Discover Your Data, Transform Your Case

Get to Know Your Data Early

ECA, or Early Case Assessment, epitomizes the craft of a seasoned trial lawyer. It's about swiftly analyzing and correlating scattered bits of evidence, brainstorming initial case strategies, and sculpting a litigation blueprint that drives the strategy to a successful resolution. At its core, ECA is the comprehensive skill set leveraged by seasoned litigators to take charge and forge a proactive path to victory.

Emails and other digital evidence have become ubiquitous in today's legal market, transforming the concept of ECA. It now represents a blend of process and technology as litigators grapple with vast amounts of information in both the physical and digital realms. As a result, the integration of effective eDiscovery strategies into ECA has become critical. Today's market offers a plethora of tools for ECA, legal hold automation, data pre-filtering, dashboarding, AI search term generation, and more.

Functionally, these tools propose to protect your case budget by reducing the number of documents that make it into managed review. However, this focus is a departure from the fundamental purpose of ECA – to gain insight and reduce risk by offering a necessary view of the substantive issues in the case.

The majority of ECA tools, constructed by software developers for eDiscovery project managers, streamline the process of deciding which data can be omitted before processing and which must remain for review and analysis. However, the strategic application of data still lies in the hands of the litigator. An optimal ECA tool should do more than just manipulate data - it should facilitate more informed, expedited decision-making by making pertinent data more accessible sooner.

The Strategic Lens of ECA

A great ECA tool must 1. preserve all data in its native state and 2. have sufficient computing power to interpret that data so that key concepts can be identified. 

This enhancement in ECA takes the form of a text extraction processing phase ahead of formal data processing that translates the entire data set into a homogeneous, reviewable format. Until recently, the computing power to interpret data prior to true processing was non-existent, and litigators were forced to decide to trim large swaths of information without any insight into the finer points that may be contained within. 

The evolution of computing power, along with eDiscovery vendors developing more user-friendly workflows, has led to modern ECA tools that enable litigators to clearly and easily see how concepts and themes intersect with crucial information during the early stages of an investigation. This is truly revolutionary when weighing the challenges of compliance with courts, risk/cost evaluation, case strategy creation, downstream cost savings, and adherence to each side's ethical obligation to ensure a matter is decided based on the best available evidence. 

Today's litigators can filter out irrelevant data, increasing processing, production, and document review speeds while simultaneously applying case strategies and assessing litigation risks at the earliest possible stage. These tools enable litigators to collaborate internally or with external firms, helping prevent the unnecessary production of redundant and irrelevant documents. They can also alert corporate governance to potential compliance, ethics, and even criminal issues before they affect a business.

Conclusion

Our ECA tools from IST Discover-E, integrated within our user-friendly workflow, equip litigators with a powerful, adaptable, and insightful means for strategizing and gaining an advantage in the stringent timeline governing ECA activities. These tools can be applied to whole or partial data sets and executed quickly and consistently. Our expertise at IST Management allows us to forge strong partnerships with our clients and adapt our solutions to best suit their needs.