Law firms are increasingly recognizing the value of building in-house eDiscovery intelligence. By creating internal teams or departments capable of processing and culling data, running searches, and producing documents, law firms can build a profit center and improve cost-recovery efforts while creating fast turn-times for case teams.
But the decision to invest in eDiscovery is not a foregone conclusion. Every dollar invested in licensing software and hiring staff is a dollar that cannot be spent on hiring and training associates, recruiting laterals, supporting business development efforts, or distributed to shareholders. For most firms, the right approach to eDiscovery is not “either/or”, it’s “both/and.”
Below are 3 ways Proteus Discovery complements our law firm clients’ who have developed varying degrees of in-house eDiscovery capabilities:
Law Firm 1: Direct Everlaw License
(Client has ~750 attorneys in offices across the country, and a direct license with Everlaw.)
eDiscovery is notoriously difficult to staff because scope can expand suddenly. Often, the matter will lay dormant for months, then things heat up quickly as depositions or trial approaches, and then the case settles abruptly.
When this happens and the litigation support team is stretched thin, Proteus helps this client by stepping in to assist with overflow project management and document review support including processing, searches, and productions, as well as Relativity hosting when needed.
When document counts are below 20,000, this client’s default is to have staff attorneys and paralegals handle most of the Tier 1 review decisions, but when document counts exceed 20k, they engage us to support their internal team. We’ve performed review for document counts ranging from 21,000 to 2.1 million.
And sometimes there is a subset of counsel, particularly laterals, who simply want Relativity instead of Everlaw. Sinc Proteus has a Master Services Agreement, Business Associate Agreement, and rate table in place (as well as Relativity Certified staff), we can ingest data and have the case team in the workspace in less than 24 hours.
Law Firm 2: RelativityOne Client Domain
(Client has ~500 attorneys in offices across the country.)
After initially exploring licensing RelativityOne directly, the management committee at this firm opted against a 3-year commitment that would tie up a significant amount of their capital. Instead, they opted for a RelativityOne Client Domain provided by Proteus. This provides their litigation support department with a significant amount of autonomy, including loading, processing, and producing documents, managing security groups, administering review projects, and more.
Proteus has 3 Relativity Masters and 2 RCAs on staff, so we were well-positioned to help them migrate terabytes of data from their longstanding Relativity Server environment, and we stand ready to support the team when they are facing a novel challenge. The client also engages our managed document review team for predictive coding workflows to mitigate the need for eyes-on review.
Law Firm 3: Direct RelativityOne License
(Client has ~135 attorneys in offices in the Northeast and a direct license for RelativityOne.)
The litigation support team at this firm is small but mighty, and incredibly efficient with analytics, searches, and administering review projects. They hire Proteus to collect data from mobile devices and cloud repositories and provides overflow project management support when the case team is stretched thin.
We Serve the Same Client
Law firms face similar dynamics when corporate clients increase their legal department headcount to handle more work internally, so service providers shouldn’t be threatened when law firm clients develop in-house eDiscovery capabilities. Conversely, we think this model empowers law firms to maintain control over their legal processes while optimizing resource allocation. And at the end of the day, we serve the same client.
Ultimately, intelligent insourcing fosters a more agile legal team that can adapt to the unique challenges of each case. By strategically integrating in-house resources and external partnerships, legal teams can not only enhance their operational efficiency but also create a more sustainable cost structure.
Want more? Take a look at our new eBook “How to Build an eDiscovery Practice at Your Firm: From Someone Who Has Been There.”