How eDiscovery Tools Optimize Collaboration Between Legal and IT Teams
According to recent data from ComplexDiscovery OÜ, global spending on eDiscovery software alone is projected to grow from $6.08 billion in 2024 to $9.54 billion by 2029, reflecting the rapidly rising reliance on eDiscovery tools. Why are so many legal departments and IT teams investing heavily in these platforms?
The answer lies in the pressure to process vast, complex datasets quickly, accurately, and defensibly. Today, we're taking a closer look at how leveraging eDiscovery tools, investigations software, and technology-assisted review enables seamless collaboration between legal counsel and IT teams to drive efficiency and precision in case handling.
The Modern Landscape of eDiscovery
The way legal teams handle discovery has shifted dramatically in recent years. What was once a paper-heavy process is now dominated by:
- Digital files
- Emails
- Cloud-based records
There are three main factors shaping how eDiscovery operates today:
- The sheer volume and variety of data sources
- The growing influence of privacy regulations
- The need for specialized tools that work across legal and technical functions
The Sheer Volume and Variety of Data Sources
Legal counsel now deals with massive amounts of information from:
- Email servers
- Collaboration platforms
- Mobile devices
- Social media
IT teams are tasked with locating, preserving, and producing this data in formats that can be reviewed quickly. This volume makes manual review unrealistic and pushes organizations toward eDiscovery software solutions.
The Growing Influence of Privacy Regulations
Privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA have changed how data is handled during legal matters. Both legal and IT teams must work together to protect sensitive information. This includes redacting personal data before it reaches the review stage and documenting every step to comply with legal requirements.
The Need for Specialized Tools
Modern cases often involve a mix of structured and unstructured data. Legal technology tools help manage this complexity by offering search, filtering, and reporting features that work for both legal professionals and IT staff. When used effectively, these tools allow faster case preparation without compromising accuracy.
Why Legal and IT Collaboration Matters
When legal counsel and IT teams work on eDiscovery without alignment, it can lead to missed opportunities and wasted effort. Both sides bring expertise that is necessary for a successful outcome, but those skills are different.
Legal professionals understand case strategy, compliance, and the needs of opposing counsel. IT staff have the technical skills to locate, preserve, and manage data from a range of systems. When they work in silos, the results can be slow, incomplete, or risky for the case.
Strong collaboration addresses several core challenges that arise during eDiscovery. It reduces the chance of missed deadlines by improving communication and coordination.
It also ensures that the right data is collected and preserved from the start, which lowers the risk of gaps in evidence. Finally, it creates a more defensible process in court, as both technical and legal steps are documented and aligned.
Investing in shared workflows, regular communication, and compatible investigation management tools can make a significant difference. These efforts help both legal counsel and IT teams work toward the same goals, reduce misunderstandings, and keep cases moving efficiently.
Leveraging eDiscovery Tools for Cross-Team Efficiency
When legal counsel and IT teams share access to the same tools, their work becomes more organized and efficient. eDiscovery tools are built to handle the full range of tasks from data collection to review.
They give IT teams the ability to securely transfer and store data, while giving legal teams clear ways to search and analyze it. This shared access reduces the need to pass information back and forth through multiple channels and cuts down on delays.
These tools are especially valuable when cases involve data from many sources. They can pull information from cloud storage, company servers, and personal devices into one secure location.
IT can focus on the accuracy and safety of the data, while legal counsel focuses on identifying what matters to the case. eDiscovery software solutions often include search filters, tagging features, and reporting options that work well for both sides.
Investigation management tools can also be integrated with advanced legal software to create a complete process. It allows both teams to track progress in real time, see the status of specific data sets, and keep a record of every action taken.
When used in this way, eDiscovery tools help legal and IT teams work toward the same goals without unnecessary steps or confusion.
Technology-Assisted Review for Faster, More Accurate Results
Technology-assisted review, often called TAR, has changed how legal counsel and IT teams handle large document sets. It uses advanced software to identify and prioritize relevant materials, reducing the time needed for human review.
This approach can save weeks of work while improving accuracy in identifying key information. When used with technology-assisted legal review processes, it becomes a reliable way to manage even the most data-heavy cases.
IT teams are responsible for setting up and managing the technical side of TAR. They prepare the data, upload it into the advanced legal software, and make sure the system is working as intended. Their work ensures that the review platform is processing documents correctly and that all security measures are in place.
Legal counsel then trains the TAR system by reviewing sample documents and marking them as relevant or not relevant. The system learns from these inputs and applies that knowledge to the remaining data.
The process focuses human review on the documents most likely to matter, which reduces costs and shortens timelines. When technology-assisted review is supported by both legal expertise and IT skill, the result is a faster, more precise, and more defensible review process.
Advanced Legal Software
Strong collaboration between legal and IT teams is key to managing today's data-heavy cases. With eDiscovery tools, investigations software, and technology-assisted review, both sides can work in sync.
Reveal brings together experts from every corner of eDiscovery, including former law firm partners, paralegals, consultants, and software developers. Our team has built pioneering technologies, launched companies, and supported high-stakes matters worldwide. From our base in Chicago and beyond, we craft an AI-powered platform shaped by client needs to help you achieve your best work.
Get in touch today to find out how we can help with your eDiscovery.
