The following factors point to the need for a computer in handling data in a particular litigation: (1) sizeable evidentiary collection, (2) factual complexity which requires an examination of the case from many perspectives, (3) dependence of litigation strategy on the contents of documents that have not been or cannot be fully read or recalled in all pertinent particulars by counsel, (4) complex deposition or trial situation involving many witnesses or exhibits, (5) dependence of the case on the detection of trends or patterns in primary materials, (6) probable involvement of several attorneys or firms, (7) multiple geographic litigation sites, (8) probable protracted duration of the litigation, (9) relatively inflexible litigation schedule, and (10) anticipated reuse of the same document collection for many cases. The content of the data base should be determined by the types of documents requiring organization and searching by the computer and for each qualifying document type, the items of information needed from each document. A computer system may be used for initial assessment of a case, during client discovery, and in response to the opponent's discovery and production orders. Its use carries through the deposition stage, in preparing pretrial briefs, scheduling and planning for trial, presenting material in the trial, and for trial closing and appeal.