eDiscovery ServicesWhen you operate without flexibility and innovation, you’re working at a disadvantage. No two organizations are exactly alike and the one-size-fits-all approach to eDiscovery places you behind the curve. The world of law is ever-changing, and legal services processes must adapt to survive and thrive. It is vital to ask yourself if your organization is receiving the support it needs throughout the discovery experience.

We have identified four key factors that have the potential to impact the eDiscovery experience. These are helpful to keep in mind when evaluating the productivity and stability of the current process you have in place.

Unpredictability and Risk

Unpredictability can take many forms, but regardless of whether it stems from internal or external factors, any organization can be susceptible. Law department operations are certainly not immune. It is in the best interest of your legal department to be abreast of the latest trends and regulations that could affect operations.

Risk must be calculated when determining the needs of your law department. Data security is a huge risk factor in hosting and eDiscovery. As data management plays a huge role in eDiscovery, measures must be taken to ensure the security of privileged data.

Timeliness and Efficiency

Output and efficiency will always vary between team members. Many projects are characterized by extremely tight deadlines. Without proper evaluations and workflows, your team will be operating at a disadvantage. Generally, the more time a project takes to complete, the higher the overall cost.

Additionally, the latest technology should be leveraged. Innovation in technology is key in streamlining the eDiscovery and review processes. That being said, there is always a learning curve in becoming acclimated to new developments in technology. With this in mind, it can be difficult to determine whether to train an in-house administrator or utilize the support of the provider’s team.

Hidden Costs

Some firms purposefully take measures that conceal the true cost of the project upfront. When working with a service provider, you expect transparency and consistent communication throughout the course of the project. The last thing you want to see is additional costs added at the end of a project.

Infrastructure

As it goes without saying, business goals differ from each law department. A team of five people is going to operate differently than a team of 50. Some organizations will utilize terabytes of data on a single project while others use petabytes. This is where we run into problems with a one-size-fits-all plan. Dated cost structures and techniques translate into incongruencies of the budgeting and workforce of all things eDiscovery. Without a tailored approach at the detailed cost and efficiency are thrown out the window.

We know that eDiscovery is a process characterized by unpredictability and deadlines. Under these pressures, organizations do not have the luxury of cutting corners on security and efficiency. Taking steps to ensure as much of the process runs as smoothly as possible is not only vital but can reduce overall costs.