Setting up a document review team: first level, second level and privilege review

Short answer: A document review team has first level reviewers who code documents against a protocol, second level reviewers for borderline cases and privilege review, a quality control function and a review lead. Team size follows from document volume, throughput and deadline. The legal department or law firm directs the review and remains responsible for the outcome.

This guide is for general counsel, heads of legal and heads of compliance in Switzerland and Germany who run a document review in-house: in an investigation, a regulator's request, a contract remediation or a KYC review. It explains how to structure, size and brief a document review team across first level, second level and privilege review.

Review levels: first level, second level, privilege review and quality control

A review runs in levels so that simple calls are made quickly and difficult ones reach experienced people. The EDRM model describes the review stage as evaluating documents for relevance, privilege, confidentiality, privacy and issues. The table shows who handles which level.

The review team never decides on its own whether a document is withheld, redacted or produced. Those calls stay with your legal department or the instructed law firm. How law firms staff the same roles is covered in Document review for law firms.

Sizing the team: documents × throughput ÷ time

The number of first level reviewers equals the documents left after culling, divided by daily throughput per person and the available working days. Throughput is the uncertain figure: it depends on document type, language, length and the number of coding fields. Treat it as an assumption and measure it during the first days.

1. Confirm the volume: how many documents remain after de-duplication, date filters and search terms? Example (assumption): 40,000 documents.
2. Assume a throughput: example (assumption): 50 documents per hour and 7 productive hours a day, so 350 documents per reviewer per day.
3. Calculate reviewer days: 40,000 ÷ 350 = about 114 first level reviewer days.
4. Apply the deadline: with 20 working days, the project needs 6 first level reviewers.
5. Add the other levels: second level, QC and review lead according to the share of escalated documents and the risk. In the example (assumption: 15% go to second level) that means 2 second level reviewers, 1 person for QC and 1 review lead.
6. Build in a buffer: training, calibration, questions and late data deliveries take time. Plan lower throughput for the first days.

The example team therefore has ten people. What such a team costs and how to work out a cost per document is shown in Document review: estimating cost, throughput and team size.

Profiles: review lawyers, review lead and project owner

A good review team combines juniors for volume with experienced and senior profiles for quality. When selecting people, check these points:

• Languages: the languages of the documents define the profile, often German, English and French. Foreign-language documents need their own coding and their own reviewers.
• Practice area: for second level and privilege review, experience in the relevant field matters, for example competition law, white-collar crime, employment law or anti-money laundering.
• Platform experience: reviewers who know the review platform become productive faster after the briefing.
• Review lead: a senior profile with team leadership experience who collects questions, clarifies them with you and reports daily.
• Project owner on your side: a person in legal or compliance approves the protocol and the review standard and decides borderline cases.

Alpinum Solutions provides review lawyers, review leads and complete review teams through staff leasing or freelancing, part time or full time. Under staff leasing, the right to give professional instructions generally lies with you and the professionals are integrated into your organisation. Freelancers deliver their work independently within the agreed mandate. Alpinum does not offer managed review: direction and responsibility for the outcome stay with your company or law firm.

Protocol, training and calibration

A review project stands or falls on its protocol, its calibration and its QC rate. The protocol defines what is reviewed, how it is coded and when to escalate. It sets out the review questions, the date range, the coding fields with examples, rules for email families and duplicates, and how to handle personal data.

1. Briefing: your project owner explains the facts, the purpose of the review and the protocol.
2. Reference sample: the review lead and second level code a shared sample as the benchmark.
3. Calibration: all first level reviewers code the same sample; differences are discussed and the protocol is clarified.
4. Ramp-up: only then are full batches allocated.
5. Ongoing QC: in the first days QC re-checks a high share, later a risk-based sample.
6. Protocol updates: new questions and answers are recorded in writing and shared with everyone.

Steer the team with a few metrics: throughput per reviewer per day, overturn rate between first level and QC, number and age of open escalations, and the remaining volume with a forecast to the deadline.

