Most attorneys know that document review is an expensive process. That has been confirmed by the Rand Corporation: Their study of 57 large-volume cases and concluded that legal document review accounts for 73% of the cost of producing documents. All attorneys are concerned with how to make the legal document review process more economical without sacrificing quality.
The American Bar Association and the Rand Corporation have some tips for making the review process more economical.
- The lead attorney should carefully think through exactly what the goal is for reviewing electronically stored information (ESI) so that an efficient plan can be prepared. When reviewers know exactly what they are looking for, the review process will identify only those documents that meet the terms of the discovery request.
- Narrow the discovery request to a date range. Not every existing document has to be reviewed.
- Use keywords to filter the information. If this seems unsuccessful, you can broaden your search.
- Predictive coding is a legal document review process using the computer to categorize documents according to concepts and terms in sample documents. Documents of particular interest may still be reviewed by an experienced reviewer, coded according to case issues, and flagged for the client.
- Consult with an outside vendor that has extensive experience before beginning the review process so costly mistakes can be avoided.
- Track the costs of production so you will know exactly where and how the money is being spent. That way, you can fine-tune your process and make it even more economical for the future.
- Partner with a legal process outsourcing (LPO) company to open up internal resources and reduce costs.
Baer Reed is a boutique offshore legal services provider that can offer the information security and oversight necessary for a comprehensive and economical legal document review process, conducted by licensed attorneys. Contact Baer Reed today 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.