An efficient legal review process is the foundation of a streamlined response to document requests. Best practices begin with the lead document review attorney, who will assemble a team, establish guidelines, and manage the project through to completion.
Planning and Establishing Guidelines and Selecting a Team
The legal document review attorney who leads the project will prepare document review guidelines that include:
- A timeline for completion of the project.
- How to identify documents that are responsive and relevant to the production of documents in response to the document request.
- Description of the legal issues in the case and how documents will be coded for issues of importance.
- How to identify privileged documents and identifying information for privileged parties.
- Information on case-specific confidentiality designations and any relevant protective orders.
- How to use any software specifically designed for the project.
- Quality control procedures to ensure the guidelines and protocols are being followed.
After the guidelines and protocols are established, a team is chosen and trained.
The Team Works with the Lead Document Review Attorney
Ideally, the document review will occur in one room where the team members will assemble to do their review work. Collaboration between team members should be strongly encouraged. One team member may have a particular insight on a review topic or may have already addressed a similar issue.
Team members should be encouraged to ask questions. There should be open and frequent communication between the lead document review attorney and the team to determine:
- If there are problems with the software they are using for the project.
- If there are any questions about how to apply the guidelines.
And any resolutions to issues that arise should be disseminated to the entire review team to ensure consistency.
Periodic reports must be given to the lead attorney and to the client so progress can be monitored and any problems solved in a timely manner. Quality control checks must be implemented to ensure that the guidelines are being followed, documents responsive to the request are being properly identified, and privileged documents are being withheld or redacted.
Law firms and in-house counsel often choose to outsource the task of comprehensive document review and foreign language review to Baer Reed, an offshore legal services provider that uses best practices for an efficient legal review process. Contact Baer Reed LPO for more information.
Mr. Reyes graduated with honors from the Ateneo de Manila University, where he received the Procter and Gamble Student Excellence Award. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo de Manila School of Law. During law school, Mr. Reyes was part of the Philippine delegation to the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot held in Vienna, Austria. He was also a member of the Ateneo Society of International Law and the St. Thomas More Debate Society. He completed his internship at the Public Attorney’s Office. He wrote a thesis entitled: “To Kill A White Elephant: An Analysis of the Fiduciary Exception to the Corporate Attorney-Client Privilege”. Mr. Reyes is admitted to practice law in the Philippines and the State of New York.
Ms. Lardizabal-Manzano is a graduate of San Sebastian College-Recoletos, where she earned her B.A. in Political Science. In 2003, she received her law degree from Lyceum of the Philippines and was admitted to practice law in 2004.
Matthew Hersh earned a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University in 1990 and graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 1999. He also holds a master’s degree in international relations from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
Cap. Avi Levak (Res. IDF) graduated from from Israel’s prestigious Ben-Gurion University of the Negev with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics. He is also a Leadership and Communication coach trained in TuT coaching by Alon gal in Israel. Avi specializes in high-level, in-depth analysis of business and client needs, within systems and software strategy and architecture.
Ms. Tyler graduated cum laude from Georgetown University and received her law degree, cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center. During law school, she interned at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. She also worked on The Tax Lawyer journal and was a member of the award-winning Barristers’ Council Mock Trial Team. Ms. Tyler is admitted to practice law in the State of California and the District of Columbia.
Ms. Cruz-Anonuevo graduated cum laude and top nine in her batch from Miriam College with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in InternationalStudies. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in Rockwell. During law school, she interned in Rivera, Santos, Maranan & Associates. She was also part of Ateneo’s Labor Law Bar Operations. She wrote her thesis on, “Stealing Privacy: Limitations on Media’s Photographic Invasion.,” Ms. Cruz-Anonuevo is admitted to practice law in the Philippines.
Ms. Aquino-Batallones obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Development Studies (with Minors in Global Politics and Hispanic Studies) from the Ateneo de Manila University. In 2011, she received her Juris Doctor degree from Ateneo de Manila University School of Law. During law school, she interned at Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & de los Angeles then became an intern of Ateneo Legal Services Center’s Clinical Legal Education Program.
Mr. De Guzman graduated from San Beda College with a degree of Bachelor of Arts Major in Economics and received his law degree from San Beda College of Law. He is multilingual and is fluent in three languages: Chinese, Filipino, and English. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2003.