What is the EDRM?

What is the EDRM?

The EDRM is the Electronic Discovery Reference Model. 

This model is a diagrammatic representation of the standard phases in any eDiscovery project and it consists of nine distinct stages. 

What are the main stages of the EDRM?

The main stages of the EDRM are outlined below.

Information Management

This is, basically, getting your electronic house in order to mitigate risk and expense should eDiscovery become an issue.

Identification 

This is locating the potential sources of ESI in the case or matter e.g. where is the ESI stored?

Collection

At this stage the ESI is harvested from the client for further use in the eDiscovery process e.g. processing, review and analysis.

Processing

At this stage the volume of ESI is reduced to a manageable level for review using e.g. keyword searching, date ranges and early case assessment.

Review

The legal review team conducts this stage and determines what documents are relevant and privileged.

Analysis

This stage can involve evaluating the document set for key patterns, topics and issues.

Production

This is the process of delivering the final output to another party in the matter or case.

Is the EDRM flexible?

Yes – It is very important to point out that this is not a step-by-step guide; it is a representation of the eDiscovery process. 

Any given project may follow all of the steps in the model, could follow the steps in a different order or perhaps repeat some of the steps. In other words, the EDRM can be repeated and/or completed in a different order.

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