When I was in college I developed a metaphor for the end-of-term process that involved a battle with an octopus. I was struggling with a many armed leviathan and each time I managed to get one tentacle unwound, another would loop on to my arm or leg. But eventually I would get all the papers written and the exams written and it would be Me: 5 | Octopus: 0.

As I got older I discovered that actually octopi are pretty charming. They are highly intelligent, curious and have a sad habit of escaping from aquariums when bored. They collect interesting objects, play with toys and love to open jars and climb inside them. Because they have no bones they can squeeze through extraordinarily small spaces.

When I was faced with the need to describe what I was doing, I settled on iOctopus Consulting because it seemed a good fit for both litigation and ediscovery: persistent, pervasive (or invasive, if one is the jar or the clam) and eccentric but smart. Litigation requires flexibility, persistence and intelligence (and being a bit odd can help). Electronic discovery requires the ability to extract information from a number of peculiar and difficult places. Having eight arms would be really helpful.

Put that together with an old design that my mother made 30 thirty years ago (in embroidery no less) and some kind and talented artistic friends (Steve Lieber and Precious Bugarin) – presto! a logo and a brand!