Counsel who needs to assemble a large document-review team or hire an outside group to do so must tread carefully. Doing so requires taking responsibility for what’s often the biggest cost-center in modern-day litigation. Legal budgets are tighter than they have been in years, so it’s important to make every day and every dollar count. The attorney’s first priority should be avoiding the most common pitfalls. Here’s a quick guide to the seven (easily avoidable) sins of document review:
• Sin No. 1: Hiring overqualified reviewers. The recession has flooded the legal market with well-qualified lawyers who are willing to take on contract review work while looking for permanent positions. That may sound like a good thing, but lawyers putting together a team should consider this: Seasoned paralegals tend to have significantly more document-review experience that the average lawyer, they’re more accustomed to that work environment and they can help save on costs. They’re also less likely to jump ship for a better offer.
