Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090286219 | CONDUCTING A VIRTUAL INTERVIEW IN THE CONTEXT OF A LEGAL MATTER - A virtual interview is conducted in the context of a legal matter, for example, using online forms, thus enabling rapid and large-scale information capture from distributed recipients. A user can define questions and virtual interviews once, and use them again and again; can define an approved set of questions to insure consistency of interview practice; and can de facto improve the consistency and credibility of information gathering in legal matters. Users can pre-establish action items that are automatically created upon receiving specific responses to virtual interviews. Interview response may be managed by exception, i.e. exception alerting, and tools are provided to view exceptional cases for follow-up action. For example, alerts can be issued on the basis of such factors as: if any one responded that they had data at home, send an alert to the attorney and an action item to do an appropriate collection; and if anyone responds that they know others in scope, initiate an action item assigned to paralegal to add identified individuals to scope. A user can conduct many interviews systematically to determine where all key facts related to the matter are located; to update information in a highly distributed way for effective legal management; and to manage responses efficiently. | 11-19-2009 |
20090327048 | Forecasting Discovery Costs Based on Complex and Incomplete Facts - The discovery cost forecasting system uses incomplete information to generate forecasts of discovery expenses. Models are generated with different levels of granularity depending upon the available facts and user preferences. An expert provides real-time information to improve the accuracy of the predictions. A scenario analysis is generated that evaluates how changes to the parameters of the matter could affect the forecasted cost. An estimate is generated of the degree of advancement of the matter in its lifecycle as part of the cost forecast. The cost associated with each data source and custodian is tracked and reported. A configurable and extensible cost equation is defined. A dashboard user interface is generated to monitor the entire portfolio to extract easy to understand facts, trends, and early warning signs related to discovery cost management. | 12-31-2009 |
20090327049 | FORECASTING DISCOVERY COSTS BASED ON COMPLEX AND INCOMPLETE FACTS - The discovery cost forecasting system uses incomplete information to generate forecasts of discovery expenses. Models are generated with different levels of granularity depending upon the available facts and user preferences. An expert provides real-time information to improve the accuracy of the predictions. A scenario analysis is generated that evaluates how changes to the parameters of the matter could affect the forecasted cost. An estimate is generated of the degree of advancement of the matter in its lifecycle as part of the cost forecast. The cost associated with each data source and custodian is tracked and reported. A configurable and extensible cost equation is defined. A dashboard user interface is generated to monitor the entire portfolio to extract easy to understand facts, trends, and early warning signs related to discovery cost management. | 12-31-2009 |
20100017239 | Forecasting Discovery Costs Using Historic Data - A computer-implemented method and apparatus for forecasting discovery costs includes probability-based forecasting and capturing historic stage transition data for each matter stage regarding the duration of each historic matter stage and regarding the number of new custodians and data sources added during that matter stage. The stage transition data is statistically and aggregated by stage and matter type. Progress for existing matters is extrapolated. Initiation of future matters is forecast by extrapolating how many new matters are expected to be initiated over the duration of a forecasting period. The average pace of progress is extrapolated from the historic data. Volumes of production and custodians are forecasted by extrapolation using quantitative characteristics of the historic stage transition data. | 01-21-2010 |
20100082382 | FORECASTING DISCOVERY COSTS BASED ON INTERPOLATION OF HISTORIC EVENT PATTERNS - A computer-implemented method of forecasting discovery costs captures historical business events, which are aggregated and statistically analyzed by matter type and business event types. Statistical data is used to calculate probabilities of occurrence of future business events and to extrapolate occurrence of those future business events. The method forecasts an extrapolated volume of production at the time of a forecasted export event. The method further forecasts costs for future discovery from the extrapolated volume of production. | 04-01-2010 |
20110320480 | Enterprise Evidence Repository - A controller is configured to generate and propagate instructions to an execution agent which, in turn, is configured to collect and deposit collected artifacts into a repository. Write access to a location in the repository for collected artifacts that are to be deposited into a specified location is granted to the execution agent. Once the execution agent deposits the collected artifacts in the specified location in the repository, a summary of collected artifacts is propagated to the controller. The controller manages appropriate levels of access to the collected artifacts, while the repository enforces the level of access. The controller can grant read only access to the collected artifacts or it can allow for controlled changes to be made to the metadata associated with the collected artifact. An agent processes the data and generates additional metadata that can be associated with the collected artifacts and then saved in the repository. A system can have more than one repository, where the controller allocates storage in an appropriate repository and issues instructions to the execution agent with the location in an appropriate repository. The summary of the actual collections is then propagated to the controller from the repositories. | 12-29-2011 |
