A Law & Forensics resource

Build a defensible eDiscovery playbook — before litigation tests it.

Most organizations don't discover the gaps in their legal-hold, preservation, and collection procedures until a dispute forces them to. We help corporations, legal departments, and law firms build repeatable, defensible workflows — and stand behind them when challenged.

readiness_assessment.log
68%
Exposed 5 areas flagged · 2 urgent
Legal hold triggers OK
M365 / Teams / Slack mapping REVIEW
Chain of custody OK
Rule 37(e) escalation path URGENT
TAR / AI review protocol REVIEW
Where do you stand?

Four situations. One defensible standard.

Wherever you are in the litigation lifecycle, the goal is the same: procedures that hold up under scrutiny. Find the situation that sounds like yours.

01Active matter

We are in active litigation.

Preservation obligations are live and the clock is running. We stabilize legal holds, scope custodians, and run forensically sound collections across email, M365, Teams, Slack, mobile, and cloud.

02Build

Our legal department needs a repeatable process.

Ad-hoc discovery is expensive and indefensible. We build an enterprise eDiscovery playbook — documented triggers, workflows, roles, and production specs your whole team can run.

03Audit

We have a playbook, but it may be outdated.

New data sources and recent case law move fast. We assess your existing procedures against current obligations and hand you a prioritized list of the gaps that matter.

04Dispute

We are facing a discovery dispute.

When process is challenged, you need credible expertise. We provide expert declarations, testimony, and special-master support to defend — or scrutinize — an eDiscovery process.

The 2-minute diagnostic

Start with where you actually stand.

Before you buy a tool or write a policy, find out how defensible your current process really is. The scorecard is the fastest way in.

Free · 2 minutes · No email required to see your score

How defensible is your eDiscovery process?

Answer 14 quick questions about how your organization handles legal holds, preservation, collection, and review. You'll get an instant readiness score and your three weakest areas — built from the same framework Law & Forensics uses in live engagements.

DefensibleMature & repeatable
ExposedInconsistent gaps
Urgent riskMaterial exposure
What "defensible" actually means

Ten things every eDiscovery playbook should document.

A playbook isn't a policy PDF that sits in a drawer. It's a living operating manual that aligns Legal, IT, Privacy, Records, and HR around the same defensible steps — from the first preservation trigger to disposition at matter close.

01

Legal hold triggers

Objective criteria for when preservation duties attach — and who decides.

02

Custodian interviews

A standardized template that maps people to the data they actually create.

03

Preservation steps

Documented, system-by-system instructions so nothing is missed under pressure.

04

Modern data sources

M365, Teams, Slack, Google Workspace, mobile, cloud, and social — mapped and scoped.

05

Collection methods

Forensically sound, pre-approved procedures for each source and device type.

06

Chain of custody

Auditable handling that holds up when the process itself is questioned.

07

Review workflows

TAR, CAL, and AI-assisted review documented as defensible, repeatable steps.

08

Production specs

Standard formats, metadata fields, and privilege-log conventions.

09

Rule 26(f) & 37(e)

ESI-protocol readiness and a defined preservation-risk escalation path.

10

Disposition at close

What happens to the data when the matter ends — documented, not improvised.

How we work together

Start small. Escalate only as far as you need.

There's a clear path from a two-minute self-check to a fully built, defensible playbook — or to urgent help when a matter is already live. You choose how far up the ladder to go.

Take something with you

Practical playbook tools, free to use.

Field-tested checklists and templates drawn from real engagements — practical enough that in-house counsel forward them internally. Gated items ask for a few details so we can tailor follow-up.

GuideFree

What Is an eDiscovery Playbook?

The plain-English primer on what a defensible playbook covers — from preservation to disposition.

Read the guide
Talk to Law & Forensics

Have us assess your eDiscovery playbook.

Book a 30-minute review with a Law & Forensics specialist. We'll talk through your readiness score, your most pressing data sources, and what a defensible playbook looks like for your organization. No obligation, no sales pressure.

Call 855-529-2466
PracticeDigital forensics · eDiscovery · Cybersecurity · Information governance
Conflicts are checked before any engagement begins.