Exterro's Legal Matter Closing Checklist

In some recent blog posts, we looked at a day in the life of an e-discovery director, manager, and paralegal. In those interviews, these experienced e-discovery professionals shared some of the key lessons they've learned and the tasks they often face. Linda Luperchio, in talking about the end of a matter, whether a legal one or an internal investigation, explains that she makes a habit of summarizing every case, debriefing on what went well and what can be done better next time, and logging the information in their e-discovery database, including taking a look at what they would have spent if they had farmed out the case versus using their own processes and technology.

Those are all second-level best practices--the type of deeper analysis experts conduct--are always useful. But what about the fundamentals? What if you're just excited that a legal matter is finally over and done with? How can you make sure that you're not forgetting any of the key steps legal teams must take before a matter is officially closed? We're here to help with that as well, with our Legal Matter Closing Checklist.

Not taking these steps can lead to inefficiencies such as legal holds never being released, document retention policies never being reinstated, and matter-related data stored in various 3rd party locations (i.e. with your vendor, etc.). These missteps can increase risk but unnecessarily retaining information that is subject to defensible disposition policies, as well as inconveniencing custodians and your e-discovery team. A closing matter checklist is great way to ensure all the necessary questions are asked and matters are closed to prevent these future headaches.

Download this legal closing matter checklist to get:

• 8 steps for defensibly closing a matter
• Guidelines for working effectively with internal and external teams involved in the matter
• Piece of mind that your matter is properly closed and done with