Extract from Justin Smith’s article “Ediscovery Costs in 2026”
As the amount of discoverable data and electronically stored information (ESI) grows and the complexity of file types increases, the tools needed to meet and anticipate these challenges also must adapt. 2026 presents an opportunity to take advantage of new technologies in an effort to reduce costs and process data faster than ever before.
Managing ediscovery costs has become a hot topic amongst legal teams. In 2026, the ediscovery market size is expected to grow to over $16 billion, and could reach over $25 billion in the next five years.
There’s hardly any guidance from courts regarding skyrocketing prices, and many firms have been forced to pass rising costs on to their clients as a result. Although there’s hope that generative AI will help bring down costs by performing tasks like document review and batch summarization, the reality of it being consistently relied upon is still a ways off, not to mention the cost that will be associated with using the technology in its own right.
