Managing E-Discovery for small to mid-size law firms

Only large law firms have used the E-Discovery program for a long time. This was mainly due to the cost of the software and the difficulty of implementing the work by integrating it into the overall system. Today, the situation has changed. E-Discovery guarantees more accessible software, which gives small and medium-sized legal companies a modern approach and unimpeded access to the shared database in electronic format.

Advantages of E-Discovery

Today, official platforms of the E-Discovery service began to appear, which are becoming available, including for medium-sized and even small legal firms. For example, Everlaw or Relativity. They help lawyers find the necessary documents faster and significantly simplify their work. After all, the program will perform all technological operations and search for the required papers. Specialists only have to view and sort the results according to the request.

Among the main advantages of using the E-Discovery program:

1. It can be used for different areas of business. E-Discovery archives contain all necessary requests and documents related to any business process: merger or acquisition, internal investigation, etc. The categories of business activity are also unlimited.
2. Fast, automated document processing improves your reputation with clients and allows them to get fast legal help by eliminating complications caused by the human factor.
3. The advantage over competitors. Small and medium-sized law firms know what unfair competition is and how the market in business legal protection is rapidly developing. So you need to stand out from your competitors and offer modern, innovative solutions. And using the E-Discovery platform is just such a solution to problems. Now you can provide the same services as the big law firms.

How can firms work with E-Discovery?

Although there are more and more platforms that provide access to E-Discovery, before you start working with the software, you need to determine the following:

• how often your law firm checks documents electronically;
• how long are the inspections;
• how complex and voluminous the records are subject to review;
• how exactly do you get the documents: search by yourself or with the help of suppliers.

So, if you have a limited amount of paperwork or you have lawyers on staff who are trained to find the documents you need, connecting to E-Discovery is less necessary. However, if the work requires it, and you decide to join E-Discovery, you must understand how to work with the program.

Preparation for document search

You must follow the process to get the most out of the E-Discovery platform. To begin with, carefully prepare for the search for the necessary documents: find out which papers will be most beneficial to you in a specific case.

Look for documents that:

• confirm your opinion and position on a particular issue;
• relevant for each element of a multi-component case;
• can act as evidence.

Data collection for a specific case

The sooner you set up the process and automate it as much as possible, the easier it will be for you to work with E-Discovery. There are several practical and helpful tips:

1. Start from the end. To begin, look for documents that relate to today’s actual day and recent events related to your case. You can push away from them and go further and further. After that, you can proceed directly to the collection of all data. That is if the dispute started 2 years ago. Before that, the companies cooperated for 15 years, first analyzing the documents of the nearest period and then the papers and the history of cooperation of the company at the initial stage.
2. Look for original documents, not their images (scans, photos). This way, you will have the most accurate evidence and up-to-date data.

Principles of document search and analysis

There are effective techniques for using E-Discovery. Here, as with search engines, you need to know how to create a query to get the most accurate and specific answer. Fortunately, technologies have been developed that allow the process to be automated.

Of course, these are paid services that are only sometimes available to small and medium-sized legal companies. In this case, it is better to appoint a separate person responsible for searching for documents. She must have relevant experience, including technical knowledge.

How should to study documents for greater efficiency?

Small and medium-sized law firms usually need a few documents to work with. However, each case is individual, so you need to understand how to properly search and study the documentation:

• Look at the end goal. First, look for what you require directly as evidence. The more accurate the search process, the more profitable it will be because you will not need to access many, often even unnecessary, documents.
• Be sure to create priorities: determine the category of papers you will look for in the first place and which will be considered additional.

E-Discovery is an innovative approach to working with documents, which today is becoming available even for small and medium-sized law firms. With software, you can stay competitive and provide clients with a broader range of services. 

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Moreover, some technologies have made the E-Discovery service much more accessible and practical. A quick search, an extensive database of documents, and maximum automation of the process guarantee a high-quality result and the rapid provision of legal services.