With the economy down, the new mantra for clients is “more for less.” As litigation budgets shrink, litigation teams are forced to deal with the enormous volume of documents produced in e-discovery without the benefit of large teams of paralegals or expensive outside vendors.

The good news for lawyers is, less can be more. Through strategic planning, careful organization and technological savvy, costs can be cut significantly by improving efficiency. Many of the biggest budget-busters in e-discovery can be eliminated by maximizing the potential of a lean litigation team.

The key to maximizing cost-effectiveness is structure and planning through a project-based approach. Experienced litigators know the textbook discovery process strategies, but going “back to basics” is essential to cost-effective compliance in a down economy. The three building blocks of every e-discovery project should be: (1) planning at the outset, (2) selecting appropriate tools for document management, and (3) communicating and defining roles.

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