Steven Berrent, managing director of WilmerHale’s Discovery Solutions, said that law firms needed to adopt innovative ways of dealing with processes such as document review. Mr Berrent said that law firms were in the ‘business of long-term relationships with clients’ and if document review was carried out ‘as efficiently as possible, clients will come back.’ Also speaking at the launch of Axcelerate 5, the next generation of  Recommind’s cloud-based e-discovery platform, managing director Simon Price said: “The legal market, and in particular the process of disclosure in litigation cases, continues to evolve at pace. As a result, firms are under increasing pressure to find more efficient and cost-effective ways to manage eDiscovery.’ 

User-friendly

His company’s recently released product was rebuilt to create a user-friendly design with ease of use being a key ambition. With some 300 new features or enhancements, the software allows visualisation of relationships between people and data as well as the ability to analyse all email messages and attachments. It uses HTML 5, allowing allows performance of tasks such as redaction over native documents.  Furthermore, it automates a number of manual and routine tasks involved in managing a document review such as batching documents. 

Mr Price said of the new technology: “Axcelerate 5, lawyers need no longer be bound by rigid technology processes. This powerful new solution offers flexibility and performance, as well as providing immediate access to the documents that matter most. This combination of earlier insights and control brings about a step change in the quality and value of the service firms can offer their clients.”

Predictive coding

The system also streamlines predictive coding, a technology which helps streamline reviews and which many believe will revolutionise document review. Herbert Smith Senior Case Manger Johan Botha says that he was passionate about predictive coding, a technology which would see “enormous growth” he said and which would speed up the whole process of document review.