An Overview of Electronic Discovery Processing
By Rob Robinson
What is “Processing”?
In the realm of electronic discovery, “Processing” is any operation or set of operations which is performed upon data, whether or not by automatic means, such as collection, recording, organization, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, blocking, erasure or destruction. [i]Why is “Processing” important? The principal objective of electronic discovery processing is to prepare relevant files for efficient and expedient review (in most instances by attorneys), production and subsequent use while ensuring that the techniques and processes used are both defensible with respect to clients’ legal obligations and appropriately cost-effective and expedient in the context of the matter.[ii]What are the major tasks that take place in electronic discovery processing? While there are many ways to define, describe, and organize the tasks that take place in electronic discovery processing, for the purpose of this discussion we will focus on the following nine major tasks and how they interrelate to accomplish electronic discovery processing:
- Chain of Custody Security and Tracking
- Data Staging
- Data Filtering
- Deduplication
- Metadata Extraction
- Full Text Extraction
- Exception Handling
- Data Conversion
- Load File Production
Chain of Custody Security and Tracking
Defined by The Sedona Conference as “the documentation and testimony regarding the possession, movement, handling and location of evidence from the time it is obtained to the time it is presented in court; used to prove that evidence has not been altered or tampered with in any way; necessary both to assure admissibility and probative value”, Chain of Custody is the part of electronic discovery processing that ensures the evidence is authentic.
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