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What does a document review attorney do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read

A Document Review Attorney reviews various types of legal documents, such as contract and employment law, intellectual property, and commercial litigation, to identify any areas of risk or information that may need correction.

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Document review attorney responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real document review attorney resumes:

  • Advise client in requirements to achieve and maintain critical FCPA compliance.
  • Manage privilege log development (including extensive line drafting) and final production processes consistent with technical litigation requirements.
  • Complete electronic discovery review and analyze whether the documents are responsive, privilege or non responsive for pending products liability litigation
  • Draft claims of invalidity, injunctions, and appeals.
  • Support litigation teams on various matters, including antitrust and DOJ investigations.
  • Examine discovery production to determine compliance with HIPAA and make redactions when appropriate.
  • Conduct delinquent tax sales and resolve tax issues resulting from redemption or appeals pursuant to tax sales.
  • Perform review of breach of contract, business acquisition, antitrust, DOJ, and biotech patent litigation cases.
  • Select to be part of a small, elite team to perform two levels of quality control (QC).
  • Limit practice in the area of general civil and plaintiff's personal injury litigation, probate, wills and trusts.
  • Broaden knowledge and skills involving contract interpretation, securities issuance, bond finance and accounting principles, and tax issue analysis.
  • Design and implement logical QC procedures.
  • Perform document review using Ringtail software.
  • Participate in large online document review project using concordance.
  • Conduct document review for corporations under anti-trust investigation by FTC.

Document review attorney skills and personality traits

We calculated that 32% of Document Review Attorneys are proficient in Litigation, Complex Litigation, and E-Discovery Software. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Problem-solving skills, and Research skills.

We break down the percentage of Document Review Attorneys that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Litigation, 32%

    Reviewed and analyzed documents for discovery in a corporate litigation case and a large patent infringement case using Relativity platform.

  • Complex Litigation, 7%

    Performed accurate and reliable review and assessment of large volumes of complex litigation documents related to a government investigation.

  • E-Discovery Software, 6%

    Utilized e-discovery software platform to efficiently review documents in accordance with rules of evidence.

  • Law Firm, 6%

    Performed first-level electronic document review for large law firm representing a major corporation involved in a contract dispute using Viewpoint software.

  • QC, 5%

    Performed necessary review procedures to determine relevancy, responsiveness, confidentiality and privilege, including QC and POD Leader functions.

  • Attorney-Client Privilege, 5%

    Document review of a shareholder derivative suit for responsiveness, confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, attorney-work product and various issue tagging.

Most document review attorneys use their skills in "litigation," "complex litigation," and "e-discovery software" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential document review attorney responsibilities here:

Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a document review attorney to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what document review attorneys do because "lawyers interpret the law as it applies to their client’s case." Additionally, a document review attorney resume shows how document review attorneys use analytical skills: "completed electronic discovery review and analyzed whether the documents were responsive, privileged or non responsive for pending products liability litigation"

Problem-solving skills. Another essential skill to perform document review attorney duties is problem-solving skills. Document review attorneys responsibilities require that "lawyers must evaluate information to propose viable solutions, mediate disputes, and reach agreements or settlements for their clients." Document review attorneys also use problem-solving skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "participated in decision-making process regarding choosing a new litigation support software solution for the firm. "

Research skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of document review attorneys is research skills. This skill is critical to many everyday document review attorney duties, as "lawyers need to find laws and regulations that apply to a specific matter in order to provide appropriate legal advice for their clients." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided litigation support including research and writing for ongoing, complex litigation. "

Most common document review attorney skills

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Compare different document review attorneys

Document review attorney vs. Lawyer

A lawyer is a legal practitioner who specializes in understanding and interpreting laws and other legal matters. Their responsibilities revolve around providing legal counseling and advice, representing clients in different kinds of court proceedings, conducting research, collecting evidence, and coordinating with various experts. A lawyer must also manage and oversee the performance of assistants, paralegals, and other team members. Furthermore, there are instances when a lawyer must draft or manage documents such as contracts, trusts, deeds, and wills, assisting clients as needed.

If we compare the average document review attorney annual salary with that of a lawyer, we find that lawyers typically earn a $34,627 higher salary than document review attorneys make annually.Even though document review attorneys and lawyers are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require litigation, law firm, and intellectual property in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a document review attorney are more likely to require skills like "complex litigation," "e-discovery software," "qc," and "attorney-client privilege." On the other hand, a job as a lawyer requires skills like "real estate," "legal research," "civil law," and "legal advice." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

The education levels that lawyers earn slightly differ from document review attorneys. In particular, lawyers are 8.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a document review attorney. Additionally, they're 33.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Document review attorney vs. Bankruptcy specialist

The bankruptcy specialist is responsible for filing and documentation loan bankruptcy materials with the appropriate attorneys. They ensure full compliance with loan bankruptcy regulations and monitor accounts throughout the loan bankruptcy process to contact the appropriate party when necessary. A bankruptcy specialist might be an administrator or lawyer in a bankruptcy office and supports bankruptcy law. They are likely to evaluate state declaration and affidavits for legal progression, interact with customers and outside counsel about bankruptcy proceedings through written and verbal communication, and work with local counsel and upper management in effectively reviewing client's files.

Bankruptcy specialist positions earn lower pay than document review attorney roles. They earn a $45,683 lower salary than document review attorneys per year.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that document review attorney responsibilities requires skills like "complex litigation," "e-discovery software," "law firm," and "qc." But a bankruptcy specialist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "relief," "pacer," "foreclosure," and "msp."

On average, bankruptcy specialists earn a lower salary than document review attorneys. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, bankruptcy specialists earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $47,222. Whereas document review attorneys have higher pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $99,404.In general, bankruptcy specialists achieve similar levels of education than document review attorneys. They're 1.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 33.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Document review attorney vs. Litigation associate

A Litigation Associate offers legal advice for individuals involved in lawsuits and represents them in court. They prepare pleading, collect evidence, defend depositions, and manage the client database.

On average, litigation associates earn higher salaries than document review attorneys, with a $30,935 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on document review attorneys and litigation associates resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "litigation," "complex litigation," and "law firm.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a document review attorney is likely to be skilled in "e-discovery software," "qc," "attorney-client privilege," and "privilege logs," while a typical litigation associate is skilled in "legal research," "discovery motions," "insurance coverage," and "pre-trial motions."

Litigation associates earn the highest salary when working in the professional industry, where they receive an average salary of $151,203. Comparatively, document review attorneys have the highest earning potential in the professional industry, with an average salary of $99,404.When it comes to education, litigation associates tend to earn similar degree levels compared to document review attorneys. In fact, they're 2.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 4.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Document review attorney vs. Legal counsel

A Legal Counsel supervises the legal aspects of a business. They give accurate and timely counsel to executives on a variety of legal topics, such as labor law, partnerships, or international ventures.

Legal counsels typically earn higher pay than document review attorneys. On average, legal counsels earn a $51,686 higher salary per year.While their salaries may vary, document review attorneys and legal counsels both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "litigation," "intellectual property," and "legal issues. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between document review attorneys and legal counsels, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a document review attorney might have more use for skills like "complex litigation," "e-discovery software," "law firm," and "qc." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of legal counsels require skills like "legal advice," "legal support," "legal risks," and "legal research. "

Legal counsels enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $159,575. For comparison, document review attorneys earn the highest salary in the professional industry.legal counsels reach higher levels of education compared to document review attorneys, in general. The difference is that they're 5.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 18.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of document review attorney

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.