Veronis Suhler Stevenson makes equity investment in DOAR.

DOAR (New York), an information services and consulting firm which assists law firms, corporations and financial institutions involved in business litigation and regulatory matters, has signed a definitive agreement to sell an equity interest in the company to Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS; New York). VSS said the investment is intended to be the first in a series of investments that will be utilized to expand DOAR's service offerings as well as its geographical footprint on a national basis. No terms of the deal were given.

Founded in 1988, DOAR is a single-source provider of a range of information and services for law firms and Fortune 1000 companies involved in business litigation proceedings and lawsuits that require expert knowledge and assistance in information management, technology and value-added consulting. The company's services encompass various forms of litigation support and consulting services such as document management, electronic discovery, web-based repository, jury consulting, trial graphics and trial presentation. DOAR recently provided litigation services in World Trade Center proceedings, the defense of Martha Stewart and the World-Com Underwriters litigation. The company said that nearly two-thirds of New York's largest law firms are clients.

VSS general partner Scott Troeller said that "as a result of the extraordinary proliferation of electronic evidence and growth in business litigation, the demand for high-end business information services to the litigation market has been expanding over the last three years, reaching approximately $3 billion. DOAR's complementary suite of services allows them to access, process, analyze, interpret and present digital information in a manner that puts them in a perfect position to be at the center of the most complex high stakes litigation matters." In addition to the VSS equity investment and additional equity commitment, which combined total $55 million, DOAR has also received committed financing from Wells Fargo Bank.