6 Time-Saving eDiscovery Features Your Small Law Firm Should Use

06 May 2019 by Anith Mathai eDiscovery small-law-firm

Takeaway: Electronic discovery (eDiscovery) is much faster than the older ‘paper’ discovery. But here are some features that save you even more time: (1) Drag-and-drop uploads, (2) Fast processing, (3) Inbuilt OCR, (4) A master password list, (5) Inbuilt ‘production’ sharing, (6) ‘Managed’ reviews.

Does your eDiscovery software have these 6 time-saving features?

They’re must-haves if you want to free up time, simplify eDiscovery, and grow your firm.

1. ‘Drag-and-drop’ uploads that are simple and intuitive

One of the coolest things Microsoft Windows taught us is to ‘drag-and-drop.’ That’s how you move files from one folder to another. You select them with your cursor, and while keeping the mouse button pressed, you ‘drag’ them to another folder and release the button. It’s the fastest way to move files around. And with the latest generation of eDiscovery software, this is how you upload files. Drag-and-drop them from your computer into your application’s browser – it’s fast and simple. Equally important, it’s a sign that your application will have other easy-to-use features. Why bother with software for which you have to waste time reading a manual or learning new skills?

2. Fast and automatic ‘file processing’ that takes minutes, not hours.

All eDiscovery applications have to process files. This involves:

Finding and deleting system files. I.e., files that your computer uses but which you don’t. E.g., software files (.exe files), font files, and Windows system files.
Converting files into a common format. Your files come in different formats. And you’ll have to use their ‘parent’ applications to open each format – I.e., Microsoft Word for Word documents, Excel for spreadsheets, Adobe for PDFs, etc. eDiscovery applications let you open files without their parent apps. But for this, they need to convert these files into a common format.
Extracting data from the files. Specifically, metadata (i.e., information about the file – like who created it, when it was last accessed, etc.) and embedded files (e.g., a video clip in a PowerPoint slide).

You want eDiscovery software that can do this processing quickly – in minutes, not hours.

3. Inbuilt OCR to convert scanned files into machine-readable PDFs.

With eDiscovery, everything is digital. But you still work with a lot of paper documents. So, you’ll need to scan and upload these into your eDiscovery application. The thing is, your computer can’t ‘read’ (i.e., edit and search) the text in these scanned documents. For that, you’ll need something called Optical Character Recognition (OCR). It’s a software tool that converts scanned documents into text files that a computer can process. To get OCR, you usually need to contact a vendor, get a quote, and wait a few days as they convert your files. Instead, finish faster by finding eDiscovery software with inbuilt, automatic OCR.

4. A master password list to hold all your eDiscovery file passwords.

A lot of the files you upload will be password-protected. And it’s a pain to have to keep entering passwords to open different files. That’s why the best eDiscovery applications have a master password list. Paste all your passwords into this list and the software will match the passwords to their corresponding documents, ‘unlocking’ and automatically processing them. Once the processing is complete they will be fully searchable and viewable; you won’t have to enter them again. See how to use a master password list with GoldFynch eDiscovery software

How do most attorneys share their eDiscovery ‘productions’ with others? They usually email them or load them onto a USB and mail it to them. Instead, the best eDiscovey applications let you share productions from within the application’s interface. This is safer, quicker, more cost-effective, and gives you more control while sharing your more sensitive files. Learn more about the right way of sharing productions.

6. ‘Managed’ reviews to outsource the hassle of reviewing files.

When you’re reviewing gigabytes’ worth of files, it’s easy to drown in data. What will help is to book a ‘managed document review.’ Here, you get a team of outside attorneys to review eDiscovery documents on your behalf. The more popular teams are highly qualified, experienced, and affordable. And they help you outsource the hassle of reviews. Learn more about the advantages of a managed review.

Need eDiscovery software that’s packed with time-saving features? Try GoldFynch.

It’s a next-generation eDiscovery application that prioritizes things that matter to small law firms. That’s why:

It costs just $27 a month for a 3 GB case: That’s significantly less–every month–than the nearest comparable software. And hundreds of dollars less than many others. With GoldFynch, you know what you’re paying for exactly – its pricing is simple and readily available on the website.
It’s easy to budget for. GoldFynch has a flat, prorated rate. With legacy software, your bill changes depending on how much data you use.
It takes just minutes to get going. It runs in the Cloud, so you use it through your web browser (Google Chrome recommended). No installation. No sales calls or emails. Plus, you get a free, fully-functional trial case (0.5 GB of data and processing cap of 1 GB), without adding a credit card.
It has all the best time-saving features like drag-and-drop uploads, automatic OCR, master password lists, etc.
It can handle even the largest cases. GoldFynch scales from small to large, since it’s in the Cloud. So, choose from a range of case sizes (3 GB to 150 GB, and more) and don’t waste money on space you don’t need.
You can access it from anywhere. And 24/7. All your files are backed up and secure in the Cloud. And you can monitor its servers here.
You won’t have to worry about technical stuff. It’s designed, developed and run by the same team. So, its technical support isn’t outsourced. Which means you get prompt and reliable service.

Want to learn more about GoldFynch?

Try GoldFynch for Free Schedule a Demo