eDiscovery software for law firms: what to look for

Firms sit in an awkward position in the eDiscovery market. Unlike corporate legal departments, they carry data for many clients with very different volumes, and the cost usually has to be passed through or absorbed.

Pricing model is the first question. Per-gigabyte hosting is common and predictable at small volumes, but scales badly on a large matter. Per-user or subscription pricing can suit firms running many concurrent matters. Ask what happens to the bill when one case triples in size.

Hosting and residency. Clients in regulated sectors, and matters in jurisdictions with data residency rules, may require that data stay in a specific country. Confirm where data is stored and processed before a matter lands, not after.

Review workflow. Batching, reviewer assignment, QC sampling and overturn reporting are what let a supervising associate manage a team rather than simply participate in review. Smaller firms often care more about ease of setup and self-service processing.

AI capabilities, and how they are licensed. Most platforms now advertise AI-assisted review. What varies is whether it is included or metered separately, and whether it produces reviewable citations or only a score.

Practicalities. Production formats, load file handling and support responsiveness during a deadline crunch tend to matter more in daily use than any headline feature.

The most reliable evaluation is a pilot on real data from a representative matter, rather than a vendor-supplied sample set.

Related reading: The Small-Firm Advantage: How Canadian Boutiques Are Beating Big Law with AI-Assisted Review.

Claira offers that kind of hands-on trial on your own data. You can request one here.