In the current legal landscape, the concept of legal holds — the process of notifying custodians to preserve relevant documents and data for potential litigation or regulatory investigations — is integral to any corporation’s eDiscovery compliance strategy. Through proper management and strategic implementation of these holds, corporations can safeguard themselves against potential data destruction and costly spoliation sanctions. A report by Onna Technologies, Inc shares insights into this key aspect of corporate legal compliance.
However, an unstructured and inefficient approach to legal holds can often result in them becoming a drain on resources. Offering key solutions, Onna Technologies outlines five methods to optimize the legal hold process, based on their extensive experience in the field.
- The first step is to have a robust litigation readiness plan in place. This includes establishing a cross-functional team to manage legal holds and keep lines of communication open between all relevant parties.
- Understanding the key custodians of data and effectively communicating with them throughout the process is the second step. This involves documenting the response of every custodian to ensure a defensible process.
- Implementing repeatable, scalable processes forms the third step. By establishing a consistent workflow automation system, companies can streamline their legal hold process.
- Preserving potentially responsive data is the fourth step. By utilizing advanced eDiscovery tools, corporations can secure the relevant data and information necessary for a thorough review.
- Finally, the fifth step is continuous management and monitoring of each ongoing legal hold. By proactively managing these holds, businesses can mitigate risks and maintain the legal hold effectively.
By integrating these five steps into their established workflows, corporate legal teams can essentially optimize their legal hold process, ensuring that it remains a safeguard against potential legal issues rather than a drain on resources.