THE CHALLENGE: Discovery costs are very high and hard to predict

In fact, they have now ballooned to 50% or more of matter cost. Total cost is central to case strategy yet without a reliable cost estimate, it is difficult to make good decisions. Without good cost understanding, legal executives can't see or control impending costs across the portfolio. Getting this cost visibility requires key matter facts, pricing, and historical matter context to calibrate the likely course of costs — data most attorneys just don't have. Outside counsel is insensitive to costs and can't reliably estimate data volume, while corporate counsel is ill-equipped to routinely negotiate because they lack information to make a compelling burden argument. Ultimately, data volume is the root cause of high costs; ironically, the legal holds process can contribute to higher volume if Legal must rely on IT to retain all data and disable routine disposal — which just perpetuates the vicious cycle.

THE SOLUTION: Continuous Cost Control with Atlas

Atlas empowers attorneys with instant access to discovery costs in every matter to reduce total cost by improving decision making and negotiating power.

Reduce discovery and litigation spend
Atlas provides attorneys with automatic, continuous forecasts of discovery cost from day one to calculate and predict discovery costs as soon as the initial hold is scoped. Attorneys can communicate cost more confidently to their internal clients and make better decisions. As the matter progresses, custodians, data sources, and collections coordinated in the Atlas legal holds system are automatically incorporated in continuous forecasts so inside counsel and outside counsel always understands the cost picture.

Resolve matters earlier at lower cost
With Atlas, attorneys have the tools to do continuous cost assessment so they can quickly make the right decisions early in the case. Atlas provides visibility to leading discovery cost indicators, so attorneys can detect potential cost spikes in future quarters to avoid them or control fiscal impact. Attorneys can use Atlas automated forecasts to negotiate production scope more routinely to bring down costs across the board. Atlas enables inside and outside counsel to analyze cost scenarios based on changes in custodians, collections, and processing cost in real time to assess both their own costs and their adversaries.

Break the vicious cycle for quantum cost savings
Attorneys can effectively and efficiently manage legal holds for a broad custodian and data source population with Atlas. Consistent, targeted communications along with self-service portals for both employees and IT ensure that the right data is preserved, but all data is not. Structured, automated holds and collections initiated by attorneys from their Atlas browser reduce errors and effort. With Atlas, companies have a robust legal holds process and value-based information retention program to defensibly dispose of data not required for legal reasons nor valued for business reasons. Using the Atlas map, IT can determine for every asset what data is needed by the company and what data is not to truly break the cost cycle.

Continuous Cost Control with Atlas
Atlas empowers attorneys with instant access to discovery costs in every matter to reduce total cost by improving decision making and negotiating power.
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