removes it from the public verification registry. The Pass Commitment: complete every lesson and module quiz inside your 12-month window and attempt the final exam, and if you cannot pass, we extend your access at no charge and point you to exactly what to restudy until you do. What we do not guarantee: that any court will qualify you as an expert witness, that any specific agency will accept this training for a particular purpose, or any case outcome. Nobody can honestly guarantee those things, and you should be careful with anyone who does. See the full refund policy.

Digital Evidence for Legal Professionals is professional education produced by The Waldrep Company. It is not legal advice, does not instruct on the practice of law, and does not create an attorney-client or expert engagement. The running case is fictional. Every authority cited is public, and the Dated Authority Table gives the effective or decision date of each core rule, statute, and case; the student is responsible for confirming that any rule, statute, or precedent remains current in their jurisdiction.

CLE. The course is not accredited continuing legal education and claims no CLE credit. Where a state allows attorney self-application, the course supplies a completion certificate, a timed agenda, written learning objectives, and instructor credentials. Credit is not guaranteed; the student confirms with their state's MCLE authority.

Certificate Disclaimer. The Certificate of Completion issued by The Waldrep Company evidences that the holder completed the course curriculum and passed the required assessments. It is not a license, an accreditation, CLE credit, a forensic examiner certification, or a guarantee that any court will qualify the holder as an expert witness in any matter. See our Terms of Service for full details.

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Founders price through Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 11:59 PM Central. $697 from October 15. Government PO · Net-30 billing · (251) 216-1164

Free syllabus