April/May 2010 / E-Discovery
Strategies For Controlling E-Discovery Costs
Through a discussion of a survey commissioned by his firm, FTI Consulting, the author takes up the issue of controlling e-discovery costs. Respondents identified document review as the largest component of these costs and reported a variety of ways of addressing it. The most common was reducing the volume of data before it gets reviewed by attorneys, by way of information policies and culling software. Many companies also said they outsourced the review function.
At an earlier stage of the process, acquiring and evaluating certain company-specific information was identified as a potential cost-saver. Key strategies include understanding the company’s “litigation profile,” retention and IT environment and its in-house resources, and staying updated on the software and services market. Several respondents said it was important to have a dedicated person in-house to manage the process.
Despite the preoccupation with costs, other factors were cited as equally or more important in evaluating service providers. They include the company’s track record, its record of providing strong and continuing after-sale support, and its financial viability — in other words, the likelihood it was going to be around into the foreseeable future.
