Find Facts Faster with iDS
By Julian Ackert
June 28, 2023
Julian Ackert is a Managing Director at iDiscovery Solutions (iDS). He has more than 20 years of consulting and project management experience in the technology and litigation industries. He has extensive experience with forensic data collection, computer forensic analysis, creating and implementing preservation and collection strategies. He is a member of The Sedona Conference, Working Group 11 (Data Security and Privacy Library) and Working Group 12 (Trade Secrets). jackert@idsinc.com
Originally published in Today’s General Counsel, July/August 2023
Information is power, and when you are armed with knowledge, individuals can make informed decisions and take appropriate action. In the realm of law, accurate information is crucial for building a strong case narrative and increasing the chances of a favorable outcome. Equally significant to accurate information is the speed at which you receive it. Timely delivery of reliable data is therefore key to winning a dispute. Ultimately, your case team needs the facts and needs them fast.
Enter iDS – a strategic data consulting firm that provides innovative solutions for law firms and corporations around litigation, investigations, and cybersecurity challenges. They have a deep bench of experts in data analytics and security, digital forensics, and traditional eDiscovery needs. With the proliferation of digital information available, such as emails, contracts, legal documents, texts, and other forms of electronic data, the task of analyzing a large volume of data can be costly as well as time-consuming. eDiscovery service providers like iDS are now crucial to support in-house counsel and law firms in their investigation of the facts.
eDiscovery service providers can review extensive amounts of electronically stored information, helping uncover relevant facts and evidence in legal proceedings. Through their sophisticated data analysis capabilities, eDiscovery service providers can discover connections between data points, enabling attorneys to develop detailed strategies to achieve desired outcomes. What sets iDS apart from other eDiscovery service providers is its comprehensive approach that combines both structured and unstructured analytics, coined Fusion Analytics. iDS’ trademarked Fusion Analytics approach thereby allows them to quickly craft a more complete case narrative for counsel.
By utilizing Fusion Analytics, iDS can expedite the discovery process and uncover relevant information more efficiently and effectively. This approach benefits the case team, particularly associates, senior associates, junior partners, and sometimes senior partners. Moreover, Fusion Analytics enables users to quickly analyze hundreds of thousands or even millions of documents, reducing the time and effort needed to complete a comprehensive investigation.
Fusion Analytics weaves structured transactional data sets into unstructured document data sets. Unstructured document data refers to information that doesn’t fit neatly into rows and columns, such as sentences or human-generated text. iDS helps alleviate the time-consuming and costly nature of reviewing and analyzing unstructured data by streamlining the process and reducing associated expenses. The goal is to extract valuable insights and information while meeting the case team standards. Structured transactional data refers to the millions or billions of transactions that record individual activities, such as call logs, GPS coordinates, electronic system logins, or entries in an accounting system.
One specific area where Fusion Analytics can be useful is investigating potential collusion. When reviewing a large population of data, including both transactional data and document data, analysts search for evidence of collusion, or the absence of collusion, among the parties involved. By leveraging Fusion Analytics on both structured transactional data and unstructured document data, iDS can analyze both the written word as well as patterns of behavior to help identify collusion.
Another advantage of Fusion Analytics is the ability to quickly find relevant information in massive amounts of data. For example, if there are a hundred thousand or a million documents to review, but only a small portion (e.g., 10%) is marginally relevant to the case, iDS can efficiently analyze the population and identify the documents that matter the most. This is achieved through a combination of technological tools, applied to the structured and unstructured content of the documents, and intelligent analysis, involving both human expertise and augmented intelligence-powered algorithms.
The concept of augmented intelligence is essential to iDS’s approach. It involves leveraging the strengths of both humans and computers to maximize efficiency and accuracy. Human experts bring contextual understanding, subject matter expertise, and intuition, while AI algorithms excel at processing large volumes of data, identifying patterns, and revealing insights that may not be apparent to humans alone. iDS experts understand the subtleties of eDiscovery that AI simply cannot replicate, making their contributions invaluable. iDS’s ability to leverage both human experts and AI algorithms creates a powerful synergy that enhances efficiency and accuracy in the discovery process, leading to more informed counsel and quicker case resolutions.
The innovative approach to discovery combining structured and unstructured analytics (aka Fusion Analytics) and utilizing augmented intelligence expedites the fact-finding process. It is no secret that when you can cut time in half (or more), you save on costs. Furthermore, the case team not only benefits from the speed of iDS, but also gains access to a more comprehensive analysis. This includes helping shape narratives, pivoting based on updated information, or making settlement decisions. The ability to assess the facts and evidence quickly and accurately in a case gives the case team the advantage of making informed decisions, which leads to successful outcomes.
iDS can provide your case team with the critical insights needed to quickly resolve complex legal disputes. Let iDS help your case team find facts faster.
iDS provides consultative data solutions to corporations and law firms around the world, giving them a decisive advantage — both in and out of the courtroom. Our subject matter experts and data strategists specialize in finding solutions to complex data problems — ensuring data can be leveraged as an asset and not a liability.
Must read intelligence for general counsel
Subscribe to the Daily Updates newsletter to be at the forefront of best practices and the latest legal news.
Daily Updates
Sign up for our free daily newsletter for the latest news and business legal developments.