Skip to main content
Knowledge · Document review 6 min read Published April 2026

Managed document review

As litigation volume continues climbing, traditional in-house review models break. Here's how managed document review changes the economics — and what to look for in a partner.

What managed review actually means

Managed document review is a service model where an outside team scopes, staffs, runs, and reports on the document review for a matter — end to end — under a single point of accountability. Not a body shop, not a tool vendor.

Why the in-house model breaks

Three forces are converging on traditional review:

  • Volume. Average case volumes are up 4–6× over the last decade. Modern matters routinely exceed a million documents.
  • Specialization. Privilege, breach, and foreign-language work all require depth most internal teams can’t keep on retainer.
  • Burst capacity. Internal teams sized for steady-state can’t ramp for a second request without taking heroes off other matters.

What a good partner brings

Predictability. The right managed review partner gives you a fixed point of contact, transparent throughput reports, and a QC plan you can defend in front of opposing counsel. The economics work because the partner amortizes bench, infrastructure, and PM overhead across many matters.

If you’d like to walk through your matter, our team typically scopes within 24 hours.

Have a breach review on your docket?

We staff and run breach reviews from notification through reporting. Talk to our team about your specific matter — most engagements scope in 24 hours.