Electronic Document and File Management

octubre 27, 2008

Paralegals working on large complex litigation cases manage millions of pages of document production on a daily basis. Lawyers need control over every piece of critical data related to a case in order to evaluate its claims, and innovative electronic tools are essential to this content management. Electronic databases are created to organize and manage the extensive documents that constantly are produced and received.

Electronic database software provides our legal professionals with an efficient way to globally search, organize and analyze documents. With electronic database software, legal professionals can:

  • View voluminous amounts of documents in native image format
  • Perform full-text searches using single word or phrase search techniques using OCR (optical character recognition)
  • Integrate transcripts using comprehensive document production tools

This sophisticated software enables legal professionals to work both in the office and on the road, through a local network or offline, by downloading case information to our computers.

Many litigation cases involve contrary and fragmented information. Without the proper tools and skills, key evidence can slip through the cracks. Electronic solutions make managing the often complex and large patchwork of information possible.

Axley Brynelson, LLP’s electronic software database has the ability to identify hundreds of thousands of documents potentially related to any given issue. When attorneys are taking depositions on the road, they can take thousands of electronic documents with them and prepare for the next deposition. They also can remotely access multiple repositories and different types of databases. Electronically managing a magnitude of documents in lieu of numerous boxes of documents spares cumbersome transportation methods, space, time, and costs resulting in savings to the client.

In one particular case, Axley Brynelson, LLP had over a million pages of documents from opposing counsel. Paralegals needed to import them electronically as quickly as the documents were produced in order to identify pertinent documents for attorney review. Axley’s electronic database software has features such as color highlighting, Realtime instantaneous transcript feeds, the ability to create digests and witness examination outlines, quick exhibit and evidence linking, and the ability to search across multiple transcripts simultaneously. These electronic collaboration tools permitted Axley’s paralegals to identify pertinent documents in a timely manner.

The benefits of an electronic database system include:

  • Tracking, storing, and organizing case materials
  • Linking email and attachments
  • Searching document coding and notations
  • Searching documents with OCR technology
  • Viewing scanned or electronic documents
  • Linking transcript exhibits and videos to reference points in transcripts and other documents
  • Marking up documents and pictures with digital pens, highlighters and other tools
  • Bates stamping, redacting and segregating documents for production
  • Sharing materials safely with experts, co-counsel and opposing counsel
  • Freezing searchable documents for safe and secure production
  • Creating production sets and export to other systems, including Microsoft Excel, saving valuable time with privilege log creation and organizational tasks

Most importantly, an electronic document management system reduces the number of documents that lawyers must review, saving both time and legal fees.

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