Multi-Tasking is not Just for your Weekend Errands

MultitaskingIn a typical document review it is generally good, as it is in life, to do things once rather than multiple times. That’s just being efficient. If I’m running out to the store for milk on Saturday afternoon, I might as well pick up my dry cleaning on the way home, right?

When I’m training new users on Relativity for a brand new matter, I ask a lot of questions about their plans for the data they’ve loaded for review. My goal is to get them thinking about the long-term picture as much as possible so they don’t find themselves having to re-review documents down the line. For example, if a client is reviewing documents today to determine what needs to be produced pursuant to their discovery request, they may also want to keep future deposition prep on their mind. If I am reading through Dr. Smith’s employment records and tagging them as Responsive to the discovery request, I can also tag them as pertinent to Dr. Smith’s upcoming Deposition so I can find them again easily when the time comes.

Multi-tasking does not make sense in every review scenario, though. A singular focus can have its advantages too. For example, if the case team is up against an immediate production deadline then it might make sense, especially if contract attorneys have been engaged to speed up the review process, to stick to a streamlined & limited agenda in order to ensure those deadlines are met. It is also fairly common to save privilege review, due to the importance of accurately identifying privileged material, for second pass to be conducted by case admins.

The takeaway here is that, if your review allows you the bandwidth to assess multiple criteria at once, it can really save you time down the line. In this endeavor, it is helpful to flesh out your coding palate as comprehensively as possible so your reviewers are reminded of all related issues as they go through the documents. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: Preparation is everything!