Electronic discovery costs and
document review speed turns on several variables:
- The review type (is it a first pass review for relevance, or are documents coded for legal issues)?
- Is redaction needed? (Does the ESI (electronically stored information) contain personally identifiable information or sensitive information that needs to be kept confidential?)
- Is it a linear attorney review with eyes on every document, or a technology assisted review (TAR --the use of eDiscovery analytics, artificial intelligence or machine learning)?
- What eDiscovery document review software is being used and is there a monthly cost per gb (gigabyte) for data hosting?
How do these factors impact document review cost?
Speed: The number of coding decisions for each document decreases
document review speed. Simple yes/no, (is it relevant?) first pass review is generally the fastest type of legal document review. However, if reviewers must apply issue tags, time spent on each document increases.
Redaction: Redacting documents also slows document review speed. It takes more time to identify and hide sensitive information than it does to make relevance decisions about ESI.
Thus, the average document review speed varies. From 25 documents an hour per reviewer for heavy redaction to 100 documents per hour (or more) if coding decisions are limited. Assuming an eight-hour day, the number of documents reviewed per day (by reviewer) is 200 on the low end to 800+ on the high end.
Linear Review or TAR: If attorney document reviewers need to code every document, the hourly costs and review cost per document increase. If technology is used to reduce the volume of ESI reviewed, costs decrease.
eDiscovery Software Pricing: eDiscovery software costs also impact total document review charges. Historically, billing for eDiscovery tools is based on monthly per gigabyte charges. But eDiscovery pricing structures are changing. Flat fees and other pricing models are offered.
So, what is your document review going to cost? Use the calculator below to get a ballpark estimate. (NOTE: the estimate does not include pre or post-review processing costs that many eDiscovery vendors charge).
