BIA eDiscovery consultants and advisors are highly regarded in the industry because of our experience, knowledge and creative yet practical approaches to tackling eDiscovery issues.
Today, electronic documents, email, chat messages and all electronically stored information (ESI) are part and parcel of every case. BIA eDiscovery experts offer effective solutions and practical guidance to help our corporate and law firm clients navigate the intricacies of eDiscovery.
Many consultants are typically more interested in billing time than helping find the root of problems and fixing them quickly. That’s not the case at BIA. We take a rapid approach to discover the issues at play and come up with smart solutions within tight time constraints and budgets.
BIA eDiscovery experts consult with clients in several ways to review an organization’s current strategy and to identify what is lacking in litigation preparedness.
Most companies do not have a well-documented plan and end up running ad-hoc processes when litigation arises.
BIA assists companies by working closely with their in-house legal team and IT department, and, if needed, outside attorneys to identify what critical eDiscovery processes and tasks need tightening up, immediately increasing the company’s eDiscovery maturity level.
Many eDiscovery preparedness questions can be addressed by creating an internal document that we call an eDiscovery playbook.
The following points and more are covered in the playbook:
All of these questions — and many more — can be addressed in the playbook. That becomes your process and protocol document which can be vetted by eDiscovery experts such as BIA in conjunction with your outside counsel. Once it is created and shared with your team — and the culture is introduced to your organization — you then have a defensible process that is repeatable matter after matter and mitigates the opportunity for opposing parties to riddle your discovery efforts with deficiency and spoliation claims.
You don’t want to miss any relevant data repositories, which means the ever-expanding set of tools available to users, including cooperative programs such as Teams and Slack must be evaluated as sources of relevant data. Of course, today, text messaging apps, cell phones, tablets, cloud storage and social media must also be considered in addition to the traditional resources of email, file shares and laptops. As consultants, we can guide you through the process of data identification.
Ask the custodians:
Review case filings – complaints and requests for production of documents:
The last major consideration in most eDiscovery matters is the method and form of production of data. We find ourselves quite often surprised when we join a matter in mid-stream that even very experienced counsel has not addressed this key area. How documents are produced affects how they can be used for deposition and trial preparation.
All of these points and more should be addressed in an ESI production protocol. The model protocol that BIA has prepared addresses these and more. A well-crafted protocol will allow for an orderly ESI review and production, save time — which translates to saving money — and will result in a better work product for the client and counsel.
We are experienced in drafting eDiscovery playbooks and working with clients and counsels to manage the ESI portion of the discovery effort.
We are often asked how to manage the eventuality of litigation and the preparation required to meet it with focus and efficiency.
Protocols and training are key to a compliant legal response to eDiscovery issues.
Allow us to help you organize to meet the burdens of eDiscovery.
Our professionals are ready to listen and understand your needs so that they can provide you with the best advice.
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