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Corporate Legal Departments | Litigation Support Division
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Over the past 10 years, in-house litigation departments have encountered a growing issue: how to manage budgets with the rapid growth of e-discovery and the increased cost of reviewing all hard copy and electronic documents.
Most legal departments now manage this work differently than in the past because the volume of documents in virtually any piece of litigation creates myriad workload challenges. It's not viable to make sweeping permanent hires, and it's no longer a clear-cut path to simply refer the work to outside counsel — costs can quickly spiral out of control.
Counsel On Call has been heavily involved in the evolution of this process. Serving hundreds of clients on a wide variety of litigation support needs, we have seen what works and what doesn't. This is why we established our Litigation Support Division.
The Counsel On Call Litigation Support Division is composed of experienced attorneys who choose to practice law by specializing in litigation support. They enjoy discovery, its challenges and the work+life balance this type of work provides. Our attorneys have prior litigation experience with major law firms and understand the Rules of Civil Procedure and evidentiary issues. They have experience with a variety of software programs. They are knowledgeable about all aspects of the litigation process. |
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“We would highly recommend the use of Counsel On Call in document-intensive cases to assist both in-house and outside counsel and to expeditiously complete a review ...”
- Bill Young
Senior Vice President of Risk Management
and General Counsel
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
“By using Counsel On Call, we are getting top-notch legal work on e-discovery and document review in high-stakes, complex cases and investigations — at a fraction of the cost of big-firm resources.”
- Litigation Counsel, Fortune 100 Company |
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Simply put, this is an area of expertise for Counsel On Call. For corporate legal departments, we understand the need to budget the cost of a piece of litigation; we also understand that while cost is important, quality and accuracy are paramount. Our attorneys often must work with our client's outside counsel; our attorneys have experience working in the big firm and understand their roles. Each is a team player.
Because cost is a factor, we make sure our attorneys' rates are extremely competitive with both domestic and international services. We also generate and maintain metrics in order to provide our clients accurate estimates on all pieces of discovery — no matter the size.
We can help corporate legal departments in all phases of litigation support.
Before the Actual Review
The initial interaction point with Counsel On Call varies with each client, but it is often when the litigation hold is issued. We meet with the in-house litigation attorney to determine the scope and substantive nature of the project, whether outside counsel is involved, any jurisdictional issues, time limitations, and the types of materials to be collected and reviewed. We also work through where the review will occur, who will handle the computer set-up, and who will oversee the review. This process allows Counsel On Call to assist the client with a strategic plan and, if needed, with software, hosting or other recommendations. We can house the attorneys, provide computers, facilitate and manage remote work, or address whatever other issues are presented.
Counsel On Call utilizes this information to select the right attorneys — and the right number of attorneys. With repeat clients, it is often the same attorneys from a previous assignment, as they already have an understanding of the company, the types of material and custodians. This improves efficiency.
After the team of attorneys is selected, an orientation is conducted. This educates our attorneys on the company and the nature of the case, familiarizes them with outside counsel and the issues at hand, and defines the lines of communication and how the plan will be executed.
During the Review
Our attorneys understand how to get in and get the work done with minimal disruption. We identify a Counsel On Call team leader to ensure that questions are directed to the right person and answered promptly. Our attorneys work closely with the attorney managing the review and outside counsel to make certain they have a solid understanding of what is contained in the documents. Additionally, many of our clients utilize our attorneys to assist with other phases of discovery, from drafting jury instructions to responses to discovery.
Technology is also a significant part of the efficiency equation. We utilize the best tools available — whether it is our client's preferred platform or our recommendation — to cull through documents. We are an Attenex Advantage? Review Partner and have vast experience working with different software platforms, including many linear software programs.
The combination of experienced attorneys and the smart use of technology makes for a highly accurate and efficient review.
After the Review
Often our attorneys (or at least a few) are brought back to assist the client on other litigation support assignments or in other ways. For many of our clients, it's reassuring and cost-effective to use the same group of attorneys because they already know the company, its business and many of the issues at hand. This helps produce a highly accurate work product on an ongoing basis. The Counsel On Call Litigation Support Division soon becomes a virtual litigation department for the client.
For more information, please contact one of our offices.
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Using the Counsel On Call Litigation Support Division provides corporate legal departments a new measure of control, predictability, and flexibility. Discovery activities can be conducted with excellent attorneys, the quality of the work is second-to-none, and significant money is saved during the process. It also provides in-house litigation counsel the ability to budget the review component with a new measure of accuracy. It's a win-win-win. |
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