The sheer volume of data generated by the average company means that any type of litigation could require a sizable team of document reviewers. The solution for many companies (and their law firms) is to bring in part-time or contract attorneys to handle the review. While there may be advantages to this approach, there are also human resource and administrative burdens that go along with it. Outsourcing with the right service provider can address some of the concerns of relying on a third party, while also offering significant benefits in the areas discussed below.
Employee benefits. Employment laws are increasingly employee-friendly imposing additional obligations on employers and providing many benefits to even part-time and contract workers. Such employees may be entitled to health insurance, paid leave, sick days, vacation, overtime and other rights. In addition to the cost of offering these benefits, there are costs to administer them. Outsourcing avoids these concerns.
Training and supervision. Part-time and contract attorneys need to be trained on company computer systems and other technology. Someone must also be available to supervise their work. This places a heavy burden on existing staff to handle these added duties.
Hiring/Vetting candidates. It can be difficult to find qualified document reviewers particularly if the review requires specialized knowledge, foreign language ability, technical skills, or highly experienced reviewers. Not every litigation requires unique expertise. However, most document reviews would benefit from using professionals who understand the practice of law and possess a deep knowledge of the software and workflows that handle electronically stored information. HR may not be the best equipped to recruit for those skills.
Communication and work flow. When different aspects of eDiscovery are handled by various in-house and outside teams, communication and work flow can suffer. When each member of the team is part of the same company, there is more transparent and regular communication between technical and review staff for improved service delivery. Outsourcing to a single service provider can also offer more efficient and accurate work flows, which reduces the costs of the eDiscovery.
The key to success in outsourcing is hiring the right experts. An eDiscovery service provider with a team of lawyer-technologists who understand both law and technology can handle every step of the process, from forensic collections to data hosting and managed review. Centralizing eDiscovery with a single service provider who has experts in all these areas offers companies and law firms unique advantages to eliminate HR burdens, reduce costs, and improve the quality of eDiscovery.
Click here to learn more about CDS’s approach to Managed Review services.
