Concordance - Detailed Review
Legal Tools
Concordance - Product Overview
Concordance Overview
Concordance, developed by LexisNexis, is a powerful tool specifically crafted for legal professionals to streamline the process of document review and management in legal proceedings.
Primary Function
Concordance is an electronic discovery, litigation document management, and litigation support tool. It is designed to help users efficiently identify, organize, analyze, and maintain case-critical information. This software is particularly useful for managing large volumes of data, ensuring accuracy, and saving valuable time in legal cases.
Target Audience
Concordance serves a wide range of businesses, including startups, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), mid-market firms, and enterprises. It is especially suited for small to mid-sized litigation cases, although there is also an enterprise version, Concordance Evolution, for larger and more complex cases.
Key Features
Here are some of the key features that make Concordance a valuable tool for legal professionals:
- Document Management: Allows users to organize, store, and work with various types of documents.
- Full Text Search: Features a fast and efficient search engine that speeds up the review process significantly.
- Data Import/Export: Supports the import and export of electronic documents, load files, and emails with a simple three-click process.
- Metadata Extraction: Extracts metadata from documents to aid in organization and analysis.
- Redaction and Annotations: Enables users to redact and annotate documents as needed.
- Collaboration Tools: Facilitates collaboration and sharing of documents across the firm or globally.
- Audit Trail and User Management: Provides an audit trail and role-based permissions to ensure security and control.
- Workflow Automation: Automates various workflows to enhance efficiency.
- OCR (Optical Character Recognition): Supports OCR to convert scanned documents into searchable text.
- Reporting/Analytics: Offers reporting and analytics tools to help in case management.
Concordance also integrates with other litigation tools such as CaseMap, Law PreDiscovery, and Sanction, and features a native viewer that allows users to view documents in their native state.
Conclusion
Overall, Concordance is a comprehensive solution that helps legal professionals manage their documents efficiently, ensuring accuracy and speed in the eDiscovery process.
Concordance - User Interface and Experience
User Interface of Concordance
The user interface of Concordance, a legal tool for electronic discovery and litigation document management, is crafted to be highly intuitive and user-friendly.
Intuitive Interface
Concordance features a simple and easy-to-use interface that allows litigation support professionals to manage and review large volumes of documents efficiently. The software provides a single screen for search, review, annotation, and organization, which helps save time and improves case organization.
Ease of Use
The interface is designed to be accessible even for those who may not be tech-savvy. Importing e-documents, such as PDFs, is a straightforward process that can be completed with just a few clicks. The drag-and-drop feature for appending documents and organizing folder structures based on tags (e.g., confidential documents, exhibit numbers) makes the process even more streamlined.
Search and Review Capabilities
Concordance includes a powerful and intuitive search engine that allows users to quickly locate key documents or evidence. Users can perform various types of searches, including Boolean, fuzzy, wild card, and relational searches, as well as concept searches with third-party integration. The software also provides persistent hit highlighting, making it easier to identify relevant information.
Customization and Accessibility
User settings can be customized based on individual preferences. The Concordance Native Viewer allows for near-native review and native document redaction, and it includes features like keyboard hotkeys for tasks such as copying, pasting, and rotating documents. This ensures that users can work efficiently without needing to move their hands away from the keyboard.
Collaboration and Remote Access
Concordance facilitates real-time collaboration through its FYI™ feature, which allows remote access to the database. This enables multiple parties, including co-counsel, clients, and expert witnesses, to collaborate and review evidence without compromising the integrity of the case data. The setup and administration are easy, and the software ensures state-of-the-art security for shared data.
Overall User Experience
Users have praised Concordance for its simplicity and ease of use. It has significantly improved the efficiency of document review and organization, making it a valuable tool for litigation support professionals. The software’s ability to handle large volumes of data, support foreign languages, and produce customized reports further enhances the user experience.
Conclusion
In summary, Concordance offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies the process of managing and reviewing legal documents, making it an effective and efficient tool for litigation support.
