You walk into your office and on your desk sits a few hard drives and a stack of DVDs and CDs. You know there is additional discovery on the cloud that you know you need to download before it disappears. You are told there is more to come yet you have no idea what you already have. Now what? This is a common dilemma being faced by trial teams. Like the common language we must speak with ESI, some common questions need to be answered for you to manage your data effectively, plan your strategy, budget thoughtfully, and develop a workflow for your team to follow so you move ahead smoothly. (See 
Initial Discovery and 3rd Party Data Assessment Checklist).
Once the Initial Discovery Assessment has been completed, you are now ready to take your answers and use them to organize, review and use your data. Based on many years of experience, Douglass Mitchell and Sean Broderick have authored a resource guide that will walk you through the steps that will allow you to best handle your electronic discovery (See Recommended E-Discovery Practices for FPD/CJA Attorneys). Recommendations touch on work flow, tools, technology and strategies that in combination will assist you in tackling any amount of data efficiently.
CJA panel attorneys frequently ask what types of litigation support software are used in federal CJA cases, and what steps CJA panel attorneys should follow when they need to obtain funding from the court for software, hardware and expert services for the large document and ESI case. David Beneman and Sean Broderick have written an article addressing both of the subjects (See CJA Panel Attorney Resources: A Guide to Litigation Support Software & How to Obtain Resources in the CJA System).