Legal

Discovery Document Automation at Major Law Firm

How DataConvertPro helped this legal organization streamline document processing and improve operational efficiency.

The Challenge

Stratton & Associates, a 120-attorney litigation firm, managed discovery workflows processing thousands of pages monthly across multiple cases. During document discovery phases, paralegals manually extracted metadata from documents (date, sender, recipients, document type, classification), created privilege logs, and organized documents into case databases. A mid-sized litigation (150K documents) required 3-4 months and 400+ paralegal hours to process. Privilege reviews were bottlenecks—documents were frequently miscategorized, leading to inadvertent privilege waivers and malpractice risks. Clients complained about slow document delivery timelines and ballooning discovery costs. Manual indexing errors caused arguments with opposing counsel about document completeness.

The Solution

DataConvertPro was integrated into their document management platform (Concordance) to automate discovery workflows. The platform processed scanned documents and native files, extracting metadata, OCR text, and document structure. AI-powered classification tagged documents by type (email, memo, contract, spreadsheet, etc.) and identified sensitive content (trade secrets, attorney-client communications, privileged materials). Custom machine learning models were trained on the firm's historical cases to recognize document patterns specific to their practice. Automated privilege flagging reduced manual privilege review by 75%. Documents were automatically indexed and made searchable within 24 hours of receipt, enabling early case assessment and faster document production.

Before & After

PRIVILEGE LOG - Case #2023-CV-04521
Stratton & Associates LLP | Prepared: 03/20/2023 | Pages: 1-47
STR-001-0001 Email from J.Smith to M.Johnson dated 03/15/23 re: meeting notes and strategy discussion regarding case #2023-CV-04521. Sender: John Smith, Senior Attorney. Recipients: Mary Johnson. Subject: CONFIDENTIAL - Case Strategy. Contains attorney work product and attorney-client privileged communications regarding litigation strategy, legal analysis, and settlement considerations. Privilege: Attorney-Client/Work Product. Status: WITHHELD. Document Index Note: See also STR-001-0015, STR-001-0023 for related communications.
STR-001-0002 Internal memorandum from M.Johnson to litigation team dated 03/16/23 regarding trial preparation and expert witness coordination. Prepared at direction of counsel for purposes of litigation. Contains analysis of case strengths and weaknesses, trial strategy, and privileged legal advice. Privilege: Work Product Doctrine. Status: WITHHELD. Custodian: Mary Johnson. Cross-referenced in index as privileged material subject to withholding on grounds of attorney work product protection per FRCP 26(b)(3).
STR-001-0003 Service agreement between Stratton & Associates and third-party vendor dated 03/17/23. Contains commercial terms, pricing schedules, and service level agreements. No privilege asserted. Produced in full. Custodian: K.Chen. Date: 03/17/2023. Document Type: Contract/Agreement. Business Records: YES. Subject Matter: Service delivery and vendor management. Index Number: [003] of 47 documents in this production.
STR-001-0004 Spreadsheet containing financial transaction records and accounting entries for Q1 2023. Prepared by accounting department. Contains no privileged communications. Produced in full. Date: 03/18/23. Custodian: J.Smith. Format: Excel (.xlsx). Pages: 3. Contains payment records, vendor invoices, and reconciliation documents. Not subject to privilege. Public information: Partially (some vendor names redacted per confidentiality agreements).
STR-001-0005 Email chain between R.Martinez and outside counsel regarding confidential business strategy and competitive intelligence. Contains sensitive information regarding market position and strategic initiatives. Privilege: Attorney-Client Privilege and Confidential Business Information. Status: WITHHELD. Date: 03/19/23. Recipients: External counsel at [Law Firm]. Marked as CONFIDENTIAL and DO NOT PRODUCE.
Page 1 of 47 | Printed: 03/20/2023 | Manual Index Entry | Hours to compile: ~160 | Error rate: ~6%
Time-Consuming
3-4 months per case. 400+ paralegal hours to manually index 150K documents.
Error-Prone
6% privilege miscategorization rate. Risk of inadvertent privilege waivers.
Hard to Search
Dense, unstructured text. Difficult to parse dates, custodians, or privilege claims.
Costly
$85K-$120K in discovery costs per litigation matter.

The Results

320 hours per 150K document case
Time Saved
99.8%
Accuracy Rate
480,000+ pages annually
Pages Processed

Document processing time reduced from 4 months to 2.5 weeks for 150K document cases

Paralegal time required per case reduced by 80% (from 400 hours to 80 hours)

Privilege log accuracy improved from 94% to 99.8%, eliminating inadvertent waiver incidents

Client discovery costs reduced by $85K-$120K per litigation matter

Document production timelines shortened from 120 days to 15 days

Early case assessment through automated document analysis enabled better settlement negotiations

Client Testimonial

Discovery used to be the most painful part of litigation—months of paralegal drudgework with constant risks of privilege disasters. DataConvertPro transformed it. Our paralegals now focus on substantive case analysis instead of manual indexing, we produce documents in days instead of months, and we've never had a privilege issue since implementing the system. It's paid for itself on our first case.

Richard Stratton
Managing Partner, Stratton & Associates

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