Concordance - Key Features and Functionality
Concordance Overview
Concordance, a legal tool offered by LexisNexis, is a comprehensive solution for managing and reviewing large volumes of documents during the eDiscovery process. Here are the main features and how they work:Document Import and Processing
Concordance allows users to import electronic documents, load files, and emails quickly and efficiently. The new version of Concordance Desktop can ingest load files directly without the need for advanced processing, significantly speeding up the import process. This feature enables litigators to get immediate access to eDiscovery documents, reducing the time and costs associated with eDiscovery.Search and Review Capabilities
Concordance features a powerful and intuitive search engine that enables users to locate key documents and evidence quickly. It supports various search types, including Boolean, fuzzy, wildcard, and relational searches, as well as concept searches with third-party integration. The search functionality includes persistent hit highlighting, allowing users to keep track of search results continuously. Users can also save and re-run searches across multiple databases simultaneously.Organization and Annotation
The software provides a highly intuitive user interface for organizing documents. Users can drag and drop files to create folder structures based on tags, exhibit numbers, witness lists, or review categories. Concordance also allows for single-screen access to search, review, annotation, and organization features, streamlining the workflow and saving time.Native Viewer and Document Redaction
The Concordance Native Viewer add-on tool enables near-native review and native document redaction. Users can produce color or grayscale productions, perform bulk printing, and use advanced production capabilities. This tool also supports keyboard hotkeys for tasks like copying, pasting, and rotating documents, enhancing efficiency.Foreign Language Support and Large Capacity
Concordance supports Unicode foreign character languages, allowing users to work with documents in multiple languages such as Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, and many European languages. The software can handle large databases, accommodating over 33 million records per database and searching more than 4 billion records at once.Collaboration and Reporting
Concordance facilitates collaborative case analysis with features like multi-level subject foldering and statistics to manage the preview process. It also includes a Report Wizard that creates formatted, customized reports for fact review and trial preparation, such as privilege logs, Q&A sets, annotations, and production history reports.Integration with Other Tools
Concordance integrates seamlessly with LAW PreDiscovery software, allowing users to create a Concordance Desktop database with just a few mouse clicks. This integration enhances the eDiscovery workflow by enabling the direct import of scanned paper documents and electronically processed files from LAW PreDiscovery into Concordance.AI Integration
While Concordance itself is not primarily an AI-driven tool, its efficiency and speed are significantly enhanced by automated processes. For example, the automatic optical character recognition (OCR) during import turns images into text, making documents searchable. However, it does not rely on AI for legal analysis or predictive analytics like some other legal tools do.Conclusion
In summary, Concordance is a powerful tool for managing and reviewing large volumes of documents in legal cases, focusing on efficiency, speed, and comprehensive search and organization capabilities. Concordance - Performance and Accuracy
Performance
Concordance is renowned for its efficient and powerful performance in managing and reviewing large volumes of documents, a critical task in litigation.
Speed and Efficiency
Concordance allows users to import, search, and organize documents quickly. It can handle high volumes of data, including scanned paper, email, and other electronic documents, making the review process up to 10 times faster.
Search Capabilities
The software features a fast and efficient search engine that supports various search types, including Boolean, fuzzy, wildcard, and relational searches, as well as concept searches with third-party integration. This enables users to pinpoint key evidence with confidence.
Database Capacity
Concordance can manage large databases, handling over 33 million records per database and searching more than 4 billion records at once. It also supports up to 2048 databases and can concatenate up to 128 databases for comprehensive searches.
Collaboration
The software facilitates real-time collaboration through Concordance FYI, allowing multiple parties, including remote offices, co-counsel, clients, and expert witnesses, to review evidence without compromising data integrity.
Accuracy
Accuracy is a paramount feature of Concordance, particularly in legal document management.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
Concordance automatically performs OCR during document import, converting images into searchable text. This feature enhances the accuracy of searches within PDFs and other scanned documents.
Document Integrity
The software maintains the original formatting, metadata, and hyperlinks of native documents, ensuring that the data remains accurate and intact throughout the review process.
Foreign Language Support
Concordance supports Unicode foreign character languages, enabling accurate review and analysis of documents in multiple languages, including Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, and Greek.
Security and Confidentiality
The software secures confidential data at various administrative levels, ensuring that sensitive information is protected while being shared internally and externally.
Limitations and Areas for Improvement
While Concordance is highly effective, there are some limitations and potential areas for improvement:
Database Limits
Although Concordance can manage a large number of databases (up to 2048), users may need to archive or use enterprise tools if this limit is exceeded.
System Requirements
The software has specific system requirements, such as compatibility with certain versions of Microsoft Windows and server configurations, which may need periodic updates to ensure optimal performance.
User Licensing
The licensing model, which includes Application and User Level licenses, can be complex and may require careful management to ensure the right level of access for different users.
Overall, Concordance demonstrates strong performance and accuracy in managing and reviewing legal documents, making it a valuable tool for litigation support professionals. However, users should be aware of the potential limitations and ensure they are managing their databases and licenses effectively.
