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Gas Pipeline Company saves with Epiq Managed Document Review Services

  • Case Study
  • Energy

“There are only six of us in the legal department,” says the senior paralegal (the SP) of a midwestern gas pipeline company on why they partnered with Epiq Managed Document Review Services. “We certainly do not have the manpower, nor the time, to project-manage and do document review on every single one of our cases.”

A few years ago, the department was working with a document review company with whom they were not happy. “The lawyer who was then our eDiscovery expert and I interviewed a number of firms,” the SP recalls. “We talked to Epiq, and we talked to people from other companies as well. We had demos and we did test cases with three vendors. We found that a lot of the vendors came through on the tools but didn’t give us the project management support that we expected and wanted. Epiq was the only one who performed.”

Epiq Managed Review now takes project management and document review tasks out of the company’s hands, and off the plate of outside counsel. “Now when outside counsel start looking at documents,” the SP explains, “they are looking at a pre-screened set, saving them a lot of time and us a lot of money.”

Greater control and broader options

With Epiq working directly for them, the company has more control over spend and time. “Epiq is more willing to talk to us about cost savings on document review,” the SP says. “Outside counsel are often inclined to look at every document and not use the technological solutions available to us. They are not as knowledgeable about managing the documents in ways that we can pull out the most responsive things without looking at every single, non-responsive page.”

Outside counsel can cost $200 to $400 per hour, so limiting their time spent on document review can result in significant savings. “I think it is a much more efficient use of our money and of their time,” the SP adds. “Especially if we are working with a smaller firm that only has two or three people assigned to a case. It gives them the flexibility to be able to take the case and gives us more choice in who we engage with.” The SP estimates that with Epiq Managed Review, the company saves between 25–75% on document review costs, depending on the matter.

“I think it is a much more efficient use of our money and of their time, especially if we are working with a smaller firm that only has two or three people assigned to a case.”

Consistently consultative

The SP lauds the reliability she has found with Epiq. “They have given us a consistent team throughout,” she says. “We haven’t had people coming and going. We always get the same couple of review managers. The advantage for us of course is that they learn what our documents look like and how we do business.”

This familiarity allows review managers to better guide teams as they review the company’s documents. “They try as much as they can to get the same reviewers on our cases over and over again,” The SP adds. “If reviewers have looked at documents for one construction case, they are going to have a better idea of what to look for in another. Consistency has been very key.”

The familiarity and constancy fuel the consultative nature of the relationship. “I can call and say, ‘Here is what I want to do, what do you think?’” the SP muses. “I can ask, ‘What have other people done?’ And they will help me figure out the best way to get the result we’re after. It is not just ‘Whatever you say.’ They are always happy to help construct a better solution.”

A trusted partner and process

The Epiq Managed Document Review process includes sending the client a daily progress update. “You can see the pace at which you’re moving,” the SP observes, “and if it is not progressing as it should, you can address it.

“Epiq has repeatable processes for almost everything they do,” she continues. “They keep track of questions and make sure that the questions get answered and make sure they are updated in their question log. They do an extraordinary amount of quality control on the work. That helps my outside counsel be more comfortable with the work they do.”

For the company, the value of Epiq Managed Document Review is in the expertise. “We can do the math and tell you how much we save when we have Epiq review documents,” the SP concludes. “Very few law firms have the in-house, technical, Relativity project management expertise that we need on our projects because this company has so many documents. Epiq does have that expertise and that is what we are paying for.”

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