Consilio in Action: Navigating eDiscovery in the Middle of a Pandemic
Even for firms with significant eDiscovery experience like Cleary Gottlieb, when support from a provider is needed it’s crucial to pick the right vendor who will be a true partner and help you through even the most uncertain of times. Part of what makes the partnership between Consilio and Cleary so strong is our mutual commitment to DE&I. For Delante Stevens, a senior staff attorney at Cleary Gottlieb who specializes in eDiscovery and litigation technology, that partner has been Consilio.
Stevens has been part of the firm’s eDiscovery group since eDiscovery first came onto the legal scene. That means he’s worked with his fair share of vendors in the eDiscovery space. When the pandemic presented new challenges, Consilio Project Manager Laura McCormack stepped up to help Stevens navigate them.
Not Your Average Vendor
Stevens has been working with Consilio for many years. In his view, very few vendors get to the size and capability of Consilio, and most can’t offer a team that can support you globally. Many of the matters Stevens handles are international, having components in the US, Europe, and other parts of the world all at the same time. “Having a vendor that can work with you in all of those different areas makes a really big difference,” Stevens says.
Consilio’s ability to manage information collection directly with Stevens’ clients has been particularly helpful during COVID, when information needed to be collected remotely but efficiently. As agencies have gotten far more technical in what they ask for, Stevens needs a vendor that’s able to process data quickly and within defined specifications. Consilio is one of the few vendors that can meet that need. “They’ve been good at getting a template set up and making it easy to ingest and produce to a multitude of requesting parties,” Stevens says, “and that makes everybody’s life a lot easier.”
Having a Team in Your Corner
Both Consilio and Cleary pivoted to complete remote work environments in order to continue servicing clients seamlessly. Consilio’s Project Manager Laura McCormack was integral to helping Stevens navigate the challenges of the pandemic. A hard drive of crucial information arrived at Cleary right after the shutdown hit. After Stevens went in to retrieve it from the empty office, the entire project with the FTC became remote. McCormack worked with Stevens to figure out how to collect information and deliver responses to shifting requests, and often to requests that weren’t coming in as they usually do. Part of the task was anticipating what would be relevant for last-minute requests that would arrive.
McCormack was able to jump in and get to know the Cleary team, keeping everything organized while managing groups in both the US and India and keeping everything on schedule. Even though they were meeting primarily on Zoom, Stevens felt like he was talking to an internal colleague who understood the urgency of the work and was candid every step of the way.
One of Stevens’ favorite parts of working with Consilio is that their commitment to the outcome is on par with Cleary’s. Unlike with some other vendors, Stevens explains, “I don’t feel like I have to fight to get things done. When we have something as a priority, they feel like it’s a priority, too. I feel like our goals are aligned, and we’re able to work effectively together.”