Socha Consulting LLC > 2005 Socha-Gelbmann Electronic Discovery Survey

The 2005 Survey examines the state of electronic discovery in 2004. It also compares this year's results with results from the preceding two years, and makes projections for 2005 through 2007. The main sections of the report cover:

Market size & shares
Market leaders: the top 20 providers
Consumer & provider perspectives
Provider revenue, 2004 and anticipated
Anticipated growth
Demand for electronic discovery services & software
Provider capacity
Types of cases with electronic discovery
Number of cases with electronic discovery
Types of data handled
Who buys electronic discovery services
Who buys electronic discovery software
Who decides which providers to use
Who controls the consumer-provider relationship
Preferred provider relationships: who has them, who does not
Fee structures
Software: what consumers are using

253 pages long, the 2005 Survey contains 18 tables and 231 color charts to support and expand on the text of the report. Accompanying the report are a set of appendices containing an additional 91 figures as well as complete copies of the law firm consumer, corporate consumer and provider spreadsheets sent out to potential participants.

To provide a sound base for our analyses, we gathered data from 69 consumers and providers through direct interviews and an in-depth self-paced survey instrument – separate spreadsheets for law firm consumers, corporate consumers, and providers. The consumers represent a cross section of Am Law 200 law firms as well as some of the largest companies in America. The providers came from a robust cross-section of leading firms in this industry as well as newcomers. We also gathered information from a variety of secondary sources. We collected data from web sites for more than 200 organizations purporting to offer some form of electronic discovery services or software, as well as from a variety of business and information resources.

To go to a PDF file containing the 2005 Survey report table of contents, table of tables and table of figures, as well a sample page from the report, click here.

Conducting the 2005 Socha-Gelbmann Electronic Discovery Survey took about 9 months, starting in October with refinements to the model we use and ending with publication of the subscriber reports in June.

How we gathered information for our survey:

Contacting potential participants - We started by contacting as many potential participants as we could. We sent individual email invitations to 175 individuals, including representatives of every major electronic discovery services or software provider we could identify. We also posted an open invitation on the Litigation Support Mailing List (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/litsupport) as well as on this website.
Telephone interviews - We interviewed or received completed confidential spreadsheets from people at 69 organizations

How we evaluated the data we gathered:

For each participant in our Survey, we prepared a spreadsheet containing information from and about the participant's organization.
For each electronic discovery services or software provider we evaluated but who did not elect to participate in the survey, we also prepared a spreadsheet.
We aggregated information from the individual spreadsheets into three higher-level spreadsheets, one for providers, one for law firm consumers, and one for corporate consumers. As part of the aggregation, we weighted and rated each line of information.
As part of the rating process, we considered information obtained from sources other than interviews.
From there, we prepared a master spreadsheet consolidating information from the three higher-level spreadsheets.
Working with these spreadsheets, we prepared our analyses and ultimately our reports.

Confidentiality

We do not identify what people or what organizations participate in the Survey. We also do not identify who subscribes to the Survey.

The 2005 Socha-Gelbmann Electronic Discovery Survey is an independent survey conducted by two independent consultants, George Socha and Tom Gelbmann.

We are not affiliated with any provider or consumer of electronic discovery services or software. Although we always are open to suggestions about how to improve our survey, we do not allow any provider or consumer to participate in the construction of the model we use to gather and evaluate information about the electronic discovery market. We do not allow any provider or consumer to assist in gathering data, other than as interviewees or by completing spreadsheet files sent to them at their request. We also do not allow any provider or consumer to assist in evaluting the data we obtain or in preparing any of our reports.

The discounted purchase price is $1,000. The Survey report is available as a PDF file.

To purchase a copy of the full survey or to find out more about the survey, please send an email message to 2005survey@sochaconsulting.com or call 651.690.1739 (George) or 651.483.0022 (Tom).