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Electronic Discovery: What You Might Not Know

A new phrase is being used in court rooms all around the world – electronic discovery. This is a process new to many legal proceedings, but will become more frequent in the near future. It consists of finding evidence on electronic devices such as computers and cell phones. Nothing that uses electricity is off-limits for electronic discovery.

The answer to these questions might shock you. Truthfully, data that is put onto a computer is never truly erased. The only real way you can get rid of that information is to take your hard drive out of your computer and break it into pieces so people can’t look at what you’ve got stored there.

This field of study is a new one and must constantly change and grow due to how technology is booming. Think of how many new ideas and technologies are being developed every day. Can you think of ways to keep up with how much that is changing, and still remain ethical in how you retrieve that information? I sure can’t.

Apart from finding information on a personal computer’s hard drive, electronic discovery reaches out into the internet, databases, and other networks. Email accounts are stored in many places, making them very difficult to delete permanently. Anyone looking in the right place can find almost anything people, especially criminals, are trying to hide by deleting their files.

For other branches of the criminal justice agencies to work with electronic discovery people, their relationship needs to grow as fast as the field of study. Through continually talking about what each branch does, any other faction of government can continue to work with those that perform electronic discovery jobs. What a good team they all can be.

Not even your cellular phone is safe from e-discovery! The court can take your phone to find pictures, audio files, documents, and even texts! This is just one more item you need to be careful with. Everything you do through your device can be tracked by your carrier and taken to court. Be careful what you talk about.

If you are interested in learning more about electronic discovery, there are plenty of places to do a little more research. The internet is a great place to start. If that doesn’t give you what you were looking for, try asking someone who has worked in a courtroom or any type of lawyer. They should have some exposure to it.

Electronic discovery really makes you think! Be careful about what you do while you’re on your computer (or any electronic devices, for that matter). Always be aware that you are leaving a paper trail a mile long and that even though you might delete something, it is never really taken from the memory.

The Fundamentals of Managed Document Review

Finding a compatible and efficient managed document review firm can be a daunting task. Managed document review is a complex system of tracking and security, the ability to quickly and efficiently find them, track changes to documents, and give specific people or firms access to those documents. Security is a large part of managed document review, especially in controlling who can see a document and make changes to it.

The Various Kinds of Managed Document Review

As many law firms are moving to electronic documents, legal documents range in type from electronic communication to paper contracts. Different firms serve different needs, and all kinds of documents can be included in a managed document review, from simple divorce papers served to litigated case files and research.

Fees for a Managed Document Review

Different law firms have different needs, so fees associated with managed document reviews will vary. While US law firms often charge between $25 and $55 per hour, international, outsourced firms will often charge a flat fee for services, or a fee per document reviewed.

How to Choose a Managed Document Review Firm

When choosing a managed document review firm, most companies are searching for good, solid security first and foremost. As each law firm requires different specialties from their particular document management groups, there are particular things to consider when choosing the best firm for you. Security is usually critical for companies needing secure documentation, with different security requirements for a range of documentation requests.

External security often involves locked file cabinets and notarized documents outlining access for those working on the documents. External security is the lockdown of documents that should not be shared. These documents should be placed carefully, with specific, written instructions for who can view and change them.

For documents that need to be tracked and managed internally, internal security is actually much more difficult to manage. Many law firms are e-filing documents, making them susceptible to cyber attack and viruses. The ability to track changes to documents long-term, deciding who can have access to documents, and who can make changes are all challenges of internal security for a managed document review.

The ability to quickly understand where a document is, who has accessed it, and who has changed it is critical to the success of the firm. Thus, traceability of documents is another key feature of a solid document management review organization.

Document searching is also important for success with a managed document review. The ability to quickly and accurately search for a document or even a phrase in a document is essential to any cases that require large volumes of documents to be used.

A professional managed document review company can help particular law firms decide how to manage the security of their documents, how to give or deny access, how to track changes, and how to appropriately manage their security funds. With the advent of e-documents, many firms are finding success in outsourcing their managed document review firms to places like India.

The Fundamentals of Managed Document Review

Finding a compatible and efficient managed document review firm can be a daunting task. Managed document review is a complex system of tracking and security, the ability to quickly and efficiently find them, track changes to documents, and give specific people or firms access to those documents. Security is a large part of managed document review, especially in controlling who can see a document and make changes to it.

The Various Kinds of Managed Document Review

As many law firms are moving to electronic documents, legal documents range in type from electronic communication to paper contracts. Different firms serve different needs, and all kinds of documents can be included in a managed document review, from simple divorce papers served to litigated case files and research.

Fees for a Managed Document Review

Different law firms have different needs, so fees associated with managed document reviews will vary. While US law firms often charge between $25 and $55 per hour, international, outsourced firms will often charge a flat fee for services, or a fee per document reviewed.

How to Choose a Managed Document Review Firm

When choosing a managed document review firm, most companies are searching for good, solid security first and foremost. As each law firm requires different specialties from their particular document management groups, there are particular things to consider when choosing the best firm for you. Security is usually critical for companies needing secure documentation, with different security requirements for a range of documentation requests.

External security often involves locked file cabinets and notarized documents outlining access for those working on the documents. External security is the lockdown of documents that should not be shared. These documents should be placed carefully, with specific, written instructions for who can view and change them.

For documents that need to be tracked and managed internally, internal security is actually much more difficult to manage. Many law firms are e-filing documents, making them susceptible to cyber attack and viruses. The ability to track changes to documents long-term, deciding who can have access to documents, and who can make changes are all challenges of internal security for a managed document review.

The ability to quickly understand where a document is, who has accessed it, and who has changed it is critical to the success of the firm. Thus, traceability of documents is another key feature of a solid document management review organization.

Document searching is also important for success with a managed document review. The ability to quickly and accurately search for a document or even a phrase in a document is essential to any cases that require large volumes of documents to be used.

A professional managed document review company can help particular law firms decide how to manage the security of their documents, how to give or deny access, how to track changes, and how to appropriately manage their security funds. With the advent of e-documents, many firms are finding success in outsourcing their managed document review firms to places like India.