http://www.jdunderground.com/docreview/

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2819253&forum_id=2#27403489)

jfc

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2819253&forum_id=2#31247728)

the doc viewer software (there are a ton of competitors out there and they all suck) usually will have a feature that highlights a key name or a phrase for you as you look at the doc. you're *supposed* to read through the whole doc, but in reality you just look at the highlighted portion and get a sense of what the doc is about.

the doc viewer system also will have some sort of checkbox feature on the right allowing you to "tag" the document as all sorts of things: responsive, non-responsive, privileged, "hot," things like that.

nowadays much of the "first level" review is done by people in india, no joke. they'll review to make sure it's, for example, "responsive" or "non-responsive" (to whatever the subpoena requests).

these days at the biglaw level you're doing "second level" review -- making sure the docs are responsive, flagging docs that seem particularly damaging or "hot," etc. -- or "privilege review" (determining whether the doc is protected by some privilege).

i have no idea why i just typed this all out

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2819253&forum_id=2#27403479)

Plaintiff asks MEGACORP to produce every document in your possession since 1998 discussing paint.

MEGACORP hires your firm.

Your firm goes down to MEGACORP'S server room with some IT dorks from a document processing company. They discover that there are 300,000 emails sent between MEGACORP'S 10,000 employees since 1998 that have the word "paint" in them. They put them all into a database.

You, as super smart and important first year litigation associate (or contract attorneys managed by you if the client is smart enough to ask for them) sit at your computer for 8-10 hours a day looking at each one of these 300,000 emails.

If the email talks about the company's third quarter 2001 paint production volumes and does not contain legal advice, you click a button on your screen that says "responsive to RFP 1"

If the email is from Sue in accounting to Sally in marketing asking "what color should I paint my new house?" you click "not responsive."

If the email is from a lawyer saying "OUR PAINT KILLS PEOPLE PLEASE CALL ME ASAP TO DISCUSS" then you click privileged.

If the email is from Bob, a truck driver for MEGACORP to his buddy saying "I just dumped gallons of paint in some fucking lame ass river" you click "hot."

Repeat for 8 hours per day, five days per week.

CONGRATULATIONS ON SELECTING LAW AS A CAREER. PLEASE JUMP OUT OF THE NEAREST WINDOW.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2819253&forum_id=2#27403493)

This is such a poast and I award it an ungrudging 180.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2819253&forum_id=2#27523899)

This is almost completely CR, except for the last part. Doc review can be 180 when you have your own office, esp during March Madness

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2819253&forum_id=2#27524812)

Sounds like amazing and uplifting detective work.

think about it...with each document you process, you are building your conception of who megacorp is and getting your finger on their pulse.

I bet you must feel a rush when you see something as "hot". thats when you get hot on the paper trail...

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2819253&forum_id=2#31247482)

*writes voluminous, extremely boring poast*

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2819253&forum_id=2#28786702)

It's when you're doing it full time for weeks or months on end that it becomes a living death.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2819253&forum_id=2#31248032)