Concordance - Pricing and Plans
Pricing Structure Overview
The pricing structure for Concordance, a legal tool for electronic discovery and litigation document management, is not explicitly outlined in the provided sources. However, here are some key points and available options that can help you make an informed decision:Licensing and User Roles
Concordance Desktop operates with different user level licenses, including Administrators, Full Reviewers, and Data Reviewers. Each role has specific permissions and access levels, but the pricing for these licenses is not detailed in the available sources.Bundled Pricing and Training
LexisNexis offers bundle pricing for Concordance, which includes various components such as on-site and online consulting, training for administrators, and follow-up user training. For example, on-site consulting and training can range from $1,650 to $2,500, depending on the type of training and whether it is on-site or online.No Free Tier Mentioned
Unlike some other software products, there is no mention of a free tier or trial period beyond the 30-day complimentary trial that is occasionally offered. This trial allows users to test the software with the Concordance Native Viewer add-on.Features Across Plans
While specific pricing tiers are not detailed, here are some features that are generally available across Concordance plans:Document Management
Import, search, review, organize, produce, and share documents, including scanned paper, email, and other electronic documents.Search and Organization
Fast and efficient search engine, categorization with folders, tags, and issues, and secure confidential data at various administrative levels.Integration
Integrates with other litigation technology, including tools like Concordance Native Viewer and FYI Serve.Collaboration
Real-time collaboration through Concordance FYI, allowing remote access and sharing with clients, co-counsel, and expert witnesses.Additional Services
Concordance also offers additional services such as webinars, on-site sessions, and expert training, which can be priced separately. For instance, a two-hour webinar can cost $500, and a four-hour on-site session can cost $1,000 plus travel expenses.Contact for Pricing Information
Given the lack of explicit pricing tiers in the sources, it is recommended to contact LexisNexis directly for a detailed pricing structure and to discuss specific needs and bundle options. You can reach out through their provided contact information, such as the email address concordancesales@lexisnexis.com or by calling 800.421.TEXT. Concordance - Integration and Compatibility
Integration with Other Tools
Concordance is compatible with several industry-leading technologies and tools, including:
- CaseMap®: This integration allows for comprehensive case analysis and organization.
- CloudNine™ LAW: Facilitating the transfer and management of data between these platforms.
- Sanction® version 2.9: Ensuring compatibility with this specific version of Sanction.
- Microsoft Excel®: Allowing users to import and export data using Excel, which can be particularly useful for reporting and analysis.
Additionally, Concordance can integrate with other litigation technology tools, such as LAW PreDiscovery® software, enabling the direct transfer of scanned paper documents and electronically processed files for detailed review.
Compatibility Across Platforms and Devices
Concordance is primarily designed to operate on Microsoft Windows environments, including:
- Windows 7
- Windows Server 2003
- Windows Server 2008 SP2
- Windows Server 2008 R2
It does not have native compatibility with other operating systems like macOS or Linux, but it can be accessed remotely through the Concordance FYI™ platform. This allows authorized users to access and review documents from any location, using a web-based interface that mimics the desktop experience.
Database Compatibility and Management
Concordance manages databases efficiently, with the capability to handle up to 2048 databases. However, for older database versions, there is no backwards compatibility with the latest version (Concordance 10.x). Databases from versions 7.x, 8.x, or 9.x need to be converted to version 10.x to be accessible in the newer software.
Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)
Concordance also supports Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE), which allows it to communicate with other applications through programmed commands. This feature is particularly useful for experienced programmers who need to automate tasks or integrate Concordance with custom applications.
Conclusion
In summary, Concordance offers extensive integration with various legal and productivity tools, ensuring it remains a versatile and effective solution for litigation support professionals. Its compatibility is primarily focused on Windows environments, but remote access capabilities extend its reach across different locations and devices.
