If you’ve ever stood up to a bully in the schoolyard, you probably remember an important lesson: once you start bending to keep the peace, you’ll never get fair play again.

That same principle applies to eDiscovery.

For years, many legal teams have felt pressure from the largest technology vendors in the industry — companies with impressive products and equally impressive leverage. The result? Rising prices, shrinking flexibility, and the sense that the market is dictating how law firms manage discovery. But eDiscovery doesn’t have to work that way.

eDiscovery should be predictable, transparent, and manageable. It should serve your case strategy — not the other way around. The idea that there’s a “one size fits all” solution for discovery simply isn’t realistic. Every case is different, every client is different, and every data set brings its own unique challenges. Trying to force every workflow through a single technology platform, just because it’s the biggest name on the market, doesn’t make sense.

Even at organizations that have their own eDiscovery program, many choose to outsource hosted eDiscovery technology. We get it that infrastructure can be a pain. That’s why we’ve repackaged and relaunched our Hosted eDiscovery offering to bring the focus back where it belongs — on client choice. Proteus is, and always has been, technology-agnostic. Our goal is to match each client’s needs, budget, and timeline with the right platform and workflow. Sometimes that means an enterprise-level solution; sometimes it means a faster, leaner platform for a smaller matter. The key is that the client decides, not the vendor and certainly not the eDiscovery technology platform.

Predictability in eDiscovery isn’t about limiting options; it’s about eliminating surprises. When your team knows what to expect — from timelines to pricing to data volumes — you can focus on the merits of your case, not the mechanics of your review. At Proteus, our brand promise of transparency means no surprise fees, no hidden service charges, and no sudden pricing shifts. We believe you deserve a partnership where you understand every step of the process and every dollar you spend.

We’re also not afraid to push back when actors behave like a bully. We won’t stand by and have our clients forced into lock-in agreements or constant price hikes. Remember, bigger doesn’t always mean better — and each matter deserves consideration about what approach and technology is the best for that instance.

Our independence allows us to stay nimble and objective. Because we aren’t tied to any single technology, we can focus on what matters most: defensibility, efficiency, and value. It also means our clients can adjust strategies as cases evolve without being at the mercy of a single vendor’s roadmap or pricing decisions.

This philosophy extends to outsourcing eDiscovery as well. Too often, firms view outsourcing as an added cost when in reality, it’s a competitive advantage. Partnering with the right team can streamline workflows, reduce internal burden, and ensure that discovery stays on track — especially in high-pressure, data-heavy cases. As we wrote in a recent post, "Outsourcing eDiscovery Isn’t Overhead — It’s an Edge", outsourcing allows firms to focus on legal strategy while letting experienced professionals handle the data complexity behind the scenes.

At the end of the day, eDiscovery shouldn’t be a source of stress or uncertainty. It should be a clear, defensible, and predictable process that empowers litigators to do their best work. By staying technology-agnostic and guided by our core values — sincerity, adaptability, delivery, and commitment.

Predictability in eDiscovery is achievable, and it’s what every organization deserves.