Documents

The legal document record keeps a title, file, revision, privilege state, content hash and approver on the matter. The production record names the document handed to another party, the recipient, production date, authorization reference and production hash. The reviewer uses the document revision and retained authorization evidence to identify the file approved for a recipient. The production record then preserves the recipient, authorization reference and hash of what was sent.

Imagine that counsel must disclose a filing exhibit. The Document Reviewer opens the document record, checks the current revision and privilege state, and confirms the content hash for the file. The reviewer identifies the authorized recipient and the exact revision before production. After delivery, the production record preserves the recipient and hash; the approved revision and actual recipient receipt remain in the matter evidence. A later revision does not rewrite the history of what was sent.

• Working document. The document record holds the file and the revision and privilege context used during review.
• Disclosure. The production record names the recipient, authorization reference and production hash.
• Matter evidence. Attachments and timeline records keep supporting material close to the matter.

Agree how the firm numbers revisions and when a changed file requires a new revision. Define the privilege review practice, including who may mark a document privileged or not privileged and who records the approver. The content hash should be taken from the file actually reviewed. Decide what constitutes authorization for production and how its reference is recorded so another reviewer can trace it.

Agree where delivery takes place. A file delivery system can be connected, but the matter record should retain the real recipient receipt. Establish how the team handles an erroneous or canceled production request. Once a recipient has received a file, a later correction must preserve that original disclosure and the follow-up action. It cannot be treated as an edit to an unexecuted draft.

Take a legal document in Unreviewed state and ask the Document Reviewer to inspect its file, revision and privilege. Record the decision and identify the approved revision. Request a production to a named recipient and confirm that authorization is specific to that revision and recipient. After delivery, check the production hash, production date and retained recipient receipt on the matter.

Then replace the working file with a new revision and repeat the lookup. The team should still find the earlier production, its hash and the retained revision evidence to explain what the recipient received. Rehearse a Privileged document as well: the reviewer should stop disclosure until the firm has resolved that state through its approval practice. This is the practical test of the review boundary.

• Documents awaiting privilege review — Unreviewed files with revision and hash for the reviewer.
• Completed productions — Disclosure history by matter, document and recipient.

See document production and the data model.