New Recommind tool provides automated eDiscovery review

Recommind [1] released version 4.0 of its Axcelerate eDiscovery platform this week. It includes what it claims is the first defensible automated review of documents. On the face of it, this should provide a way for companies save time and money in the information gathering phase and speed up the entire eDiscovery process. Recommind says that what makes this release special is a new "predictive coding" process that lets companies combine "the precision and intuition of human judgment with the speed and cost-effectiveness of computerized review."

This means that with the help of an attorney familiar with the case, to prime the coding pump, the company can maximize the process because based on this human input, the software can go out and find the information without additional human intervention. And Steve Berrent, Director of Complex Case Services at WilmerHale says this part of the process has been killing companies financially in recent years. “Ten years ago discovery was about getting to the key people and facts of a case, and practicing law focused on these core issues; today, with the explosion of ESI, cases can be decided not on their merits, but on who has the deeper pockets in eDiscovery--and the costs of eDiscovery today simply are not sustainable."

Essentially, this uses advanced search methods including concept search to go out and find the information based on the attorney's input. The success of the process, of course, depends on how well the attorney understands the case, and how accurately he or she can communicate the amount of required knowledge to the software.

But if this tool can do what it claims, Brian Babineau, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group believes it could cut costs dramatically by combining tools and eliminating the need for a myriad of solutions and consultants. "Most eDiscovery-related innovation continues to occur in the early phases of the process, forcing companies to still leverage pricey third-party review." He says he expects to see more tools, like this one from Recommind, that consolidate the various electronic discovery steps including review to help customers accelerate cost reductions while mitigating legal risk.

If it comes as billed, this tool should be a welcome addition to any eDiscovery tool kit.

For more information:
- see the Recommind press release [2]

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