The paper examines problems encountered by the Special Masters when they were brought into the process in 1978. It then describes techniques used to expedite discovery, determine claims of privilege in production of documents, establish stipulation of undisputed facts, and control and resolve disputes arising in discovery. The authors contend that courts must be able to act quickly on every issue threatening case delay by altering formal procedures for bringing matters to the court for resolution, expanding the flow of information between the litigants and the court through informal lines of communication, and tailoring procedures to accommodate the needs of each case. Three important mechanisms evolved in United States v. AT&T: a guidelines procedure for handling claims of privilege, a supervised negotiation procedure for reach stipulations, and informal case management techniques. 72 footnotes.