Electronic Discovery

Term from Private Investigation industry explained for recruiters

Electronic Discovery, often called eDiscovery, is the process of finding and collecting electronic information for legal cases. It's like a digital detective service where professionals search through emails, documents, social media, and other electronic records to find evidence that might be important for lawsuits or investigations. Think of it as a specialized form of investigation that focuses on digital content rather than physical documents. This has become increasingly important as more businesses store their information digitally. It's similar to traditional document review but requires special tools and skills to handle digital files.

Examples in Resumes

Managed Electronic Discovery projects for major corporate litigation cases

Led eDiscovery team in collecting and organizing digital evidence

Used Electronic Discovery tools to process over 1 million documents for fraud investigation

Typical job title: "Electronic Discovery Specialists"

Also try searching for:

eDiscovery Specialist Digital Evidence Specialist Legal Technology Specialist eDiscovery Project Manager Digital Forensics Investigator Legal Data Analyst eDiscovery Consultant

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you handle a large-scale eDiscovery project with tight deadlines?

Expected Answer: Should discuss project management skills, team coordination, prioritization strategies, and how to efficiently process large amounts of data while maintaining quality control.

Q: What strategies do you use to reduce eDiscovery costs while maintaining quality?

Expected Answer: Should explain approaches like early case assessment, using advanced search techniques, proper data filtering, and efficient workflow management to reduce unnecessary processing.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What steps do you take to ensure data integrity during collection?

Expected Answer: Should explain basic evidence handling procedures, documentation methods, and how to maintain chain of custody for electronic files.

Q: How do you determine which search terms will be most effective for a case?

Expected Answer: Should discuss working with legal teams, understanding case requirements, testing search terms, and using analytics to refine searches.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What is the basic eDiscovery workflow?

Expected Answer: Should be able to describe the main steps: identification, preservation, collection, processing, review, and production of electronic documents.

Q: What are the common file types you encounter in eDiscovery?

Expected Answer: Should mention emails, Word documents, PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, and explain basic handling of these file types.

Experience Level Indicators

Junior (0-2 years)

  • Basic document processing and review
  • Understanding of legal hold procedures
  • Knowledge of common file types
  • Basic search term usage

Mid (2-5 years)

  • Project coordination
  • Advanced search techniques
  • Quality control procedures
  • Client communication

Senior (5+ years)

  • Project management
  • Complex case handling
  • Strategy development
  • Team leadership

Red Flags to Watch For

  • No understanding of legal hold requirements
  • Lack of attention to detail in document handling
  • Poor documentation practices
  • No knowledge of basic legal terminology
  • Unfamiliarity with common eDiscovery software tools