When's the last time you stepped back from an upcoming document review project and said, “Hmm, I wonder if there's a better way to do this?” Analysis of the e-discovery process before it begins can make a project more efficient and cost-effective, but often, lawyers and document reviewers dive right in without a plan.

Instead, advocates Gareth Evans, a partner at Gibson Dunn and co-chair of the firm's electronic discovery and information law practice, it is possible to use statistical analysis to both minimize the burden of discovery as well as provide a guideline by which lawyers can know whether any document review steps need to be redone.

Evans said that performing statistical analysis can answer a number of questions: “It's really important in terms of knowing what you're dealing with, what's the best process to use to cull and review the documents, how long it's going to take, and how much it's going to cost.” Especially as more and more lawyers are missing production deadlines imposed by courts and governmental investigators, finding an answer to these questions takes on monumental importance.