Technology: platform, TAR and AI assistance

Technology reduces the number of documents people have to read, but it does not replace the review team. The review platform is run by your IT, the instructed law firm or an eDiscovery provider, which also handles collection, processing and the search strategy.

• Culling and de-duplication: they reduce the volume before the first review and are the basis of every team calculation.
• Technology assisted review (TAR): a model learns from the coding decisions of experienced reviewers and ranks the remaining documents by likely relevance. This shifts work from first level to training and validation.
• AI assistance: summaries, translations and coding suggestions speed up the second level. Every suggestion needs human review, and its use must be compatible with data protection and confidentiality.

For team planning this means: with TAR you need less first level capacity, but more experienced reviewers for training, sampling and validation.

Data protection and confidentiality

A review almost always touches personal data of employees, customers or third parties. In Switzerland, processing must be proportionate and serve a recognisable purpose (Art. 6(2) and (3) of the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection, FADP); in Germany the GDPR applies. Controllers and processors must ensure data security appropriate to the risk (Art. 8 FADP, Art. 32 GDPR). If a service provider processes the data in its own systems, you need a processing arrangement under Art. 9 FADP or a contract under Art. 28 GDPR.

• Access only through the review platform, without download or print rights for first level
• Confidentiality agreement and conflict check before the first login
• Roles per batch and account expiry at project end
• Agreed work location and devices, including for remote review
• Close-out with locked accounts and documented return of materials

How contracts and access are set up for interim professionals is covered in Confidentiality and access for interim legal and compliance staff.

Limits and risks

• Responsibility: the protocol, the review standard, privilege decisions and production remain the responsibility of your legal department or the instructed law firm.
• Throughput assumptions: figures from other projects rarely fit. Measure throughput in your own project before committing to deadlines.
• No substitute for legal advice: Alpinum is not a law firm. The team works to your instructions.

Frequently asked questions about document review teams

What is a first level review?

First level review is the initial pass through all documents under the review protocol. Reviewers code each document, for example for relevance, issues, confidentiality and personal data, and escalate anything unclear to second level. This level consumes most reviewer days. It suits junior and experienced profiles with the right languages, provided the protocol and calibration are sound.

How many documents can a reviewer handle per day?

That depends on document type, language, length and the number of coding fields. Short emails go faster than long contracts or spreadsheets. Plan with an assumption and measure actual throughput during the first days of the project. Use that measurement to adjust team size and forecast before the deadline becomes tight.

Who leads a review team?

A review lead with senior experience organises the team, allocates batches, collects questions and reports on throughput and quality. Professional direction stays with your legal department, compliance function or instructed law firm. That function approves the protocol, decides borderline and privilege questions and is accountable for the outcome to management, the regulator or the court.

What is a privilege review?

In a privilege review, experienced reviewers check whether documents contain lawyer correspondence or other protected content. They flag these documents, prepare a privilege log and apply redactions as instructed. Whether a document is withheld or produced in redacted form is decided by your legal department or the instructed law firm, not by the review team.

How quickly can a team be set up?

Selected profiles are usually available within 48 hours; companies and Alpinum agree the start date together. It depends on conflict checks, confidentiality, platform access and the briefing. Preparing the protocol and access concept early lets you calibrate sooner. In a KYC taskforce of 8 FTE, the team started about two weeks after the order.

Next step

Alpinum Solutions is the leading provider of interim legal & compliance in the DACH region and provides review lawyers, review leads and review teams to companies and law firms. Describe the volume, languages, platform and deadline of your review.

• Document review lawyers and review teams for law firms and companies
• Litigation support, eDiscovery lawyers and internal investigation teams
• Internal investigations: which support fits which task
• Legal and compliance taskforce: roles, ramp-up and steering
• Roles & practice areas: all guides on roles and practice areas
• Discuss your needs

Last updated: 10 November 2026.