Extract from Cat Casey’s article “How to Build an eDiscovery A-Team”
Is the first thing that you think of when you hear the phrase eDiscovery “the A-Team” or even the unrivaled Mr. T? Not so much? Perhaps it should be. EDiscovery teams at first appearance to be a far cry from the “crack commando unit” that starred in the quintessential eighties TV series, the A-Team. And yet, if you look at the slogan that these colorful soldiers of fortune lived by: “If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them…. maybe you can hire the A-Team,” you might see the two are not as different as they first appear. It’s plausible that even the most buttoned up case team can learn a thing or two from these retro renegades!
In this 80’s staple, the reboots from this millennia and despite a plot holier than Swiss cheese packed with a smorgasbord of big personalities ripe for potential conflict, the highly effective team is consistently able to mitigate conflict and rely on mutual specialization to bring even the most laughable or complex plan together. Sounds like exactly the type of outcome any case team would love to have on an eDiscovery matter!
What makes an A-Team?
One of the most iconic recurring lines from the epic 80’s masterpiece, the A-team is: “I love it when a plan comes together,” could easily be applied to the successful execution of an eDiscovery strategy on a case. Like Pavlov’s dog, every time I hear this phrase, I am immediately reminded of the gruff Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith, cigar hanging from his lips, commending the rag-tag team on yet again coming together, amplifying each other’s skills, and executing against even the most unfavorable odds. But what made this disparate team such a force to be reckoned with?
