Electronic discovery system

• US 8,903,826 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Richards, Phillip L., Hobart, Eric B., Andersen, David M., Miller, Emerson D., Mayer, Michael J., Whalen, John N., Toomey, Brian L., Stellhorn, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Kuen
• Application Number:
  US13/691,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 707/641, 707/737
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/355 Class or cluster creation or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to systems, methods, and computer program products for improved electronic discovery and custodian management. Embodiments herein disclosed provide for an enterprise wide e-discovery system that provides for data to be identified, located, retrieved, preserved, searched, reviewed and produced in an efficient and cost-effective manner across the entire enterprise system. In addition, by structuring management of e-discovery based on case/matter, custodian and data and providing for linkage between the same, further efficiencies are realized in terms of identifying, locating and retrieving data and leveraging results of previous e-discoveries with current requests.

Claims

1. A method for providing an electronic discovery system, comprising:

providing for a case management level within an electronic discovery system, wherein the electronic discovery system provides for electronic data to be located, collected and searched for a purpose of using the electronic data as evidence in one or more of a legal proceeding, an audit a regulatory investigation or a forensic investigation;

linking, by a computer processor device, a custodial management level to the case management level;

linking, by a computer processor device, a data management level to the case management level and the custodial management level;

generating, by a computing device processor, an electronic discovery case at the case management level and adding, by a computing device processor, a plurality of custodians to the electronic discovery case, wherein the linking of the custodial management level to the case management level provides for, in response to adding the custodians to the electronic discovery case, (1) accessing profile data of the plurality of custodians, which is stored in custodian profiles at a first storage location, from case data related to the electronic discovery case, which is stored in a case-specific file at a second storage location and (2) accessing the case data from the custodian profiles; and

collecting, by a computing device processor, a data set determined to be associated with each of the plurality of custodians, wherein the linking of the data management level to the case management level and custodial management level provides for, in response to collecting the electronic data (1) accessing the data set, which is stored in an electronic data file at a third storage location, from either the case data or a customer profile associated with a corresponding custodian, (2) accessing the customer profile from the data set, and (3) accessing the case data from the data set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing for the case management level further comprises generating, by a computer processor, one or more preservation notices specific to a case.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein linking the custodial management level to the case management level further comprises communicating, by a computer processor, the one or more preservation notices to one or more custodians.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing for the case management level further comprises generating, by a computer processor, one or more surveys specific to a case.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein linking the custodial management level to the case management level further comprises communicating, by a computer processor, the one or more surveys to one or more custodians.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing for the case management level further comprises providing for search terms linked with the electronic discovery case.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein linking the custodial management level to the case management level further comprises releasing, by a computer processor, one or more previously added custodians from one of a case or a matter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein linking the custodial management level to the case management level further comprises identifying, by a computer processor, data types to be retrieved for custodians.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the data set further comprises storing, in computer memory, the collected data set on a long-term storage media.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the

data set further comprises linking, by a computer processor, the collected data set with one or more search term sets provided for at the case management level.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the data set further comprises copying, by a computer processor, the collected data set to a processing drive for analysis.

12. An electronic discovery system provides for electronic data to be located, collected and searched for a purpose of using the electronic data as evidence in one or more of a legal proceeding, an audit a regulatory investigation or a forensic investigation, the system comprising:

a computing platform including a memory and at least one processor in communication with the memory; and

an electronic discovery module stored in the memory, executable by the at least one processor, including a case management level, a custodial management level linked to the case management level and a data management level linked to the case management level and the custodial management level and configured to;

generate an electronic discovery case at the case management level and add a plurality of custodians to the electronic discovery case, wherein the linking of the custodial management level to the case management level provides for, in response to adding the custodians to the electronic discovery case, (1) accessing profile data of the plurality of custodians, which is stored in custodian profiles at a first storage location, from case data related to the electronic discovery case, which is stored in a case-specific file at a second storage location and (2) accessing the case data from the custodian profiles, and

collect a data set determined to be associated with each of the plurality of custodians, wherein the linking of the data management level to the case management level and custodial management level provides for, in response to collecting the electronic data, (1) accessing the data set, which is stored in an electronic data file at a third storage location, from either the case data or a customer profile associated with a corresponding custodian, (2) accessing the customer profile from the data set, and (3) accessing the case data from the data set.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the case management level is configured to provide for generation of preservation notices specific to the electronic discovery case and surveys specific to the electronic discovery case.

14. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions for causing a computer to link a custodial management level to a case management level provided for within an electronic discovery system, wherein the electronic discovery system provides for electronic data to be located, collected and searched for a purpose of using the electronic data as evidence in one or more of a legal proceeding, an audit a regulatory investigation or a forensic investigation;

instructions for causing a computer to link a data management level to the case management level and the custodial management level;

instructions for causing a computer to generate an electronic discovery case at the case management level and add a plurality of custodians to the electronic discovery case, wherein the linking of the custodial management level to the case management level provides for, in response to adding the custodians to the electronic discovery case, (1) accessing profile data of the plurality of custodians, which is stored in custodian profiles at a first storage location, from case data related to the electronic discovery case, which is stored in a case-specific file at a second storage location and (2) accessing the case data from the custodian profiles; and

instructions for causing a computer to collect a data set determined to be associated with each of the plurality of custodians, wherein the linking of the data management level to the case management level and custodial management level provides for, in response to collecting the electronic data (1) accessing the data set, which is stored in an electronic data file at a third storage location, from either the case data or a customer profile associated with a corresponding custodian, (2) accessing the customer profile from the data set, and (3) accessing the case data from the data set.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising instructions for causing a computer to generate preservation notices and surveys specific to the case.