eDiscovery Administrator

Permissions

• Manager Permissions - ALL permissions of eDiscovery Manager (cases, searches, holds, review sets, analytics, predictive coding)
• All Cases Access - View, access, and manage ALL eDiscovery cases across entire organization (no case isolation limits)
• Global Settings - Configure organization-wide eDiscovery settings: analytics preferences, OCR settings, search permissions
• Global Workflows - Manage custodian workflows and legal hold notification templates globally
• Hold Reports - Access hold report (Premium) to view all holds across all cases tenant-wide
• Case Management - Add, remove, or modify members in ANY case (including cases created by other managers)
• Case Deletion - Delete and close any eDiscovery case regardless of who created it
• Case Override - Override case permissions and access privileged attorney-client materials in all cases
• Indexing Management - Manage advanced indexing settings and reprocessing jobs organization-wide
• Role Management - Configure eDiscovery role groups and assign eDiscovery permissions to other users
• Activity Reports - View and export comprehensive eDiscovery activity reports and analytics across all cases
• Troubleshooting - Troubleshoot and resolve eDiscovery issues across all cases and investigations
• Storage Management - Manage eDiscovery storage quotas, limits, and performance optimization
• Orphaned Cases - Access abandoned or orphaned cases when original managers leave organization

Common use cases

• General Counsel or Chief Legal Officer requiring oversight of all legal matters and litigation
• Centralized eDiscovery operations center managing all legal discovery across organization
• Emergency access to critical cases when original case manager is unavailable or has left company
• Compliance audits of eDiscovery activities and legal hold compliance across all cases
• Managing global eDiscovery program: templates, processes, best practices, training
• Troubleshooting complex eDiscovery issues across multiple cases or custodians
• Providing hold reports to executive leadership on litigation risk and preservation status
• Managing eDiscovery during organizational restructuring, mergers, or acquisitions
• Coordinating with outside counsel on high-stakes litigation requiring cross-case visibility
• Ensuring consistent eDiscovery practices and quality control across legal team

Best practices

• Limit eDiscovery Administrator role to 1-2 senior legal leaders maximum (General Counsel, eDiscovery Director)
• Use eDiscovery Administrator primarily for oversight, emergency access, and global settings - NOT day-to-day case work
• Implement formal approval workflows and justification for accessing other managers' cases
• Regularly audit eDiscovery Administrator activities using Advanced Audit logs
• Maintain strict confidentiality and privilege protection across all accessed cases
• Document business justification for any cross-case access in compliance records
• Use this role to establish organization-wide eDiscovery standards, templates, and policies
• Conduct quarterly hold reports to identify stale holds and reduce preservation costs
• Review eDiscovery Manager assignments periodically and remove unnecessary access
• Establish ethical walls procedures for cases with conflicts of interest
• Use Privileged Identity Management (PIM) for just-in-time activation of this highly privileged role
• Separate eDiscovery Administrator from IT admin roles to maintain attorney-client privilege
• Create playbooks and runbooks for common eDiscovery scenarios to ensure consistency
• Monitor eDiscovery storage consumption and archive/delete old cases to manage costs
• Provide training and mentorship to eDiscovery Managers on best practices

Security considerations

• HIGHEST RISK eDiscovery role - can access ALL investigations and privileged attorney-client materials
• Cross-case access can create conflicts of interest - establish ethical walls and Chinese walls
• Must maintain absolute attorney-client privilege and confidentiality across all accessed matters
• Should NEVER be combined with IT admin roles to preserve privilege and work product protections
• All activities are permanently logged in Advanced Audit - subject to external audit and oversight
• Access to multiple cases simultaneously increases insider threat risk - monitor closely
• Exported data across multiple cases must follow strict chain of custody and encryption
• Hold report access reveals litigation strategy and risk - protect from unauthorized disclosure
• Can delete cases and destroy evidence - establish approval workflows for case deletion
• REQUIRED to use Privileged Identity Management (PIM) for just-in-time activation
• Should have segregated user account (admin account vs daily work account)
• MFA and conditional access required - consider location-based access restrictions
• Annual ethics training and confidentiality agreements required
• May be called as witness in litigation if accessing cases - document all justifications

Common questions