Key Features To Look For In An eDiscovery Services Provider

Electronic discovery (eDiscovery) is the process of identifying and collecting electronically stored information (ESI) that might shape the trajectory of a lawsuit or investigation. eDiscovery services providers (eDMSPs) handle this work for clients.

When evaluating an eDiscovery services provider, look for these critical features. They will help you choose a partner that is right for your firm.

Cost-Effectiveness

A trustworthy eDiscovery services provider should offer cost-effective solutions. For example, they should provide a flexible pricing structure that allows you to scale up or down as needed without incurring costly extra charges. This way, you can manage your budget and maximize the use of your resources. In addition, you should also look for an eDiscovery services provider that offers the best technology and software. This will ensure that your data is protected at every process stage.

During the eDiscovery process, attorneys review ESI, or electronically stored information, to find relevant evidence for a case. This evidence may include emails, documents, images, or videos. Using an eDiscovery platform, attorneys can collect and store electronic files, cull unnecessary documents, and apply legal tags. Then, they can review the remaining document sets and search for relevant information. This reduces the number of documents requiring eyes-on review by legal teams, which cuts hours and costs.

The eDiscovery process can be complicated, and finding that proverbial needle in a haystack is more challenging due to the exponential growth of corporate and end-user systems data. As a result, eDiscovery environments often require a lot of money to maintain and keep productive. Moreover, this type of work is time-sensitive and highly competitive, so no margin can miss it.

Security

Whether your business is involved in litigation or responding to government requests, security is a top concern when preparing for discovery. Please protect your company’s electronic information to avoid excessive discovery costs and regulatory violations. Fortunately, you can take steps to protect your data with eDiscovery tools and processes.

The most crucial step is identifying the data sets that require additional security measures. This will allow you to tailor your eDiscovery plan accordingly and limit access to the most sensitive information. This can reduce costs, improve efficiency, and mitigate cybersecurity risks.

Another critical consideration is not to share passwords. Sharing passwords can leave eDiscovery data vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Instead, use a password unique to the eDiscovery process and not used on personal accounts. This will help to prevent hackers from using your eDiscovery credentials to hack into your business’s systems.

Lastly, eDiscovery projects should be monitored and audited to ensure they are correctly executed. This helps identify and address issues before they become legal challenges. If the court challenges it, this can also help improve your case’s defensibility.

Whether you’re an in-house team working with outside counsel or an eDiscovery services provider, it’s essential to communicate your expectations for security early on. Your partners are strongly incentivized to work with you to execute risk assessments and other agreements with robust security provisions.

Flexibility

Many legal teams face a variety of challenges when it comes to the discovery process. With our modern world moving entirely toward electronic communication and data, obtaining the evidence needed to build a case can be difficult. The best way to do this is with powerful software.

eDiscovery software, or discovery tools, helps attorneys and their clients manage the entire ESI (electronically stored information) collection, processing, review, and production process. The software enables them to work with various documents and file formats, including emails, social media, instant messaging, smartphone applications, cloud platforms, and even Internet of Things devices (IoT) — all within a single platform.

It should also include features that simplify searching, culling, and tagging files. It can also automatically Bates stamp and redact documents to ensure confidentiality. Additionally, it should allow for flexible contract options, such as month-to-month contracts that make it possible to only pay for services when needed.

A top-tier eDiscovery services provider should be a true partner, not just another vendor. They should bring a high degree of expertise to the table and provide support throughout all aspects of the discovery process. For example, a reputable eDiscovery services provider should be experienced in managing and supporting litigation cases and providing strategic recommendations on which files to review.

Experience

Whether a firm is handling high-profile litigation, a complex antitrust review, or an investigative matter with compressed timelines and high data volume, experience matters. Please find out how many cases your eDiscovery service provider has supported in the past year and see whether they have the scale and expertise to support projects of varying size and complexity.

Another critical factor to look for in an eDiscovery services vendor is their ability to provide daily metrics reporting, spend transparency, and productivity tracking. This will ensure you receive a seamless, optimized, efficient process capable of lightning-fast data transmissions and searches.

Finally, it would help if you also looked for an eDiscovery service provider with a solid track record of stability and a healthy balance sheet. This will help you avoid a disruptive technology change and ensure that you have a reliable partner for the long term.

Choosing the right eDiscovery services provider can make or break your litigation, investigation, and compliance matter results. To avoid costly inefficiencies, select a managed services provider that offers industry-leading eDiscovery software as a fully managed solution. The result will be a cost-effective, reliable, and secure eDiscovery process that saves time and resources while producing better legal outcomes.