The investigation process of litigation can be costly, pose a lot of risks and increase pressure on resources, but using an eDiscovery provider allows for information gathering to get done more quickly, more efficiently and with less chance for human error.
With the help of an outside provider that uses the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM), or eDiscovery, some aspects of the investigation process are streamlined. This is accomplished with tools that assist in categorizing and reviewing data, preserving and protecting the collected information and freeing up one's resources to focus on other tasks, according to Epiq Global, a worldwide provider of legal and business services.
"Efficiency is a big play because there are literally thousands of records that need to be potentially need to be pulled in. But it is a quality over quantity type of aspect, type of an approach that's really, really important," James Reynolds, vice president of client services at Peak Outsourcing, said.
According to an epiqfocus white paper entitled "Beyond Discovery: Reducing the Cost of Investigations", the process of investigation encompasses eight phases. These are information governance; identification, preservation and collection; processing; review; analysis; production; and presentation.
The collection of data is the foundation of an investigation, and companies that use in-house information technology (IT) teams run the risk of costly issues like delays and damages to data that consequently may have to be regathered, Epiq Global said.
Processing data through the use of an eDiscovery provider gives companies access to data extraction being vetted through a robust and tested set of standard operations that ensure accuracy and defensibility when running reports.
What takes the most time for EDRM is its review of data and documentation collected during the above-mentioned phases—a task designed to pinpoint errors and avoid expenses that might result if these errors had gone undetected.
Another advantage of EDRM is that document reviewers are able to provide the unique services of discovery technology to streamline the review process with tools like threading, performing random and targeted quality control reviews of the team's work, tracking coding decisions in real-time and electronically redacting records and annotating documents.
An additional bonus is that those that hire a firm offering eDiscovery can benefit from thorough analysis at several points, which can be conducted simultaneously, even with large sets of data. When records are pulled, eDiscovery allows endless grouping capabilities and complexities that can categorize information and help reduce the number of documents for quicker access.
Finally, in the last two phases of an investigation—production and presentation—eDiscovery can reduce expenses by allowing the evidence gathered to be produced in a particular format and coded for easy identification. When all the information is collected and analyzed, EDRM can tackle the presentation of results, getting the job done efficiently from start to finish.