20110321124 | Enterprise Evidence Repository - A controller is configured to generate and propagate instructions to an execution agent which, in turn, is configured to collect and deposit collected artifacts into a repository. Write access to a location in the repository for collected artifacts that are to be deposited into a specified location is granted to the execution agent. Once the execution agent deposits the collected artifacts in the specified location in the repository, a summary of collected artifacts is propagated to the controller. The controller manages appropriate levels of access to the collected artifacts, while the repository enforces the level of access. The controller can grant read only access to the collected artifacts or it can allow for controlled changes to be made to the metadata associated with the collected artifact. An agent processes the data and generates additional metadata that can be associated with the collected artifacts and then saved in the repository. A system can have more than one repository, where the controller allocates storage in an appropriate repository and issues instructions to the execution agent with the location in an appropriate repository. The summary of the actual collections is then propagated to the controller from the repositories. | 12-29-2011 |
20130339075 | USING PAST AND SCHEDULED EVENTS TO REDUCE THE COST OF MISTAKES IN AN EDISCOVERY PROCESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - Method, system, and computer program product for using past and scheduled events to reduce the cost of mistakes in an electronic discovery process management system. The operation includes providing an electronic discovery process management system configured to manage a plurality of legal matters; defining at least one scheduling rule associated with each legal matter; scheduling, based on the at least one scheduling rule, at least one event associated with each matter in the electronic discovery process management system, each event comprising a set of attributes including a first attribute comprising a matter related to the event and a second attribute comprising a due date of the event; and monitoring the at least one event to track the due date of the at least one event. | 12-19-2013 |
20130339258 | LEGAL NOTICE CREATION - A method, system, and computer program product for creating legal notices and workflows based on predefined templates. A plurality of content templates for a legal notice is provided, the content templates comprising at least one attribute related to the legal matter. A plurality of processing rule templates for a legal notice is provided, the processing rule templates comprising at least one processing rule defining rules and workflows surrounding the legal notice. Responsive to receiving selection of a content template and a processing rule template, a legal notice and workflows are generated based on the selected content template and the selected processing rule template. | 12-19-2013 |
20140012832 | Automated Electronic Discovery Collections and Preservations - A computer-implemented method, system and computer program product for collecting information from data sources by receiving a collection request at a collection tool to collect information, where the collection request includes data source information indicating a data source from which to retrieve the information. The data source information in the collection request is associated with one or more electronic data repositories in response to the data source indicated by the data source information being previously unidentified to the collection tool. The information is collected from the one or more associated electronic data repositories. | 01-09-2014 |
20140012834 | Automated Electronic Discovery Collections and Preservations - A computer-implemented method, system and computer program product for collecting information from data sources by receiving a collection request at a collection tool to collect information, where the collection request includes data source information indicating a data source from which to retrieve the information. The data source information in the collection request is associated with one or more electronic data repositories in response to the data source indicated by the data source information being previously unidentified to the collection tool. The information is collected from the one or more associated electronic data repositories. | 01-09-2014 |
20140067766 | PROPAGATING PER-CUSTODIAN PRESERVATION AND COLLECTION REQUESTS BETWEEN EDISCOVERY MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS AND CONTENT ARCHIVES - A method, computer program product, and system for defining custodianship of content in an electronic discovery management system, and maintaining custodianship definitions in an external content archive, the custodianship specifying at least one parameter of a first custodian to associate the content with the first custodian. Responsive to receiving a request to perform an operation on the content associated with the first custodian, the request is modified with the at least one parameter of the first custodian and at least one property of the content in the content archive, the at least one parameter and at the least one property being consumable by the content archive. The modified request is sent to the content archive, which is configured to, responsive to receiving the modified request, perform the operation on the content associated with the first custodian. | 03-06-2014 |
20140379764 | ENTERPRISE EVIDENCE REPOSITORY - A controller is configured to generate and propagate instructions to an execution agent which, in turn, is configured to collect and deposit collected artifacts into a repository. Write access to a location in the repository for collected artifacts that are to be deposited into a specified location is granted to the execution agent. Once the execution agent deposits the collected artifacts in the specified location in the repository, a summary of collected artifacts is propagated to the controller. The controller manages appropriate levels of access to the collected artifacts, while the repository enforces the level of access. The controller can grant read only access to the collected artifacts or it can allow for controlled changes to be made to the metadata associated with the collected artifact. An agent processes the data and generates additional metadata that can be associated with the collected artifacts and then saved in the repository. A system can have more than one repository, where the controller allocates storage in an appropriate repository and issues instructions to the execution agent with the location in an appropriate repository. The summary of the actual collections is then propagated to the controller from the repositories. | 12-25-2014 |