Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/13683
double-checked for currency of status. Work on a brief or memorandum has to wait until a colleague has completed his or her updates. • Sharing information: Team members often work in isolation and then hand off work product to other team members. As a litigator reads a transcript, he or she gleans insights and makes notes on the document. That analysis could be helpful to other team members, but only if they are aware of the notes and are able to readily find or access them among case documents. In addition, nothing brings a case to a grinding halt faster than having to bring on a new team member. The person has to quickly become familiar with the specifics of the case, as well as the strategy and approach the firm is taking. When case information and notes are scattered across disparate files and computers, this process can be very time-consuming. • Repetitive tasks: Many tasks are time-intensive and repetitive. For example, case citations need to be double-checked to verify their status as good law. In addition, they often need to be formatted according to specific rules for a given jurisdiction. This is just one example of numerous case preparation tasks that would lend themselves to automation. PATHS TO PRODUCTIVITY Integrated technology can be a vital link to enhancing litigation productivity. Case analysis is a time- consuming exercise. However, many of the tasks –– finding the source or authority for a particular fact, checking to make sure the law underlying a point is still good, incorporating the input of team members 30 Case/Matter Management ILTA White Paper into deposition notes or case strategy –– lend themselves particularly well to use of automated tools. Case analysis software can also provide tremendous help as team members gather, organize, share, manage and work with case-related information. A centralized repository provides a single, collaboratively shared resource for storing and accessing all relevant case information: key facts, insights, notes, documents, main characters, transcripts, evidence, legal research and more. In addition, capabilities such as advanced search and integrated legal research greatly speed up previously time-consuming tasks for finding needed information. ORGANIZE INFORMATION Carefully organizing case materials means less time spent sifting and searching through information later on, and more time devoted to leading an effective deposition, drafting a compelling motion or building an effective case. Case analysis software can organize case documents, pleadings, legal research and information about individuals or organizations connected to the case into sets and subsets of documents and information using data groups. One of the key productivity-enhancing features of case analysis software is the ability to have all the key case information at your fingertips. Dashboards can provide bird’s-eye views of a case in order to help develop strategy. Case information can be presented in a global manner that intuitively displays the connections between research on specific issues and key facts in discovery documents, transcripts and other litigation materials. Such information maps make it easier to stay on top of key facts and quickly adjust litigation strategies as new facts and evidence become available. Visualization tools such as timelines also help identify gaps in evidence.