Concordance - Customer Support and Resources
Concordance Customer Support
Concordance, a legal tool offered by LexisNexis, provides several comprehensive customer support options and additional resources to ensure users get the most out of their investment.Technical Support
Concordance offers technical support exclusively to customers who are current on their subscription. This support is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET. Users can contact the technical support team via a toll-free number at 866-495-2397 or by emailing concordancesupport@lexisnexis.com. When reaching out, it is helpful to have detailed information ready, such as a problem description, software version, error messages, operating system details, and web browser version.Support Center Web Site
LexisNexis provides a dedicated support center website for Concordance users. This site offers a wide range of resources, including product documentation, links to software updates and downloads, self-help guides, and additional educational materials. Users can access this support center at http://law.lexisnexis.com/concordance/customer-support.Professional Services
For issues that fall outside the standard support scope, such as database design, data conversions, or custom programming, Concordance’s professional services team can assist. This may involve partnering with a local consultant for an additional fee. Users can set up a free, half-hour initial consultation by contacting concordancetraining@lexisnexis.com.Obsolescence Policy
Technical support for Concordance products covers the current release and, generally, two prior major releases. Users must upgrade to the latest release to continue receiving technical support for their version of the software. For a list of obsolete products, users can contact technical support at concordancesupport@lexisnexis.com.Software Updates and Releases
Concordance software support customers receive regular updates, including major product releases and minor incremental updates, without additional cost. These updates include full-version upgrades, intermediate software updates, and “hot fixes”.Additional Resources
Concordance integrates with various other litigation tools, such as Concordance Native Viewer, FYI Server, CaseMap, Law PreDiscovery, and Sanction. The Concordance Answer Center is another resource available, providing further assistance and information. By leveraging these support options and resources, users of Concordance can effectively manage and analyze their litigation data, ensuring they maximize the benefits of the software. Concordance - Pros and Cons
Advantages of Concordance
Concordance, a litigation document management and electronic discovery tool, offers several significant advantages for legal professionals:Efficient Document Management
Powerful Search Capabilities
Automation and Time Savings
Collaboration and Accessibility
Customization and Flexibility
Advanced Reporting and Production
Security and Compliance
Disadvantages of Concordance
While Concordance is a powerful tool, there are some potential drawbacks to consider:System Requirements
Learning Curve for Advanced Features
Cost
Compatibility Issues
Concordance - Comparison with Competitors
When comparing Concordance, a litigation document management and electronic discovery tool, with its competitors, several key features and differences stand out.
Concordance Key Features
- Concordance is known for its ability to hold documents of all types, including a fast and efficient search engine, and categorization using folders, tags, and issues.
- It secures confidential data at various administrative levels and integrates with other litigation technology tools.
- It offers remote access, minimal system requirements, and features like OCR (Optical Character Recognition) for documents and email import.
- The latest release includes features such as persistent search, an updated e-document import wizard, and native production capabilities.
Alternatives and Competitors
Logikcull
- Logikcull is highly recommended by users, with 96% recommending it. It automates e-discovery projects, facilitates quick document review, and offers free unlimited data uploads, processing, and hosting. However, users have noted some technical issues with third-party documentation.
Nextpoint
- Nextpoint is a cloud-based software that automates e-discovery projects. It offers features like unlimited data uploads, processing, hosting, OCR, imaging, and productions. It is suitable for legal teams of all sizes and helps in quick document review.
Relativity
- Relativity is another strong competitor, originally designed to streamline manual document review. It now includes AI features for case strategy, contract review, and analysis. Relativity’s aiR helps in identifying key documents and provides recommendations and predictions.
Nuix Workstation
- Nuix Workstation is a powerful tool for processing, searching, and visualizing large amounts of data. It turns chaotic information into actionable insights with high efficiency and accuracy. It is particularly useful for complex data analysis and investigations.
Discovery Attender
- Discovery Attender is an e-discovery tool that searches, collects, and analyzes electronic data across various platforms. It simplifies data management and supports defensible disposition for organizations. It offers seamless export options to leading case management review tools.
Unique Features of Concordance
- Customization and Integration: Concordance stands out with its ability to integrate with various tools like Concordance Native Viewer, FYI Server, CaseMap, and Law PreDiscovery. It also allows for customized user settings based on user preferences.
- Security and Accessibility: Concordance provides strong security features for confidential data and offers remote access, making it convenient for use both in the courtroom and while traveling.
- Advanced Search and Organization: It features persistent search capabilities, the ability to find attachments easily, and an updated e-document import wizard, which enhances the efficiency of document management.
Potential Alternatives
If you are looking for alternatives that offer similar functionalities but with different strengths, here are some options:
- Consilio Sightline: This is an end-to-end legal services and technology platform that integrates multiple capabilities to drive efficient outcomes and reduce client risk. It is comprehensive but may be more suited to larger-scale operations.
- h4: This software leverages AI and human expertise for precise and efficient data management. It is particularly useful for streamlining document review and enhancing compliance.
- ISYS Search Software: Known for its advanced search capabilities and intuitive user interface, ISYS Search Software is good for quickly finding relevant information across various documents and databases.
Each of these alternatives has its unique features and may better suit specific needs depending on the scale and complexity of the litigation cases you are handling.
Concordance - Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions about Concordance
What is Concordance and what is it used for?
