H5 Granted Patent for Technology-Assisted Review

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, November 10, 2012 (Press-News.org) H5, a leading provider of technology-assisted review and e-discovery services, has patented its process for "high recall and high precision relevancy searching." Granted by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, patent number 8,296,309 covers aspects of H5's unique deterministic technology-assisted review. H5 has used the patented methods and systems to help some of the largest and most respected corporations and law firms accurately and cost-effectively address their e-discovery needs.

The patent covers H5's method for generating and iteratively refining relevance rules used as complex search queries to find relevant documents. Based on direction from counsel and informed by review of example documents, relevance rules are populated with linguistic search terms and iteratively refined to increase accuracy. The resulting system is capable of reliably identifying relevant documents with exceptionally high accuracy (i.e., simultaneously high recall and high precision, the two key metrics for measuring the accuracy of any search or review process).

H5 methods and systems covered by the patent are a form of deterministic or "rules-based" technology-assisted review. Rules-based systems, by definition, follow explicit rules for categorizing documents as relevant or not relevant. Unlike machine-learning approaches, such as predictive coding, which rely on predictive and probabilistic algorithms, deterministic methods use explicit rules that provide transparent visibility into the reason for document decisions and are highly controllable ensuring consistency and reliability. As a result, rules-based technology-assisted review is a natural fit for applications where defensibility and process integrity are paramount, such as in litigation responsiveness and production reviews.

The issuance of H5's patent comes at a time when the legal industry is at a crossroads. Traditional manual document review processes, typically the most expensive parts of any litigation, can no longer keep up with the nearly unfettered growth in electronic documents often implicated in litigation today. Not surprisingly, legal professionals are turning to H5's technology-assisted review service and realizing substantial efficiencies and cost reductions as compared to traditional methods.

"Our technology-assisted review services, which are delivered under the direction of counsel, provide a true alternative and replacement to first-pass manual document review. Our patented method strengthens our competitive advantage in providing industry-leading services that enable our clients to gain their own advantage in litigation while controlling costs," said Jeff Kangas, executive managing director.

H5, a leading provider of technology-assisted review and e-discovery services, is dedicated to finding information that clients need to win cases, meet regulatory requirements and address risks before they become liabilities. By combining advanced technologies with expertise in search and information analysis, H5 delivers customized solutions to help corporations and law firms meet their legal discovery, compliance and information management objectives. Numerous independent studies have proven H5's approach delivers greater cost savings and more accurate results than any alternative. See http://www.H5.com for more information.