Tips for Virtual Collaboration in Ediscovery
Remote working is not a novel concept – Gallup has found that 43% of U.S. employees work remotely some or all of the time. However, with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and several states and even entire countries mandating lockdowns, working from home, productively, is a large-scale experiment in what could be the new normal.
The legal profession is currently facing the same challenges as the rest of the world with the added complexity of increases in the volume of litigation. While litigators adjust to their new reality, they must confront the notion that face-to-face interaction is mostly relegated to digital communication and collaboration in this virtual environment will be critical to their success.
Working remotely is changing the paradigm on information sharing. Legal teams typically work closely together during discovery. Teams ask questions, share information, and iterate on workflows which makes collaboration especially important in the search and review process. We’ve gathered a list of the best tips and tricks from Everlaw customers who are finding ways to collaborate effectively across the digital divide.
In-platform messaging allows for direct communication between users without causing additional concerns for IT or Security teams. For example, users are automatically notified when documents have been uploaded and are ready for review, saving tedious back and forth communications through email and eliminating the need to attach sensitive documents to messages in less secure channels.
Sharing searches increases visibility during review. Once an accurate search query has been built, users can share their search with others on the project with the click of a button.
Multiple users accessing the same document simultaneously; making coding, redaction, and annotation changes that can be viewed in real-time by the other users.
Sharing documents within a project directly from the review window. Users receive notifications within the messaging center and, if enabled, will also receive an email notification alerting them of a new message on Everlaw.
As themes arise during the course of review, organizing searches, binders, assignments, and more in folders on the Everlaw homepage. These folders can be shared out with individual users or groups and give the owner the ability to restrict the level of access that collaborators have, ensuring security protocols are maintained.
As more legal teams learn to navigate remote work, Everlaw is committed to helping them thrive. This was just a sample of how Everlaw customers are leveraging virtual collaboration capabilities. In our upcoming posts we’ll share more tips and tricks for post-review collaboration and discuss how teams are managing cross-border investigations.
To learn more, request a demo to see how Everlaw can help your team collaborate virtually.
