B&L Associates

Facilitating efficient document review through eDiscovery

April 16, 2012

Whether it is due to a reluctance to embrace new technology or a misguided interpretation of the associated expense, some organizations have failed to incorporate eDiscovery software in their operations. A closer inspection, however, would reveal that digital tools are perfectly aligned to address media management needs in a more efficient manner.

Not too long ago, preparing for corporate litigation meant digging through archive boxes and file cabinets to find the papers in question. With the majority of business tasks now going paperless, however, such strategies are no longer as relevant and their page-by-page principles do not translate very well toward managing the bulk of digital data most companies now store. Instead, eDiscovery represents an entirely new paradigm that offers a host of advantages when applied correctly.

One of the most important traits of the technology is its faculty for comprehensive organization. By tagging each document with detailed metadata, records can be classified in a wide variety of ways. According to CMSWire, this is especially helpful when out of concern for privilege and proportionality.

One of the most feared scenarios among corporate litigators includes accidentally exposing confidential information or strategically sensitive data to opposing counsel as a result of sloppy document reviews. E-discovery solves this problem by setting a variety of controls to ensure sensitive records are not wrongly reproduced if they have been classified appropriately.

According to the news source, the technology also helps save time and money by restricting the scope of search processes to the most relevant data. Instead of going line by line through every potentially relevant file or database, eDiscovery helps set parameters that keep document review processes affordable and efficient, reducing the burden on both the counsel and the court system.

Although some companies may not have the resources to set up fully functional eDiscovery teams, a baseline understanding is still essential when dealing with outsourcing partners. According to Litigation Support Guru, very few document review considerations are black and white issues. Often times, eDiscovery practitioners will present business executives with a variety of potential options before ultimately deciding on the best strategy in a collaborative manner.