Dec. 2011/Jan. 2012 / Features
Eight Practical Suggestions for Mitigating Risk in Keyword Search
Keyword searching, in order to cull electronically stored information before release for a formal attorney review, is challenging. Narrow searches may cull out relevant documents. Broad searches yield false positives. The goal should be to minimize the number of non-relevant documents presented for the more expensive formal review conducted by attorneys, and the authors provide practical tips for doing that.
Perform an iterative assessment of search results. In this context, iterative means that the case team, in concert with a search expert, performs the search, evaluates the results, then adjusts the search criteria as needed. To minimize the number of relevant documents left behind, sample the documents that have not been identified by the keyword search.
Assess carefully with regard to personal names, as they may be rendered in unexpected ways. Keep in mind that email addresses are commonly used in electronic com- munications as substitutes for a formal personal name.
Carefully assess the results of acronym searches, as these often yield false positives. Files containing no searchable text cannot be easily identified by standard searching methods. Scanned hard copy documents made searchable with optical character recognition may require a different keyword search strategy. Educate the resources used for performing the search. The software application used, as well as the competency of the person performing the search, may significantly influence the final result. Perform a traditional review on a small set of documents as a proof of concept.
