Metadata Analysis for Litigation Review
Analysis of file-system metadata, document properties, timestamps, authorship indicators, communication metadata and activity artefacts to support legal review, authenticity questions and investigation strategy.
Who this service is for
For legal teams who need to establish the context around documents — when, by whom and how material was created, modified and handled.
- Litigators testing authenticity and provenance
- Investigation teams building timelines
- Regulatory and financial-crime lawyers
- Counsel addressing allegations of backdating or tampering
- Teams needing metadata to prioritise review
What this service includes
- File-system metadata and document-property analysis
- Creation, modification and access timestamp review
- Authorship and revision indicators
- Communication metadata (email and chat headers, participants)
- Activity-artefact correlation
- Timeline construction and reporting
Typical data sources
We work with the data sources most often encountered in this type of matter:
- Office documents & PDFs
- Email headers & metadata
- File-system artefacts
- Mobile & chat metadata
- Log & registry data
- Native files
Why defensibility matters
Metadata can decide questions of timing, authorship and authenticity — but only if it is extracted and interpreted soundly. Working from preserved sources and documenting our method, we ensure metadata findings are reliable and can be explained or supported by a technical statement.
How the workflow operates
- Agree the metadata questions with the legal team
- Extract metadata from preserved sources
- Analyse timestamps, authorship and properties
- Correlate with activity artefacts and communications
- Construct timelines and test hypotheses
- Report findings in plain language
Deliverables
- Metadata analysis mapped to the issues
- Timelines and chronologies
- Authenticity and authorship assessments
- Communication-metadata findings
- Clear reporting and optional statement support
Frequently asked questions
What can metadata tell you?
When files were created, modified or accessed; indications of authorship and revision; and communication details such as participants and timing — all of which inform timelines, authenticity and strategy.
Can metadata reveal backdating?
Metadata can surface inconsistencies that bear on timing and authenticity. We interpret findings carefully and report what the data does and does not support.
Is metadata reliable evidence?
When extracted from preserved sources with documented method, metadata is a valuable, defensible source of context.
Establish the context behind the documents
Talk to us about metadata analysis to support timelines, authenticity and review strategy.