(Digital) Forensic Files: Computer Forensics

Overview

This course provides legal and business professionals with a grounded understanding of how digital evidence is handled from the moment of collection through courtroom challenge. It covers the principles behind forensic acquisition, chain of custody, and the standards used to authenticate or contest digital artifacts in litigation and investigations. Participants will learn how forensic experts approach common evidence sources—such as computers, email archives, and storage devices—and how opposing counsel or internal advisors can critically evaluate the work product. Understanding these fundamentals helps legal and business teams ask better questions, spot procedural vulnerabilities, and engage more effectively with forensic experts and opposing parties.

What you’ll learn

• ✓Explain the core principles of digital evidence collection, preservation, and chain of custody
• ✓Identify common grounds on which digital forensic evidence is challenged or excluded in legal proceedings
• ✓Distinguish between forensically sound acquisition methods and practices that may compromise evidence integrity
• ✓Evaluate forensic expert reports and testimony with an informed, critical perspective
• ✓Apply foundational forensic concepts when advising clients or internal stakeholders on investigation readiness
• ✓Recognize how courts and regulators assess the reliability of digital evidence in disputes and investigations

Curriculum

1. 1. Introduction

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Your instructor

Daniel B. Garrie

Founder, Law & Forensics; Neutral at JAMS; Faculty at Harvard

Law & Forensics LLC · JAMS · Harvard · Rutgers Law School · Journal of Law & Cyber Warfare

Daniel B. Garrie is the founder and executive managing partner of Law & Forensics LLC, a boutique cybersecurity and forensic engineering firm he co-founded in 2008. He serves as a neutral, arbitrator, and forensic special master at JAMS, focusing on cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, and complex technology disputes, and holds faculty appointments at Harvard and Rutgers Law School. A patented software inventor and prolific author, he is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Law & Cyber Warfare and a widely cited authority on computer forensics, eDiscovery, and cyber litigation.