The Electronic Discovery Reference Model diagrams the stages of e-discovery: information governance, identification, preservation, collection, processing, review, analysis, production, and presentation. Volume decreases and relevance increases as material moves through the stages.
It is a conceptual reference rather than a mandatory sequence.
Alternative Names:
Electronic Discovery Reference Model
Why it Matters?
The model's practical value is showing where cost accumulates. Volume reduction early through targeted collection and culling is far cheaper than reducing it later through review, since review is the most expensive stage per document. Teams that treat the stages as strictly sequential also miss that decisions at collection constrain everything downstream, which is why the framework is best used to plan backward from production requirements.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the EDRM stages?
Why does early volume reduction matter?
