What "I" need from a Litigation Support Document Review Repository - "An Open Letter to the Litigation Support Market Leaders

First of all, "I" want to say one thing. We've come a long way from BRS and the DOS versions of Summation. Back in the day, these document review applications "rocked," they were effective, they were all we had! Today, the plethora of document management tools of the market is enough to give any sane person a reason to take a purple pill. Its great to have choices, but we can't spend the rest of our days, perusing tools that are constantly releasing new versions with features to exploit what the marketing mavens see as the competitions shortcomings and trump what they consider to be the next big thing the other guy is coming out with.

Did they forget something?

Did they ask me what "I" need (where I=Litigation Support Manager + Legal Assistant + Associate + Partner + Client)? Forgive me, but perhaps"I" am being too presumptuous and perhaps my expectations are unrealistic. If so, then "I" need someone to help me readjust my expectations to something reasonable. But remember now, "I" am the client. "I" am the quintessential customer, and "I" have many different incarnations, a few of which have been identified in the ad hoc WHO AM"I" formula above.

As the Litigation Support Manager, I need to have a tool that is:

• Robust
• Easy to maintain
• Easy to troubleshoot
• "Open," i.e., SQL back end and a front end with ample API support and have interconnectivity with other tools commonly used for data management.
• Should I also mention, the company that meets the criteria above should also be around next fiscal quarter?

As a Legal Assistant, I have extraordinary pressure. I have to prepare for depositions, create witness prep. kits, do document pulls, complex searches and groupings, hearings. I need a tool that has:

• A flat learning curve; it's intuitive and easy to use.
• The functional logic flows with my workflow; you need to understand what I do and the order in which I do it from a best practices perspective.
• Is reliable; in other words, I should not find undocumented features sometimes known as bugs.

As the client of the law firm that has chosen the tools that will host my documents for the matters in which I pay them handsome fees, I expect that:

• I should be a able to collaborate with my chosen counsel, whenever and from wherever I choose.
• I should be able to up to date progress and billing get metrics on the litigation matters they are working on as well.

Since for the most part, I am the General Counsel or some branch of the Legal Department that reports in to the GC's office, the Corproate Board of Directors is also peripherally interested in how we collaborate.

• How will you help me shine?
• How will you keep me in the know?
• Can you help me with the compliance aspect of the information in my litigation document collection?
• How will you help me take the large sums of money that have been spent on the particular matter, embodied in the work product that is in the repository (your repository) and turn it into a institutional knowledge based capital asset?

What I mean by the lofty statement is, how can you help me create post litigation (or representation) based value and utility in the documents and work product that might otherwise be destroyed pursuant to a protective order?

"I" know some of these questions can be construed as challenging, but if you think you've got the responses that make sense, that get the juices flowing in each of my alter egos, them please take up the challenge by pointedly responding to each of the concerns delineated above.

Yours truly,

The Universal "I"