Sometimes a case requires a second set of eyes on key documents, whether for quality control, privilege checks, or simply to get a second opinion. GoldFynch makes this easy with Review Sets and tagging workflows. Here’s how to structure both your first-pass and second-pass reviews.

Step 1: Create a Review Set for the Initial Review

Always start by creating a Review Set, even for your first-pass review. This provides structure, consistency, and a controlled environment for reviewers.

  1. Go to the Review Sets view in your case.

  2. Click + Create New Review Set. More detailed instructions on creating and managing review sets can be found here.

  3. Build a search query that identifies the batch of documents to review. Some common starting points: (Details on building searches using the Advanced Search system found here)

    • All newly ingested documents: all

    • Custodian-based: custodian:John Doe

    • By file type: type:email

    • By date: date:[2024-01-01 TO 2024-12-31]


This becomes the workspace for your first-pass review.

Step 2: Perform the First-Pass Review

  • Reviewers work within the Review Set.

  • Apply initial tags such as Responsive, Non-Responsive, Privileged, or Hot.

  • Follow a consistent tagging scheme so that second-pass reviewers understand the decisions made.

Step 3: Create a Review Set for the Second-Pass Review

Once the first-pass tagging is complete, set up a dedicated Review Set for the second-pass review.

  1. Go back to Review Sets.

  2. Create a new Review Set filtered for the documents that need a second opinion. Examples:

    • Privilege check: tag:Privileged

    • Hot document QC: tag:Hot

    • Conflicted decisions: tag:Responsive AND tag:Non-Responsive

    • Random sampling: pull a percentage of reviewed items using GoldFynch’s sampling tools.

Step 4: Apply a "Second Pass" Tag

Create a dedicated tagging scheme for the second-pass review, such as:

  • Second Pass - Reviewed

  • Second Pass - Needs Attention

  • Second Pass - Agreed

  • Second Pass - Disagreed

This separates second-pass tagging from first-pass decisions.

Step 5: Assign to a Reviewer

  • Add the appropriate user(s) to the case with review permissions. (More information on sharing cases with other users can be found here.)

  • Direct them to the Second-Pass Review Set.

  • Instruct them to apply only the second-pass tags, leaving the first-pass tags intact.

Step 6: Compare First-Pass vs. Second-Pass Results

Use GoldFynch’s search and reporting tools to reconcile differences: (Find more details on using Advanced Search here)

  • Compare tags with searches like: tag:Responsive AND tag:(Second Pass - Disagreed).

  • Export a tag report to identify agreements and conflicts. (More details on creating reports here)

  • Escalate disagreements to lead counsel or a senior reviewer for final decisions.

Best Practices

  • Always start with Review Sets: Both passes of review should live inside structured Review Sets.

  • Keep tags clean: Use distinct, descriptive tag names for each pass.

  • Never overwrite first-pass tags: Preserve the original reviewer’s decisions.

  • Use documentation: Save your search queries and workflows for consistency across projects.

Example Workflow

  1. Create a Review Set of all emails from Custodian A.

  2. First-pass reviewer tags documents as Responsive, Non-Responsive, or Privileged.

  3. Create a second-pass Review Set of all tag:Privileged documents.

  4. Second-pass reviewer applies tags like Second Pass - Agreed or Second Pass - Disagreed.

  5. The lead reviewer checks all disagreements before production.



By starting every review (i.e., first and second review) inside a Review Set, you can maintain a repeatable method of managing quality control and second-opinion workflows.