Concordance is a powerful tool designed for legal professionals to manage and review large volumes of documents efficiently. It streamlines the process of organizing, searching, and analyzing data, ensuring accuracy and saving valuable time in legal proceedings.
How does Concordance handle document import and OCR?
Concordance allows you to import e-documents, such as PDFs, with just a few clicks. During the import process, it automatically performs optical character recognition (OCR), turning images into text for review. This process is significantly faster than before, and you can scale to increase performance using your computer resources.
What search capabilities does Concordance offer?
Concordance includes a powerful and intuitive search engine that allows you to pinpoint key evidence with confidence. You can perform Boolean, fuzzy, wild card, and relational searches, as well as concept searches with third-party integration. It also features persistent hit highlighting and the ability to save and re-run searches on up to 128 databases simultaneously.
Can Concordance manage email and electronic documents?
Yes, Concordance is equipped to handle email and other electronic documents efficiently. It includes email and document wizards that make it simple to import e-documents while keeping the original formatting, metadata, and hyperlinks. It also maintains parent-child relationships between emails and their attachments.
What collaboration and organization features does Concordance offer?
Concordance provides a highly intuitive user interface for easy navigation, resulting in greater efficiency and improved case organization. It offers single-screen access to search, review, annotation, and organization features. Users can organize tags in hierarchical groups, manage the preview process, and track changes to document tags.
Does Concordance support foreign language documents?
Yes, Concordance supports documents in various foreign languages through Unicode™ foreign character language support. This includes languages such as Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, Greek, and many European languages.
What reporting and analytics capabilities are available in Concordance?
Concordance allows you to produce formatted, customized reports for fact review and trial preparation. The Report Wizard can generate numerous reports, including privilege logs, Q&A sets, annotations, and production history reports. Additionally, it offers various analytics features to help manage and review documents effectively.
How does Concordance handle document redaction and production?
Concordance includes the Native Viewer add-on tool, which enables near-native review and native document redaction. You can produce color or grayscale productions, perform bulk printing, and use advanced production capabilities. It also allows for the creation of native file productions with excluded file types viewable as placeholders.
What kind of customer support does Concordance offer?
While the specific details of customer support are not outlined in the provided sources, it is generally expected that Concordance, being a product of LexisNexis, would offer standard customer support options such as technical support, training resources, and possibly online forums or support tickets.
Who are the primary users of Concordance?
Concordance serves a wide range of businesses, including startups, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), mid-market companies, and enterprises. It is primarily used by litigation support professionals, with over 70,000 users.
What are the primary competitors of Concordance?
The primary competitors of Concordance include Nextpoint, Digital WarRoom, and Servient E-Discovery Platform. These tools offer similar features and functionalities in the e-discovery and document management space.
Concordance - Conclusion and Recommendation
Final Assessment of Concordance
Concordance, a product offered by LexisNexis, is a comprehensive eDiscovery and document management tool that is highly beneficial for legal professionals, particularly those involved in litigation.Key Features and Benefits
- Document Management: Concordance allows users to import, search, organize, and share large volumes of documents, including scanned papers, emails, and PDFs. It supports optical character recognition (OCR) to convert images into searchable text.
- Advanced Search Capabilities: The software features powerful search engines that enable users to perform Boolean, fuzzy, wildcard, and relational searches, as well as concept searches. It also provides persistent hit highlighting and the ability to save and re-run searches across multiple databases.
- Collaboration and Accessibility: Concordance facilitates collaboration by allowing users to share case data with co-counsel and others. It also enables access to information from anywhere, making it convenient for remote work.
- Foreign Language Support: The tool supports Unicode foreign character languages, making it useful for multinational cases involving documents in languages such as Chinese, Russian, Japanese, and more.
- Reporting and Analytics: Concordance includes a Report Wizard that helps in creating formatted, customized reports for fact review and trial preparation. It also offers various reporting and analytics features to aid in case management.
Who Would Benefit Most
Concordance is particularly beneficial for:- Litigation Support Professionals: Given its ability to manage high volumes of documents, perform advanced searches, and facilitate collaboration, it is highly useful for paralegals, legal assistants, and other litigation support staff.
- Law Firms: Small, medium, and large law firms can benefit from Concordance’s cost-efficient and effective document management capabilities, which help in streamlining the discovery process and reducing costs associated with outsourcing.
- In-House Legal Departments: Companies considering bringing eDiscovery in-house can leverage Concordance to gain better control over their data management processes, ensure compliance with data protection regulations, and enhance the efficiency of their legal operations.