We have good news and bad news. Let’s start with the bad news: Microsoft recently announced that its eDiscovery (Premium) experience in Purview will be retired in August 2025. After that date, it won’t be available at all in the Purview portal. Current users are being encouraged to start planning their transition early and to move to the new eDiscovery experience now.
On top of that, Purview is also retiring its legal hold communication feature. For many, that means going back to sending hold notices by email and tracking responses in spreadsheets, which is not exactly the most scalable or defensible path in 2025.
Why AI Matters
Now, for the good news: the next wave of legal hold solutions is smarter, faster, and more proactive. Instead of just sending a notice, there are tools on the market today that can:
- Automate reminders and escalations so nothing slips through the cracks
- Summarize custodian responses in plain language
- Generate reporting across cases on demand
- Highlight potential risks before they turn into problems
Legal holds aren’t just administrative anymore. They’re becoming an area where automation and intelligence can save serious time and reduce risk.
What To Do Now — A Checklist for Purview Users
- Review your current workflows – identify how your team is using classic eDiscovery (Premium) and Legal Hold Communications today.
- Map gaps in the new experience – compare what the new Purview eDiscovery offers against what you’ll lose, especially for legal hold workflows.
- Explore modern alternatives – begin evaluating AI-enabled legal hold tools that can automate notices, tracking, and reporting.
- Pilot new processes – run test matters in the new Purview eDiscovery experience or in third-party tools to see how they fit your team’s needs.
What's Next?
With Purview sunsetting its legal hold communications and retiring classic eDiscovery (Premium) altogether in 2025, now is the time to start exploring modern, AI-enabled legal hold tools. New products are hitting the market every week, and some are already solving this challenge in innovative ways. Don’t wait until spreadsheets bog you down again. Instead, use this transition as a chance to get ahead and rethink how your team manages holds.
Caragh Landry
Author
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With nearly 30 years of experience in the legal services field, Caragh Landry serves as the Chief Legal Process Officer at TCDI. She is an expert in workflow design and continuous improvement programs, focusing on integrating technology and engineering processes for legal operations.
Caragh is a thought leader who frequently presents on Technology Assisted Review (TAR), GenAI, data privacy, and innovative lean process workflows. In her role at TCDI, Caragh oversees workflow creation, service delivery, and development strategy for the managed document review team and other service offerings.
