Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new visual mapping technology for reviewing email and other discovery documents (see article below), a multifunction printer with special legal-specific features, and a software application with a new twist on backups. Don't miss the next issue.
See Discovery Documents in a Whole New Way
By Neil J. Squillante
You need to get from Point A to Point B, the only problem being that you haven't made this journey before. So you ask a couple of friends. One scribbles down some instructions for you. The other hands you a GPS device, which combines turn-by-turn instructions with a map that shows you the way. Bingo!
Litigators already know from trial exhibits that visuals used in conjunction with verbal and written testimony can dramatically enhance comprehension. So why limit visuals to the end of the litigation process? So asks InterLegis, which has added a new component called "Visual Analytics" to Discovery360, its soup-to-nuts Web-based discovery tool.
Visual Analytics essentially maps the data within a collection of discovery documents (including email). In doing so, it can show you clusters of related documents as well as spikes in activity related to a key issue or term. As a result, you can focus your attention on the documents most likely to contain important evidence, thus making the review process faster.
Visual Analytics also shows you relationships among documents that might otherwise remain hidden. For example, reviewers can map out all of a custodian's documents, cluster them by file type and link those documents to all recipients in order to uncover unique patterns of activity. Also, the mapping that Visual Analytics generates can serve as the basis for a timeline and improve your understanding of the case, especially in the early going.
Let's face it — few lawyers enjoy document review. It's both difficult and tedious, a rare combination that results in a vicious cycle. InterLegis claims that Visual Analytics can make document review more enjoyable not only by speeding it up, but by enabling you to focus more on the facts and issues (the difficult component) and less on administration and logistics (the tedious component).
The new Visual Analytics component is built into the core of Discovery360 so you can use it throughout the discovery lifecycle. As we reported last year, Discovery360 includes tools for all stages of electronic discovery, including collection, processing, review, analysis, and production. Learn more about Discovery360 and its new Visual Analytics component.
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