eDiscovery in Environmental Litigation

See how ArcherHall’s eDiscovery experts transformed a complex environmental case by automating exhibit preparation and uncovering critical records that led to a rapid settlement.

The Situation

Our client was a state agency involved in decades-long litigation regarding an even older environmental issue. The long history of the matter meant a substantial volume and variety of documents, with new relevant documents being generated every day. The agency had the foresight to involve ArcherHall as early as possible, allowing us to collect and process the complete set of documents, and giving us the full picture of the evidence related to the case.

The Challenge

Part I: The Trial Exhibits

The case required trial exhibits from the 1.4 million pages of documents we had collected, processed, coded, and stored. Even simply creating the index of exhibits was likely to be prohibitively difficult in the short time prior to trial. Each of the 14,400 exhibits required a date and description to comply with procedural rules. Writing these descriptions could have taken our client months.

Part II: The Missing Records

Unbeknownst to our client, 300,000 pages of financial records had been overlooked by their legal team and not flagged as relevant. This was significant case evidence and also represented 29,000 additional exhibits to be prepared prior to trial. The deadline to produce these exhibits and the list of descriptions was the next day. Opposing counsel had proven their desire to fight over procedure rather than facts, and they would undoubtedly take advantage of this missed deadline.

The Solution

Our eDiscovery team devised a custom system to automate the process of generating the list the client required. Using the information we had coded in advance and metadata pulled from the documents and folders themselves, we were able to generate titles and descriptions for the 14,400 exhibits in only one week.

The Outcome

Because of our early involvement in the process, we were able to anticipate problems and provide customized solutions for this client. We saved the attorney countless hours of work, substantial embarrassment, and procedural complications. After one day of a trial expected to last weeks, the opposing counsel settled.

Key Success

ArcherHall’s early involvement and proactive approach allowed the team to anticipate challenges and implement custom automation tools that saved the client significant time and effort. By uncovering overlooked financial records and streamlining exhibit preparation, ArcherHall helped prevent procedural setbacks and secured a favorable, swift settlement for the client.

We are a leading provider of computer forensics and e-discovery services for businesses and law firms nationwide. We don’t take chances with your data when litigation is a possibility, and proper handling is critical.