Behind the scenes: Meet the Discovery Specialists team
Meet Logan McDougall
In each issue of our newsletter, we introduce a member of our team to share a bit about their role and what goes into making the discovery process run smoothly.
This time, we hear from Logan, a Senior Solicitor in our Discovery Specialists team. He shares insights into his role, how AI is enhancing the discovery process, the importance of getting document collection right from the outset, and, of course, a little about cricket.
Can you describe your role within the Discovery Specialists team and how it differs from your traditional solicitor work?
I’m a second-level reviewer in the Discovery Specialists team, which basically means I oversee the review process and support the team of first-level reviewers. I help coordinate reviewers, deal with client queries, work through tricky privilege calls, and sense-check the work to make sure we’re on the right track.
In my role as a Senior Solicitor, I’m more focused on the bigger picture, advising clients, shaping strategy, and being involved with the dispute from start to finish. Discovery is just one piece of that. The interesting part is that a lot of the same skills carry across, attention to detail, good judgment, and keeping things moving under pressure.
What have you noticed during the discovery process that has been improved with the use of AI?
The biggest shift is speed and efficiency. What used to take weeks of manual review can now be done much faster and more accurately with AI-assisted tools.
It’s also taken a lot of the grind out of the process, no more digging through endless hard copy files. Instead, we can focus on the documents that actually matter, which is better for both cost and outcomes.
You’re often involved in managing interactions with clients around document collection – why is this stage so important?
Collection really sets the tone for the whole discovery process. If you get it right early, everything that follows is smoother and more cost-effective.
It’s less about gathering everything and more about gathering the right documents. With the volume of emails, messages, and files clients now hold, it can get overwhelming quickly. Our role is to narrow that down by identifying key people, timeframes, and search terms, so we’re working smarter from the start.
You play a bit of cricket in your spare time, what skills from the cricket field translate best into the world of document discovery?
Probably adaptability, teamwork, and patience.
In cricket, conditions change all the time and you have to adjust your approach, discovery is pretty similar. You might start with one plan, but as you get deeper into the documents, things shift.
It’s also very much a team effort. You’re working with clients, counsel, reviewers, so everyone needs to be aligned.
And patience is key, both in cricket and discovery. You need to stay focused over long periods. Although I’d say the review team probably shows more patience than I do at the crease.
What’s your favourite cricket moment, either playing yourself or watching, and why does it stand out?
Watching the 2015 Cricket World Cup Semi-Final between New Zealand and South Africa live at Eden Park. The euphoria and raw emotion of 45,000 people after the "Hairy Javelin" (only the real fans will understand) hit a six to get us over the line in a nail-biting finish will be hard to top – unless, of course, we finally win a World Cup!