Published on Jul 29, 2021 
2020 caused numerous changes in the legal and information governance industries. Legal professionals had no choice but to adapt to the new norm to continue running their day-to-day activities. These events have made it essential to stay updated on the trends that will impact eDiscovery.
So, what are the trends shaping the future of eDiscovery? Of course, technological advancements have been the main trend, but this does not leave out the different approaches that companies are adapting to thrive in business. To learn more trends on eDiscovery, read on.
Companies Shifting to WFH
The quick turn-around of events that took effect in the previous year saw many businesses adopt the work-from-home revolution. While professionals in the legal and information governance industries found it challenging at first, they hopped into it full force as stay-at-home mandates swept the world.
Most of them adopted and continue to use video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Slack, among others, to collaborate with clients and co-workers. These tools create data that is discoverable, which gives them an upper hand.
With the downstream implications of preserving, processing, searching, and producing it, the A/V recordings require you to be strategic. Your legal and IT teams need to apply the best approach to handle the audio and video files during discovery for efficient use.
Artificial Intelligence
New technologies like Artificial Intelligence have changed the approach of quantifying and collecting data. Initially, eDiscovery had unstructured data in emails, but recently it has developed diverse devices, technologies, and data sources.
With AI technology, legal professionals can identify important information fast, increasing efficiency and helping them reduce costs. It is also useful in detecting a larger volume of information, which helps professionals deepen their understanding of a subject.
While it continues to advance its capabilities, A.I. will progressively impact how business takes place in the legal and information governance industries. With technical expertise growth, there will be more A.I. applications in eDiscovery in the future!
Remote Data Collection
While the remote collection has been part of the industry for a long time, it is experiencing more shifts. Advancements in remote collection tools help eDiscovery professionals to work efficiently and accomplish more. In addition, you can use these tools to cut costs that come with travel and clients’ expenses.
With the pandemic hitting different industries, eDiscovery re-invented its best practice; remote collection. The practice has now become the standard means of data collection. Some of the tools that the legal teams are utilizing include Harvester, Encase or enlisting outdoor vendor services.
Such tools are essential in operating your firm, even in times when there are movement restrictions. While it does not lack challenges, this trend offers multiple advantages. The good thing is that you can plan for the collection of physical devices and paper documents.
Impact of the Pandemic
The pandemic necessitated the closure of country borders and stay-at-home advisories. These measures left eDiscovery professionals with one option; remote work. Unfortunately, this setup gave employees access to data from their personal devices, which heightened cybersecurity issues.
Remote systems are not as reliable as firms’ systems. As a result, hackers have continued to take advantage of such vulnerabilities by tampering with information. To counter this, legal teams are affecting measures that will secure their clients’ information. For instance, some use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
You may also utilize location whitelisting to ensure that all the users who access the data are not fraudulent. To accomplish this, you can base it on the country or I.P. address that they usually sign in.
There is no doubt that the emerging issues of eDiscovery are determining how your business is taking place more so in the future. As a legal firm owner, you may need to kick off certain best practices to ensure your company runs efficiently and stays ahead in the industry. Which of the above trends do you think has had a significant impact on your company?
Contact us to talk about our trends shaping future of eDiscovery.
