P2P

20 P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | F A L L 2 0 2 1 • Standardized service providers and approved outside counsel. When outside partners are needed, it's important to rely on trusted providers that have agreed to pre-determined service parameters and/or pricing, and been pre-approved by the general counsel. Standardization across service providers enables budget predictability and increased efficiencies over time. The more outside counsel and/or an outside advisor works with in-house counsel and in the organization's environment, the more they become integrated as an extension of the team. • Intelligent budgeting. My team is currently working with two clients that are very focused on establishing budget predictability as part of their overall in-house e-discovery strategy. This is difficult for many organizations, but it is achievable when a playbook has been established alongside strong in-house skills and legal spend analysis. We've been helping these clients set metrics for success and better understand where they are spending money unnecessarily. This includes using business intelligence analytics to gain a big picture view of the legal spend, and establishing billing processes that parcel out certain costs to sub-units. By also helping clients train their in-house e-discovery professionals to be more efficient and self-sufficient across small matters, we're setting the in-house team up for success in limiting reliance on external providers to the matters that demand significant time or specialized expertise. Establishing an effective in-house e-discovery environment will require a solid infrastructure of skills across the EDRM, user-friendly and intelligent analytics and standardization across policies, processes and technology. The usability of e-discovery technology and workflows have evolved to a point where skilled in-house lawyers can use them effectively to self-manage much of their small, straightforward matters. By doing this, they gain control, contain costs and reserve their trusted partners for the high stakes matters that truly require specialized expertise. ILTA F E A T U R E S Melissa McGinn is a Senior Director at FTI Technology. She manages large, complex e-discovery matters and advises clients on all phases of the EDRM. She is an expert in developing workf lows in Relativity, Nuix Discover, Exterior and Brainspace to help clients respond to e-discovery requests. For the first time ever, just before ILTACON 2021, members of the 2021 Tech Survey Volunteer Team hosted an ILTACON Technology Survey: Preview Session. Click here to watch as the ILTA Technology Survey volunteer team and staff take a dive into preliminary 2021 data, review trends, and break down new and interesting parts of the Survey. The video is available to all ILTA members after login. And be on the lookout for the upcoming 202l ILTA Technology Survey publication. T E C H N O L O G Y S U R V E Y P R E V I E W S E S S I O N

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