- May 25, 2022
- Gulfstream Legal
Audio, video and other types of media files are starting to appear in eDiscovery more every day. Legal professionals are feeling overwhelmed with the possible burden these files might raise, because they believe they may have to listen to or watch hundreds of hours of tape – or more – to locate and review the segments relevant to their case.
Their fears are largely without warrant, because there are strategies they can utilize to simplify the workflow for finding, filtering and reviewing audio and video files for eDiscovery. Artificial intelligence tools like Veritone are available today that allow legal professionals to search both structured data surrounding the files, but also within the audio and video files to find words that were spoken and images that appeared and then jump to those portions of the files. These tools can fast-track the review process and help create context for what is happening within the recording.
Saving Time and Money on Audio and Video Files
Most law firms are eager to save time and money on eDiscovery, and audio/video files may seem counterproductive to those goals. Tools do not necessarily replace the human element of review; having a human in the loop is important. However, if you need to get one hour of audio or videos transcribed and certified by a human, it could take anywhere from four to eight hours to fully transcribe that one hour accurately. With tools, that process is closer to one hour or even much less.
With machine transcription and the search capabilities available today, you can identify more files that might be relevant upfront. This reduces costs right away by not having a human listen to an entire file and increases efficiency by quickly identifying files that may be relevant. If, after that process, there is a need to get a file transcribed by a human, there are far fewer files to listen to. Tools can take the process from weeks down to hours of transcription.
As an added benefit for most eDiscovery professionals, some tools integrate directly with Relativity. Users can search, view and find what is relevant to the case, then tag and flag within the audio or video file. You can also redact information before you produce it. This makes it possible for audio and video files to flow through the same production workflow that you would use for any other document in Relativity.
We have a white paper that will help you better understand audio and video in eDiscovery. Download it now.
At Gulfstream Legal, we can help law firms and corporate legal departments evaluate their project at the outset of eDiscovery, applying the right tools for the project and saving time and money in the process.