Cross Border Preservation, Collection and Transfer for the Miami Corridor
One Matter, Three Countries, One Chain of Custody
The custodian flies between Mexico City and Brickell, the tenant is administered from Brazil and the correspondent bank record sits under a third legal regime. Global Digital Forensics maps every source on both sides of the corridor and coordinates preservation, collection and transfer with the legal team in each jurisdiction. The evidence reaches the Miami record intact, documented step by step and ready to be walked from source system to exhibit.
Miami corridor desk
Built for Records Held Under Another Regime
Call the Miami office at (786) 219-1210 or the 24/7 hotline at (800) 868-8189 with the countries, the custodians and the deadline; work abroad is supported through the international line at +1 (727) 287-6000. Miami is the working hub for a large share of matters that cross into Latin America: records sit with affiliates in Mexico, Central America, the Andean region, Brazil or the Southern Cone, custodians travel between the region and Miami, and vendors, correspondent banks and shipping counterparties hold records under a legal regime different from the matter's own.
GDF coordinates preservation, collection and transfer with local counsel and the client's affiliates, following the lawful route chosen for each country, source and proceeding, whether documented consent, voluntary production or an applicable court procedure. Criminal mutual legal assistance treaty requests run through designated government authorities, so private matters use those other routes, and GDF supplies the technical workflow that fits the route chosen.
Before collection we confirm the US and foreign source owners, the lawful access, the retention risks and the people qualified to do the work in each location, so preservation on both sides of the corridor is verified rather than presumed.
If records sit on both sides of the corridor today, ask for a corridor evidence map on the first call; the consultation is free and the map is where the routing decision begins.
Scope
Corridor evidence map
A written map of the record sources on both sides of the corridor: US side tenants and systems, foreign side tenants and systems, shared services and vendors, custodian device populations and the entities and individuals that hold access. The map identifies which records sit under which entity and jurisdiction so the transfer mechanism can be decided source by source.
Preserve and collect on the US side
Preservation and collection of Miami side and other US side records under standard forensic protocols: cloud tenant holds, endpoint imaging, mobile device collection, SaaS platform export and structured data extraction, with chain of custody documented from the source system to secure storage.
Coordinate with foreign counsel and custodians
Coordination with local counsel and the foreign affiliate's IT team on preservation and collection under the selected mechanism. Where GDF is authorized to perform the collection abroad, work is scheduled around local operations. Where a local vendor or the affiliate's own team performs it, GDF sets the protocol, the checklist and the quality control review so the collection can be defended under both regimes.
Transfer, store and control access
Evidence transfer is scheduled against the selected transfer mechanism. Physical media transfer, encrypted electronic transfer and secure storage on the US side or the foreign side are configured to the requirements that mechanism carries, and access logs to the evidence are maintained so the record shows who touched what.
Language and processing
We identify the languages, the source formats and the purpose of review before agreeing processing, preserve the original text alongside any normalized fields or translated copy and record every transformation and every field the source does not supply. Qualified Spanish, Portuguese or other language reviewers and any certified translation are confirmed separately for the matter.
Reporting built for the court
Reports document the evidence map, the transfer mechanism used for each source, the collection and processing record on both sides and the chain of custody. Where the matter reaches a court that will assess the collection, the record is prepared so counsel can walk the court from the source system to the exhibit.
Evidence commonly reviewed
Records on Both Sides of the Corridor
The engagement works from the corridor evidence map with its entities, systems and jurisdictions, the US side collection and cloud tenant preservation records, the foreign side collection records and their quality control review, the transfer records tied to the mechanism your legal team chose, the chain of custody records for the life of the matter and the processing and review platform loading records for the merged populations.
What you receive
A Record That Walks From Source to Exhibit
You receive a written corridor evidence map with routing options for your attorneys, collection reports for the US side and foreign side sources, a transfer record aligned to the selected mechanism, a merged review population loaded to the platform of choice, a chain of custody record for the life of the matter and, where the matter requires testimony on the workflow, an expert report from the examiner who ran it.
Engagement workflow
A senior examiner can walk through the facts of your matter on a free call.
Five Stages From Evidence Map to Exhibit
Scoping and evidence map
The engagement opens with a written map of the record sources on both sides of the corridor: US side tenants and systems, foreign side tenants and systems, shared services and vendors, custodian device populations and the entities and individuals that hold access. The map shows which records sit under which entity and jurisdiction so counsel can decide the transfer mechanism that fits each source and the matter's schedule, and it is updated as new sources surface during the engagement.
