How 3 Law Firms are Using eDiscovery Technology to Their Advantage
It’s been the same story ever since the Cartwright Power Loom or the McCormick Thresher: Technology enables the more efficient execution of the task at hand. eDiscovery is no different. There are numerous solutions out there, each designed to alleviate some particular pain point along the EDRM. But it’s not often you get to hear directly from the people on the front lines on how they’re leveraging technology to more effectively manage their legal teams’ workflow.
Here are 3 eDiscovery practitioners on how Ipro is helping them overcome those challenges.
Bare Bones to Fully Loaded
Stacie Hauza, Deputy Paralegal Administrator/Litigation Support Coordinator at Bredhoff & Kaiser, was working with older eDiscovery software, which was, “very bare bones without any analytics, and there was no way to batch documents, so we couldn’t conduct full-scale reviews.” It was clear that in order to take on the growing complexities with incoming cases, a new solution was needed.
“By adding Ipro for enterprise,” Hauza continues, “we could easily create review passes for review teams and gained the ability to process data in-house, run large-scale reviews utilizing keywords for search term reporting, as well as analytics like near-dupe, clustering, email threading, and TAR, all within a user-friendly interface.”
Not only are they able to review document collections faster, they can also manage incorrect productions from opposing counsel. Hauza recalls one case where an opposing party produced emails in PDF format without extracting any attachments. “With Ipro’s powerful processing engine, I was able to extract the attachments embedded in the PDF, giving us quick access to the full document family which should have been produced. And with Ipro’s OCR functionality in the review module, I was able to fix bad PDF production text on-the-fly after processing. We also had the ability to QC the opposing party’s work after they attempted to re-produce, where it became clear they were just reviewing and stamping in native format using Adobe. If they would have had Ipro for enterprise, their production would have been easy!”
Discovery to Trial
Because so few civil cases go to trial, most legal technology focuses on document collection, processing, and review. But even if a case ultimately doesn’t end up in the courtroom, attorneys still have to prepare case strategy and potentially present evidence in mediation or arbitration. Having a solution that can carry things all the way through the process can increase efficiency a great deal.
Carey Granda, Trial & Technology Training Manager at Snell & Wilmer, says “By using Ipro, one of the biggest problems we’ve solved is time spent on task, while efficiency with case creation and productions has greatly improved from our previous document review tool. The combination of industry resources put together in a way that makes sense offers a one-stop tool for users working towards greater efficiency from eDiscovery to trial.”
Victoria Stevens, Senior Paralegal at Wilenchik & Bartness, has had similar success with technology that goes beyond traditional document review. “Collecting documents from their native source significantly reduces (and often eliminates) discovery disputes,” she says, “but Ipro can do so much more than that. She continues: “We use it to tag documents for each witness, which ultimately will be used to prepare for depositions and create affidavits with corroborating evidence for motion practice and trial presentation with Trial Director by Ipro. And the ease of using Ipro to ingest data and then have immediate access to key documents to search, tag, redact, make notes, and ultimately produce for opposing counsel has been such a time-saver — it’s a must-have tool for our attorneys and their litigation practice. Tasks that would take hours (sometimes days) now take a fraction of that time. Our clients save money, and the legal team can focus on more substantive issues and get to the heart of the case.”
A Technology Partnership
It’s no secret that lawyers aren’t technology experts, so it can be frustrating when they’re presented with software that takes a lot of time to learn. That’s why selecting an eDiscovery solution that can get users up and running quickly is important. As the Trial & Technology Training Manager at Snell & Wilmer, Carey Granda “loves hearing from users about Ipro’s intuitive interface, which provides them a DIY approach that wasn’t possible with our former product. This frees me up to handle more consultation with eDiscovery and advanced training guidance instead of teaching people how to use the software.”
And because each case has its own unique challenges, even easy-to-use technology can only take you so far. That’s where having an experienced technology partner can make all the difference.
“The Ipro Support Team is hands down the best in the business,” says Victoria Stevens, Senior Paralegal at Wilenchik & Bartness. “If you have an issue with production, they are relentless in getting it resolved, while teaching you to make your job in-house easier. Even beyond support, Ipro is a cutting-edge company with a team that listens to its clients’ needs and concerns by delivering a cost-effective, accessible approach to eDiscovery. Ipro makes my life easier. Every. Single. Day.”
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