While attending the LegalTech West Coast show, I observed that the e-discovery field covered the exhibit floor almost as well as the rug. Also, I witnessed the EDD vendors tout the features of their software solutions that one would expect of a mature industry.
STANDARDS AND INTEROPERABILITY
Standards-based applications that can interoperate with other software in the Electronic Discovery Reference Model cater to independent consultants, law firms, and corporations who have not found the all-in-one e-discovery tool. Rhetoric aside, applications that can work together using standards will allow best-of-breed software at every phase in the EDRM and open up options for established players and new entrants in the EDD field to supply software to accomplish discreet tasks. For example: the Extensible Markup Language.
Mimosa announced Nearpoint support for XML, based on the EDRM. The EDRM XML standard will allow Nearpoint to easily transfer electronically stored information in a standard format throughout all the phases of e-discovery. In addition, Mimosa announced the availability of a software developers' kit for Nearpoint and the formation of a partners' program targeted at e-discovery providers.
CUSTOMER ORIENTED
One of the characteristics of a mature software and services company is how well they listen to their customers and continue to grow their products to service identified needs. And in e-discovery, the needs often translate to more file support to acquire, identify and review e-discovery. Example: Fios expands e-discovery services to include native processing of the mbox file format.
The mbox format is a text-based file format that supports a variety of ways to store e-mail, including Google's Gmail and Chat. It is also used in UNIX and Apple Macintosh messaging systems. Fios' added file support hopes to relieve a pain point for corporate clients in processing mbox file formats, which are not all the same.
MAKE IT EASY
In any complex process, lawyers and corporations will look for the easy way; the way that offers the least resistance to success. E-discovery is no different than other complex processes. Vendors who make it easy, will be successful. Example: Clearwell E-Discovery Platform.
The E-Discovery Platform is an appliance that plugs into the local-area network and boasts that it can be up and running in 25 minutes. With an intuitive Web-browser interface, Clearwell claims that e-mails and documents relevant to litigation can be found with little to no training; that the Platform works with e-discovery processes in place; that it requires no change to existing collection methodology; and that it integrates with third party litigation support databases for production via EDRM XML. In practice, this appears to be a plug-and-play answer for e-discovery.
FOCUSED
There are some vendors who satisfy niche tasks in e-discovery and don't try to capture the entire field. With no pyrrhic victory in sight, these vendors offer a best-of-breed approach and the fact that they may only do one thing, so they do it right. Example: Wave Software.
Wave's Trident Pro processes e-mail files, such as PST and NSF, and electronic files and removes duplicates, thus reducing the data set for review and the overall e-discovery costs.
Trident Pro automatically creates load-ready files for export into applications such as Concordance, Summation, Catalyst or other platforms for attorney review. Once the e-mails pertaining to the discovery request have been isolated, they can be delivered to opposing counsel in their native file format, a provision that should comply with most discovery requests.