How do you reduce eDiscovery expenses?
Let’s start with what is “eDiscovery”
Electronic Discovery, a.k.a. eDiscovery, is the process of collecting electronic data with the purpose of using it as evidence in a legal case. With today’s growing integration of technology into the business work process, what constitutes relevant data is becoming increasingly harder to manage. Emails, SMS, images, calendars, databases, audio files, websites, and even computer programs form important data sources that must be considered during forensic data collection. Computer forensics is a special discipline in which entire hard drives are data mined to satisfy the discovery requirements agreed upon by opposing counsel.
With the obvious immensity of the data being extracted, every business has to adjust its policies when it comes to data management. In the past, companies have relied on reacting to eDiscovery requests that resulted in a rush to get all of their information in order. This process compromised the integrity of data which increased costs, errors, and risks.
How Do You Reduce eDiscovery Expenses?
The first step in reducing eDiscovery cost is setting up proper Data Management policies with a view toward easy data archiving, retrieval, and defensible deletion. Setting policies, in the beginning, can quickly help manage the gathering process and reduce the costs of storage, retrieval, and collection. By reducing storage and minimizing the capacity it takes on a server, makes the efficient extraction of relevant data much quicker when litigation occurs. Correctly managing the corporate retention policy, across all departments, is the key to retaining data only for a set period of time.
The age-old adage is very true here… “time is money.” Taking a proactive approach in data management ensures that relevant data is produced when requested and irrelevant data does not take up time to collect and store.
Importance of Single Source Efficiency
Regardless of whether you have an in-house legal department to handle this effort, source legal services from third-party providers or use these third-parties to enhance your own staff capabilities, you will realize the valuable benefits of having your legal requirements handled by a single entity.
With a single third-party legal provider you get:
- Reduce the risk of exposure – With a single line of information flow, you maintain a proper chain of custody. This avoids increased costs from data losses or sanctions while also protecting sensitive information.
- Reduce time – You have just one professional entity handling the eDiscovery process. Having handled the initial processes, it will be much easier to carry through the entire process faster than it would be if different entities become involved. Reduced time translates to reduced costs.
- Avoids problems from poor self-collection practices – Having a provider who is an expert in the entire EDRM process including forensic data collection, processing, review, and production cuts the risk of error while at the same time increases accountability.
- Utilize expert advice – A knowledgeable provider is usually an integral part in cutting costs that might occur and how to avoid possible exposure. With an eDiscovery provider you can trust, you will be assured you are getting the best value for your money. This is their business day in and day out – use that expertise to your advantage.
Every matter has a lifecycle and how you begin makes a huge difference. Having a proactive process already in place prior to litigation notices can not only save weeks of effort, but can also make your casework less expensive (on many levels). Start with establishing the process and then improve upon it. Use partners when it makes sense; it is in their best interests to ensure your efficiency and data accuracy. Set up your own solution demonstration with our experts by visiting us at www.doelegal.com and jump to our demo page.
