Recent years have seen a significant shift in legal trends, from outsourcing e-discovery activities and third parties to a dramatic increase in in-house e-discovery processes. According to Bloomberg Law, more than half of litigation costs are attributable to e-discovery, most of which goes to outside counsel. “The more cases a company has and the more outside firms it uses, the more disparity in the systems and vendors that handle its cases,” and the more costly it is. Out of this discovery arose the need to control costs, as well as the growing acceptance within the legal community that e-discovery is not just a business process, but also a legal procedure. Many corporate legal teams are now making a concerted effort to move towards more standardized, repeatable, and defensible processes of e-discovery.

Bill Piwonka, CMO of Exterro, said the biggest difference between the Basics of E-Discovery and other resources is “the intended audience.” “This is a resource for people in any field who are interested in learning about e-discovery and are coming to the topic with little to no background knowledge,” he told Legaltech News in an email. “There are some great resources out there from [other] organizations…but they aren't aimed at the beginner and can be a bit intimidating for someone unfamiliar with the core concepts. This guide covers all the stages of e-discovery and includes best practice advice, checklists, and other relevant information in an easy-to-understand and approachable way.”

According to software provider Exterro, this means “approaching e-discovery in a more holistic fashion with a greater emphasis on connecting the various steps.” As such, the company has launched the “Basics of E-Discovery,” a new e-discovery guide for in-house legal and IT teams. Available online in both web view and downloadable PDF format, the guide is described as “easy to read, approachable, and informative, and is suitable for anyone interested in mastering e-discovery fundamentals.”