Flexible Contracting

Document Management and Litigation Support

Your firm’s full time litigation staff is more than capable of handling their current workload.  But what happens when an unforeseen matter presents itself?  Do you have your staff stop what they’re doing?  Do you take the matter on and then expect its employees to put in overtime to get it all done?  Do they expect you, the office manager, human resources professional or law clerk manager to support the project adding to your already heavy workload?  

In large-scale litigation cases, such as anti-trust and trade regulation, class actions, mass torts, or product liability cases - local or cross-border - many firms are faced with the dual problem of not having the staff or the space to handle the project.

Management Teams

For efficiency, seasoned project managers are routinely used to substitute for the law firm's supervisory clerks or managers and are available on a contract basis.  Project managers have supervised many types of projects ranging in size from a few hundred to those with 20 million or more pages.  Project managers are not only skilled at overseeing document production, but they are experienced in managing personnel. With the scheduling and deadlines often associated with document production, good management and communication skills are invaluable.

Logistical Support

Many firms don't have sufficient space to run a document production in their own space.  Logistical support is critical to document handling.  If an outside legal staffing specialist firm has experience in handling large litigation projects, they will likely also have experience in providing all the components necessary to support your firm.  From bringing in contract lawyers, screeners, coders, data entry, and other legal support personnel, to furniture, food and beverages, and equipment such as computers, copiers, printers, scanners – your legal staffing specialist should be able to handle: 

• Finding and procuring adequate space for document production
• Procuring equipment such as computers, copiers, printers, scanners
• Arranging for furniture requirements such as desks, boardroom furniture
• Arranging for catering, beverages and other needs on-site
• Providing security systems

Get References

When searching for a good legal staffing partner, get references from former clients, if possible. 

You can’t afford to sacrifice the quality of your firm’s work or risk the satisfaction of its own people.  In a situation like this, consider using a high calibre legal staffing specialist who has considerable expertise in the field of managing big cases.

A few Toronto firms have their own Document Management departments and this is surely evidence of a growing trend to electronically manage cases on both sides of the border.  You may need more staff added to the Document Management team for a particular litigation project, or need an administrative law clerk to coordinate and code the documents. If you do not have a Document Management department, you may need the services of an outside legal staffing specialist who can provide you with staff versed in all aspects of document production, including software such as Summation and Concordance, and electronic and manual coding.

When a law firm needs handle a large litigation document review or production for a client, there are suddenly hundreds of tasks to do--even before the actual production begins!  Project managers can handle all tasks, all with the professionalism of one of your own staff.  The firm does not have to halt day-to-day activities or other projects but can instead continue business as usual.  That improves the bottom line.

Published in TLOMA Newsletter, February 2006

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