The Hidden Costs of Not Using Technology-Assisted Review

Are you still relying on manual document review during litigation? Many legal teams do, even though it often leads to higher costs, slower results, and greater risk of error.

Technology-assisted review offers a faster, more accurate way to manage growing volumes of data in legal matters. Yet some firms still avoid it, not realizing the long-term impact. Today we're taking a closer look into the hidden costs of skipping technology-assisted review and why adopting smarter tools is no longer optional.

Benefits of Technology-Assisted Review

Technology-assisted review, or TAR, is a method that helps legal teams manage document review faster and with fewer errors. It uses computer learning to sort through large sets of data based on how humans classify sample documents.

There are three primary reasons to use technology-assisted review:

• It improves the speed of document review
• It lowers the risk of human error
• It helps manage large data sets more effectively

It Improves the Speed of Document Review

TAR learns from human reviewers by looking at sample documents. After that, it applies the same decisions to the remaining documents.

It allows teams to move much faster than if they were reading everything by hand. It reduces the amount of labor needed and makes the process more predictable.

It Lowers the Risk of Human Error

When people review thousands of documents, mistakes can happen. Fatigue and time pressure can cause even the best reviewers to miss something important.

TAR applies the same rules to all documents, which helps create more consistent results and fewer mistakes.

It Helps Manage Large Data Sets More Effectively

As the number of electronic records grows, it becomes harder to keep up. TAR helps sort and rank documents based on relevance, which lets teams focus on what matters most. Without this technology, legal teams risk spending too much time and money on documents that may not even be useful.

The Time Sink of Manual Review

Many firms still use manual review, thinking it's the safer or more reliable path. But this method often slows the process down and leads to mistakes.

There are three main problems with manual review:

• It takes too long to complete
• It increases the risk of human error
• It adds delays that affect the entire legal process

It Takes Too Long to Complete

Manual review is slow because people must read each document by hand. It becomes a problem when dealing with thousands or even millions of files.

The more time it takes, the higher the cost. Delays can hold up case progress and make it harder to meet court deadlines.

It Increases the Risk of Human Error

Even skilled reviewers can miss things when they're tired or rushed. Working through piles of documents increases the chance of mistakes.

One overlooked item can affect the outcome of a case. With no tech to help flag issues, quality suffers.

It Adds Delays That Affect the Entire Legal Process

When manual review takes too long, the entire legal timeline slows down. It impacts how quickly a team can respond, prepare, and move forward.

Delays like these can frustrate clients and hurt a firm's reputation. Manual review may seem thorough, but it often causes more problems than it solves.

Financial Impact of Avoiding Technology-assisted Review

Avoiding technology-assisted review may seem like a way to save money, but it often does the opposite. When firms skip TAR, they must rely on large teams to handle document review.

It means paying more attorneys or contract reviewers by the hour. These extra hours can add up fast, especially on complex cases. Firms end up billing more, but not always for work that adds much value.

Without TAR, quality control becomes harder to manage. Reviewers may miss documents or mislabel them, forcing teams to go back and fix mistakes.

It creates more work and stretches out project timelines. Mistakes can also hurt a case and lead to even bigger financial problems down the line.

Clients expect legal teams to use the right tools to save time and money. When costs go up without a clear reason, trust can break down.

Clients want efficient service and smart planning. If they feel their legal team isn't using modern tools like ediscovery technology, they may take their business elsewhere.

Risk of Errors and Missed Documents

Skipping technology-assisted review doesn't just cost more time and money. There are three main reasons why error risk increases without TAR:

• Human reviewers can miss important details
• Results are less consistent without technology
• Missed documents can lead to serious legal trouble

Human Reviewers Can Miss Important Details

When teams work through long lists of documents, it's easy to lose focus. Reviewers may rush, feel tired, or get distracted.

It leads to skipped pages or overlooked facts. TAR doesn't get tired. It uses what it learns from human reviewers and applies it across the entire data set. That reduces the chance of missing something important.

Results Are Less Consistent Without Technology

Without TAR, each reviewer brings their own judgment. This creates gaps in how documents are labeled or sorted.

One reviewer might mark something as relevant while another does not. This kind of inconsistency can create confusion during review. TAR applies the same logic each time, which helps legal teams stay consistent.

Missed Documents Can Lead to Serious Legal Trouble

If a legal team fails to produce a key document, the results can be costly. Courts may issue sanctions or question the strength of the case.

Clients may lose trust in the firm. TAR helps avoid this by catching patterns and surfacing content that might get buried in a manual review. That can make a big difference in the outcome of a case.

Efficiency in Legal Tech

Technology-assisted review helps reduce errors, improve speed, and meet client expectations.

At Reveal, we give legal teams the tools to take control of eDiscovery from start to finish. Our AI-driven platform includes reusable models, generative AI, and smart automation that speed up review and cut costs. Every part of our system is built for fast, accurate insight-because time and budget both matter.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help with your TAR.