Is Document Review Dead? (Spoiler: Not Quite)

Let’s be honest, it feels like document review is disappearing. Or at least shrinking to the point of irrelevance.

Once upon a time (and for a long time), document review teams were huge. Dozens of paralegals and lawyers hired almost overnight (I spent many an evening calling person after person!), projects lasting weeks or even months (LIBOR was huge!!!), rooms full of people reviewing disclosures late into the evening. I built my career on those projects. I loved the pace, the people, the buzz.

Now? It’s quieter. AI has taken a seat at the review table, and fair enough. The tools are clever, fast, and getting better by the day. But it’s left a lot of people, particularly junior lawyers and career paralegals, wondering where they now fit.

So, is document review dead?

No. But it’s evolving.

Firms are being more strategic. The teams are smaller, leaner, and often blended with tech. The days of hiring 40 reviewers overnight are rare, but we’re still seeing demand, it just looks different:

• Reviews with a regulatory angle, where context matters.

• Cross-border work involving multiple languages.

• Investigations requiring a layer of judgment, not just a click.

• Ongoing class actions or high-stakes litigation where accuracy trumps automation.

It’s no longer just about bodies in seats. It’s about quality, discretion, and adaptability.

And that’s where I come in.

I’ve worked in legal recruitment for 20 years, long enough to see the peaks and the pivots. I’ve helped build project teams for US law firms, litigation boutiques, and consultancies. I’ve placed paralegals and lawyers into doc review roles that led to training contracts, career-defining experience, and new specialisms.

What I’m seeing now is a shift in who is hiring – and why.

Some of the best opportunities are coming from:

• Firms handling complex investigations where AI can’t be trusted blindly.

• Practices dealing with politically sensitive or reputationally risky matters.

• Teams that still value experienced reviewers who can work fast and think clearly

So, if you’re a paralegal, lawyer, or firm trying to make sense of this “post-review” world, don’t count it out. Just look closer.

Doc review isn’t dead. It’s just grown up.