Preserve and collect on the US side
US side preservation and collection runs under standard forensic protocols. Cloud tenants are placed on hold at the platform level where the environment supports it, and endpoint imaging, mobile device collection, SaaS export and structured data extraction are scheduled against custodian availability. Short retention sources go first because retention on some of them is measured in days, and chain of custody is documented from the source system to secure storage on the US side.
Coordinate with the foreign affiliate
Foreign side preservation and collection is coordinated with local counsel and the foreign affiliate's IT team under the chosen mechanism. Where GDF is authorized to perform the collection abroad, work is scheduled around local operations and travel logistics. Where a local vendor or the affiliate's own team performs it, GDF sets the written protocol, the checklist and the quality control review, and the record documents which party performed each step and under what authority.
Transfer, store and control access
We agree any transfer, the receiving environment, the permitted access, the encryption, the storage and the custody record under the approved route. If a local privacy assessment or an authority asks for more, the custody record already holds what they need to see, and any added work is scoped in writing.
Processing, review and reporting
The processing record identifies each original population, language, export format and transformation, with unsupported items and review exceptions kept visible. The qualified language participant and any translation requirement are confirmed before a population is assigned. Reporting retains the source map, the selected transfer route, the collection and processing history and the custody path, so the transfer route and the translation history travel with every normalized field.
Want to see how records from two countries are documented into one production? Read how production is built on the national eDiscovery page.
Frequently asked
Describe the devices and the deadline and the first call sets the plan.
Transfer Routes, Foreign Collection and Language
Do you decide the transfer mechanism for foreign records?
Counsel selects the lawful route for each country, source and proceeding, such as documented consent, voluntary production or an applicable court procedure, and GDF designs and documents the technical collection and transfer around it. Criminal treaty requests run through designated government authorities, so private matters rely on those other routes.
Can GDF perform the collection on the foreign side?
Yes, where GDF is authorized to collect abroad, with the work scheduled around local operations and supported through the international line. Where a local vendor or the affiliate's own team collects, GDF writes the protocol and checklist and runs the quality control review that keeps the collection defensible under both regimes.
How is local data protection law considered?
Local data protection law shapes the transfer mechanism, any notification steps and how personal data is handled during collection and transfer. The client's attorneys and local counsel set those steps, and GDF builds the technical workflow to follow them and to produce a record that supports any later assessment.
Can Spanish and Portuguese review populations be staffed?
Yes. We identify the expected languages at scoping and verify the actual material during processing, then confirm the qualified Spanish, Portuguese or other language reviewers and any certified translation the record needs. Original language records are preserved, and machine assistance is always marked apart from human reviewed or certified translation.
How is the technical record prepared for court?
The record documents the evidence map, the transfer mechanism for each source, the collection and processing on both sides and the chain of custody, so the court can follow the path from the source system to the exhibit and the examiner who ran the workflow can testify to it.
Settle Country, Authority and Approvals First
Start with the country, the proceeding, the source owner, the record type, the date range, the retention in force and the purpose of the transfer. Your attorneys select the lawful private route, and the Justice Department states that mutual legal assistance treaties are not available to private parties, including criminal defendants.
We identify who can authorize access on each side and whether local counsel, a provider or a separately qualified examiner is needed, and record the transfer and privacy restrictions, approved recipients, hosting location and retention before any evidence crosses a border. A working register might show a US mailbox already preserved, a foreign vendor export awaiting authority and an account record no longer retained, with original language and source context kept throughout and translation and authentication agreed for the proceeding.
Justice Department guidance on evidence located abroad and treaty request limits
Name the country and the proceeding, and call (800) 868-8189 to walk through the approvals still missing before anything crosses a border.
Talk with an examiner
Describe the Corridor Matter
Name the countries, the custodians and the sources. An examiner calls back to map the records and the routes, and the request is handled in confidence.
Since 1992 · 24/7 dispatch · Court tested experts
Speak with GDF
Map the Corridor Evidence on a Free First Call
The examiner hears the facts, sketches which records sit under which entity and country, says what can be preserved now and gives you a timeline that accounts for each approval. We arrange a secure transfer for evidence and credentials.
24/7 hotline: (800) 868-8189
GDF does not accept pro se litigation cases, and GDF may decline matrimonial or family law cases at our discretion.
Reviewed by Joseph Caruso, Founder, CEO and CTO, CISSP. Last reviewed .