As is often said, time is money. The legal industry is moving toward hourly billing limits, forcing attorneys and support staff to maximize efficiency. Firms that use multiple methods for data searches find it is that much easier to generate exact records for review without sacrificing an abundance of resources. An understanding of e-discovery search methods is essential for maximal document review efficiency. Here is a quick look at e-discovery tips that will ameliorate the search process.
Analytics Searches
All sorts of analytics are used in legal discovery yet functionality remains the same. Analytics assist in the collection of data software creates to combine records according to legal parties, time, date, location and so on. Analytics insights have the potential to reveal important information such as a high volume of records according to a specific location or pinpoint a party’s name who would not have been identified as a custodian.
Tap into the Power of Advanced Keyword Searches
Searching keywords is akin to sleuthing search engines’ defined data sets. The aim of discovery is not to pinpoint keyword matches. Rather, the aim of discovery is to refine records according to terms closely related to the request. Advanced keyword searches utilize nesting terms, proximity searching, wildcard searching to make particularly difficult search requests easier.  Nested terms are sets of combinations of words in groups combined with the search for a single word in another group such as a legal agreement. Proximity searches are also available to find multiple words in a specific range of one another within a record.
Tag Searches
Search systems have advanced to the point that they use tags. Think of this ability as putting a sticky note on a pile of documents or in a book. Some tags are automatically created while others are manually added to records when they are loaded into the software. These tags can be used as a means of excluding or including massive groups of similar documents with ease. As an example, tags can be added to exclude specific data such as highly sensitive personal information.
Metadata Searches
Analyzing metadata is critically important for performing document review. Metadata is best thought of as the properties tied to pieces of electronic information. This data is available in a tangible and digital form. Metadata allows for highly nuanced data to be pinpointed with surprising ease. The desired information is pulled and presented in fields for discovery review. Search through metadata and records can be filtered according to author, time frame and other criteria.
