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Managing More than Just Facts with Case Dynamics

Liz Lieberman

For years attorneys have been managing case strategy and discovery across multiple platforms.

Their intention might have been to choose the best tool for each task, but the result has been some seriously disparate technology portfolios. It can be time-consuming and cumbersome to switch between software, and difficult to keep everyone on the same page.

To avoid these headaches, we developed an application within Relativity called Fact Manager. Included with every Relativity and RelativityOne license and available in the Relativity Community, the idea behind Fact Manager was to offer a solution that could go beyond the everyday tasks of review to focus on developing the story of a case, without forcing users to leave their e-discovery platform to do it.

A Developer’s Conundrum

Most who’ve heard of Fact Manager know its capabilities by its name: organizing the facts of a matter. Fact Manager enables users to synchronize information (the facts, issues, people, and so on) uncovered during review. It also allows members of the case team to access important information when they need it, and creates a single point of truth within Relativity for key case information.

Since the application was released in 2012, we’ve continued to add new functionality that assists with case management and case strategy. Most recently, we introduced Outlines and a new coding pane to make getting data into Fact Manager more in line with users’ natural thought processes.

Within the last year, Fact Manager has gained a lot of popularity not only because it’s free, but because users saw the value in conducting discovery and case strategy in one platform, with all of the supporting case documents.

There was only one problem. The name “Fact Manager” gave the perception that the application could only do one thing. We reached a point where the name represented only a single component of the application’s capabilities, and it hindered our ability to help it grow.

Managing a Moniker Change

We set out on a fact-finding mission (get it?) to better understand what current and prospective users thought of the application. We wanted to gather as much information about perceptions and workflows related to Fact Manager as we could while evaluating the name change. Our internal creative team conducted interviews with thought leaders, product experts, and Relativity users. From these interviews, a few themes emerged:

  • Words like “management” may not fully represent the application to those who would benefit most from using it
  • There's an opportunity to use language—like “case”—that feels more familiar to attorneys
  • There’s an opportunity to implement a unique product name in a way that scales and remains applicable as new features and functionality are developed

We had a lot of data and insights to review to make an informed rebrand decision. We started to track all the moving pieces of this decision in RelativityOne (yes, seriously—check out the screenshot below). As we reviewed and analyzed the information, we discovered that one name rose to the top: Case Dynamics.

Case Dynamics Rebrand Timeline in Relativity

“'Case Dynamics' represents what this suite of tools really does,” says JC Steinbrunner, Creative Director at Relativity. “It's a repository for the case theory, the attorney work product. It's all the thinking on a case, linked directly to the facts and documents of that case. And as the matter evolves or changes direction, these tools flex with it. We're pretty excited about it.”

The Case Dynamics name can also incorporate future functionality and operations related to attorney work product and case collaboration capabilities. We believe this new name opens the opportunity to grow the product in a flexible and compelling way, and no longer invites assumptions about its current or future capabilities being limited to fact management.

Case Dynamics also extends beyond Fact Manager; it’s an umbrella term for all our case strategy tools, including the latest addition to the case strategy toolbox: Transcripts. We want to make sure we offer a suite of capabilities aligned to the unique workflows of each user of the software, and we’ve been hard at work to deliver more capabilities for attorneys.

Getting Down to It

From identifying key facts and issues to case construction and knowledge management, RelativityOne ensures you’re well prepared to advocate your position. Here are ways attorneys and their teams are using Case Dynamics today:

  • Centralize case information: create a central repository of all the moving parts of your case, and keep your team informed and on the same page by quickly exporting shareable reports.
  • Get a live view into case development: as evidence is uncovered, you can easily connect documents with facts, issues, people, organizations, and interview questions to illuminate the intricacies of your case.
  • Craft your strategy: present a chronological progression of the facts with a customizable and interactive timeline that builds itself as you build your case.
  • Compare testimony with digital evidence: link transcript passages to supporting documents to see all pertinent information in one place, and categorize them as plaintiff or defendant to tie all the pieces of your case together.

Your review teams are already working in Relativity, and Case Dynamics allows your team to collaborate to connect discovery with case strategy and create efficiencies.

RelativityOne users will see the new name in an upcoming update. Don’t be alarmed: it will be the same functionality you know and love, only with a name that’s better suited for its capabilities.

Looking forward, we have plans to add video syncing to Transcripts as well as improve timeline capabilities in the coming months. Got an idea on how to improve Case Dynamics? Let us know by submitting an idea to the Relativity Community.

Join the Relativity Community to Access More Resources for the Platform


Liz Lieberman is a member of the product marketing team at Relativity, working closely with the product teams to understand customer needs and strengthen the platform.

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