eDiscovery is the process of identifying, reviewing, and producing electronic documents in litigation. The goal is to find the key facts that will win the case.

eDiscovery software enables legal teams to manage the entire EDRM process in one place. It streamlines the workflow, helps to eliminate errors, and offers built-in quality control features.

Transparency

Over the years, eDiscovery has evolved from reams of paper stuffed into bankers’ boxes to digital files stored in myriad ways. Information can now be stored on internal servers, cloud platforms, and collaboration and communication applications.

When choosing an eDiscovery software company solution, it’s essential to compare the functionality of each platform. Ultimately, the best option is one that performs the most essential tasks and offers reasonable pricing to fit your budget and business model. Look for pricing plans that include a scalability option, regulatory compliance, built-in quality control measures, and other features to make the most of your investment.

Ease of Use

The eDiscovery process is often complicated, and software programs can add to the confusion with a learning curve that is difficult to overcome. eDiscovery tools should have easy-to-use user interfaces and documentation to help employees get up and running quickly and with minimal training.

Additionally, eDiscovery software should integrate with other organizational tools, such as document management systems and collaboration platforms, to streamline workflows. This will save time and money by eliminating duplicate work.

In addition, the software could find relevant information within the files much more efficiently than a legal team could by hand. The result was a significant cost savings for the company. Ultimately, eDiscovery is a critical part of litigation and helps decipher the electronic imprints we leave behind daily.

Cost-Effectiveness

Modern business information comes in a wide array of file formats. This includes documents, presentations, database records, email, voicemail, audio and video files, social media, chat, and collaboration platforms. Managing this data using conventional word processors and PDF applications is a simple process that increases security risks.

When choosing an eDiscovery software platform, look for a transparent pricing model with fees that are easy to project, including storing the data, processing, culling, tagging, predictive coding, native redaction, and support. It should also offer flexible licensing so that you can scale as necessary.

Many companies outsource eDiscovery to third-party vendors because they believe in-house process management is too expensive or requires too much time from their legal teams. However, newer eDiscovery tools are simple and efficient, making it possible for even the leanest organizations to take control of this process.

They can cut costs by eliminating the need for outside counsel to review large, complicated data sets. That’s because the latest software streamlines the processing and culling stages and reduces the size of the data set sent to review.

Automation

A successful eDiscovery process starts with a clear strategy and is followed by an effective workflow that ensures that digital evidence is collected, processed, reviewed, and produced promptly. It also includes a communication and collaboration system between legal teams, IT staff, and service providers.

Collecting digital information from multiple sources can be a complex task that requires careful consideration of the relevant laws, regulations, and best practices. It also involves using project management tools to keep eDiscovery projects on track and budget. It is essential to ensure that eDiscovery processes are streamlined and efficient to minimize the amount of manual work required.

Raw digital assets are organized and filtered during processing to remove irrelevant or confidential information. This can be automated using software such as predictive coding or technology-assisted review (TAR). Removing unnecessary data reduces the manual review needed and helps legal teams focus on reviewing the most important documents first. It also reduces costs by reducing the time and resources spent on non-core functions.

Integrations

In the legal space, eDiscovery software can be a powerful tool in the arsenal of a law firm or corporate counsel. The key to maximizing its potential is understanding how to use it efficiently and effectively, which can only happen when the software is easily integrated into existing workflows.

ESI refers to electronically stored information, including emails, chats, social media posts, database records, etc. Often, massive amounts of data must be identified, reviewed, and produced for litigation. The process also requires preserving original content and metadata, removing irrelevant information, and redacting privileged, confidential, or personal data (under privacy laws) before production.

A robust eDiscovery platform will allow multiple integrations to streamline the EDRM process. When choosing a solution, look for one that’s technology agnostic, offering a portal atop which internal applications and third-party technologies can be integrated. Additionally, ask about training resources and how easy it will be for your team to use the platform. This will ensure you’re getting the most value out of your investment.

Jane