Ensuring Consistency and Accuracy in Managed Document Review

Summary: The importance of accuracy and consistency in document review can’t be overstated. Learn why they matter for your cases and budgets and the key role human reviewers play in achieving them.

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Amid recent leaps in technology and scores of articles about how it’s changing eDiscovery, one thing remains the same: the vital role played by human reviewers. Large Language Models and other AI applications enhance the pace, precision, and efficiency of document review. But they do so by supporting human review teams, not replacing them.

The benefits of upstream technology use can only be fully realized when downstream review is streamlined and set up to successfully deliver timely, accurate, and consistent work product.

How do we, as review managers, make sure they do that? It’s a big topic, so let’s look at it in four parts:

• Why consistency and accuracy matter in document review
• Establishing standards to guide review
• Leveraging technology to reduce review burden and support review team coding
• Implementing a system of quality checks and feedback to find and address issues

I’ll tackle each part in a series of posts. First, let’s address why consistency and accuracy matter in the first place.
 

The importance of consistency and accuracy in document review

Review teams and managers have been central to eDiscovery for decades. The knowledge and experience they’ve built in that time isn’t obsolete now that we have AI classifiers and other modern tools.

Review teams play a key role in ensuring documents receive the appropriate coding and protections. The more accurate and consistent their decisions are, the more efficient and effective the discovery process will be.

With consistent and accurate work from human reviewers, you will:

• Know whether the documents you produce contain the facts you need to support your claims
• Be aware of information that might be used to argue against your position
• Rest assured that sensitive content is appropriately protected
  

Lack of consistency and accuracy can hurt your case and your budget

By contrast, inconsistent or inaccurate review decisions can create substantial problems. These include:

• Missing key information for building or defending your case
• Inadvertently disclosing sensitive or protected information that may damage the reputation of your company, client, or its employees; create a competitive disadvantage; invite further investigation or litigation; or waive privilege protections
• Spending costly hours in conferences and motions practice defending the adequacy of your productions or privilege log
• Losing credibility with the court
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That’s the why—here’s the how

Now that we understand what’s at stake, we’ll discuss the three ways of making review more consistent and accurate.

The first is providing clear guidelines to your review team—which you can learn about here, in my next post.  Following that, we’ll look at how to leverage advanced technology and implement quality checks to elevate your eDiscovery projects.

To discuss topics like these with an expert and learn how they can benefit teams like yours, visit Lighthouse Managed Review.