Managed document review is a crucial phase in the e-discovery process, often conducted during legal investigations or litigation. It involves the review of potentially relevant documents and data to determine their responsiveness and significance to the case. Here’s a breakdown of the managed document review process:
Identification: The process begins with identifying the sources of electronically stored information (ESI) that may contain relevant documents. This can include emails, text messages, documents, databases, and other data sources.
Preservation: Once the potentially relevant sources are identified, steps are taken to preserve the integrity of the data to ensure that no relevant information is lost or modified. This may involve issuing legal holds to prevent the destruction or alteration of data.
Collection: Data from the identified sources is collected and transferred to a secure location for review. This step can involve data extraction, conversion, and processing to make it accessible for review.
Processing: In this stage, the collected data is processed to remove duplicate documents, system files, and other irrelevant information. The remaining data is then prepared for review.
Document Review Platform Setup: A document review platform is set up to facilitate the review process. This platform allows reviewers to access and assess documents efficiently and collaboratively.
Categorization and Prioritization: During this step, the documents are categorized based on relevance and potential importance to the case. Documents may also be prioritized for review based on their perceived significance.
Review: Legal professionals, often including attorneys, paralegals, or external review teams, analyze the documents for responsiveness to discovery requests and their potential impact on the case. They assess the content, context, and relevance of each document.
Coding and Tagging: Each document is coded or tagged based on the review outcomes. Common codes include “relevant,” “privileged,” “confidential,” “hot documents,” and others. This coding helps in organizing and retrieving documents efficiently during subsequent stages of the case.
Quality Control: To maintain accuracy and consistency, a quality control process is implemented. This involves spot-checking a subset of reviewed documents to ensure they were properly coded and reviewed.
Validation: Depending on the requirements of the case and the legal team’s strategy, the review process may undergo validation, where a sample of documents is validated by additional reviewers to ensure consistency and accuracy.
Production: After the review is complete, relevant and non-privileged documents are produced to the opposing party as part of the discovery process. The production format must adhere to the stipulations agreed upon during the discovery phase.
Post-Review Analysis: The legal team may conduct post-review analysis to gain insights into the case’s strengths and weaknesses, refine strategies, and prepare for depositions, hearings, or trial.
Throughout the entire managed document review process, maintaining data security and confidentiality is of paramount importance. Legal professionals often collaborate closely with e-discovery specialists and use advanced technology and tools to streamline and optimize the review process.