A national organization for e-discovery has expanded into Philadelphia, as professionals who found themselves in a quickly evolving role seek to develop it into a well-defined career.

The new Philadelphia chapter of the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists held its first meeting May 24. The group includes e-discovery staff from law firms, legal departments and legal services providers, many who started as paralegals and IT professionals, as well as some lawyers.

“A lot of them didn't set out saying, 'I want to be involved in e-discovery,'” said Nikki Perella of Golkow Litigation Services, president of the Philadelphia chapter.