Collection Tasks - Best Practice

[Meredith_D_]

I am new to Clearwell and this is my first time seeing the forum so I am very new to this method of seeking information.  I'd like to get feedback on best practice for setting up collection tasks.  I'm not finding what I need in the Clearwell documentation and I am wondering if maybe other users could share how they set up tasks?  Currently, we are setting up the collections by case/matter.  If the matter is Doe v. Co., then I create a collection for "Doe v. Co." and all of the collection tasks for that matter are scheduled under that collection "folder"/container.  During a support call yesterday, I was made aware of another way to set up collections which makes a lot of sense to me as well so I am trying to determine best practice for the long run.  I learned that instead of creating a matter-specific collection, the collection could be more task-specific like "Johnny Depp's - Email Archive".  The collection task wouldn't be tied to a case/matter at this point.  I can see how this would prevent duplicating efforts.  Currently, if we have two matters with a shared custodian, I am creating two separate collection tasks to collect the same data.  I am hopeful that my question and scenario makes sense because I am not as familiar with the lingo as I would like to be and I still have so much to learn.  Ultimately, I am trying to make sure that we are setting up the collections/collection tasks in the most effective way.  Suggestions would be much appreciated.  Thank you!

[Liam_Finn1 · Accepted solution]

I think both options have merit.

It depends on your internal process which you choose. Individual collections should be tied to the case because if it is not linked to the case then you cant get case level reporting.

I prefer to collect different sources as separate tasks as it is more granular and allows you detailed reporting on the content collected and it is easier to manage

Lumping all under a single collection can make it easier but it has never been my preferred way to collect data. I prefer to separate the content.

It is rare that you would need to collect the same criteria from the same custodian for different matters. Also if you collect today but get a new case next week you need to collect again as your collection is outdated. Last weeks collection may not stand up to scrutiny so a fresh collection per matter makes sense.

If you have specific questions please feel free to ask and I will do my best to supply you with direct answers