Creating legal holds

Last published : Sep 15, 2026
As an eDiscovery Administrator, you can create a legal hold to define the preservation matter, associate it with a case, and configure default notice details for the hold. After the legal hold is created, you can create a custodian notice, add recipients, review or update the notice content, and configure the confirmation questionnaire. You can save the notice as a draft or send it immediately to the selected custodians.
To create a new legal hold:
  1. On the eDiscovery tab, select Legal Hold Notifications.
    The All Legal Holds page appears.
  2. Click New Hold.
    The New Legal Hold page appears. Specify the following details:
    Option Description
    Legal Hold Name Enter a unique name for the legal hold that clearly identifies the purpose of the legal hold notice.
    Description Describe the purpose of this legal hold notice.
    Case Select a case from the drop-down list to identify the legal matter for which the legal hold is being created. The selected case provides context for the hold and helps organize the related notices, custodians, acknowledgments, and audit information.Legal holds that are linked to a case also appear inside that case.
    Admin Bcc Recipient Enter one or more email addresses to receive an email for this outgoing legal hold notice. Separate multiple email addresses with semicolons.Note: These recipients are not visible to custodians.
    Lead Attorney (Email) Enter one or more email addresses of the attorneys associated with the legal hold. Separate multiple email addresses with semicolons. These recipients receive the outgoing legal hold notice and serve as legal contacts for questions or follow-up related to the hold.
    Default Custodian Notices Use this section to define default custodian-facing notice content and footer text for legal hold notifications. These defaults prepopulate the notice fields when a new legal hold is created and can be overridden for an individual hold.• Default Reminder Notice: Defines the default content for reminder notices sent to custodians.• Default Escalation Notice: Defines the default content for escalation notices.• Default Hold Release Notice: Defines the default content for notices sent when a legal hold is released.• Default Repeating Status Reminder Notice: Defines the default content for repeating status reminder notices.• Default Footer Text — Initial, Reminder & Escalation Notices: Defines the footer text for initial notices, reminder notices, and escalation notices.• Default Footer Text — Hold Release & Repeating Status Reminder: Defines the footer text for hold release notices and repeating status reminder notices.
  3. Click Create Hold.
    The new legal hold appears on the All Legal Holds page, and the Legal Hold — Information page opens.
  4. To add custodians to this legal hold, click Custodian Notice.
    The New Custodian Notice page appears. Specify the following details:
    Option Description
    Name of Notice Enter a unique name for the legal hold notice that clearly identifies the purpose.
    Internal Notes (not sent) Enter any internal notes about the legal hold notice. These notes are for administrative reference only and are not included in legal hold notices sent to custodians.
    Load from Template Select a template from the drop-down list to populate the notice content. You can review and edit the populated content before sending the notice.Note: Merge tokens in the template are not replaced when the template is loaded. They are resolved when the notice is sent and are replaced with values specific to each recipient.
    From Name/From Email Enter the name and email address of the notice issuer. This information appears as the sender on legal hold notices sent to custodians.
    To — Custodians / Recipient Specify the custodians who must receive the legal hold notice. You can enter one or more email addresses manually, separated by semicolons, or select Browse Custodians to choose custodians from the list.When you select Browse Custodians, the Add/Remove Custodians window appears. Select the required custodians, and then select Update. The selected custodians appear in the To — Custodians / Recipient section.To add custodians manually, enter one or more email addresses, and then click Add.To add all browsed custodians, click Select All.To remove selected custodians, click Remove Selected. The count of selected custodians is displayed on the Remove Selected option.To deselect selected custodians, clear the corresponding check boxes, or select Deselect All.
    Cc (comma-separated) This read-only field displays other recipients included in the notice.
    Subject Review the subject line that is populated automatically. If the subject is relevant to the notice, keep it as is. Otherwise, enter a new subject line for the notice.
    Body Review the prepopulated notice content and update it as required for the legal matter. Use merge tokens if necessary. Use this field to provide the preservation instructions, acknowledgment details, and any additional information that custodians must know before acknowledging the notice.
    Confirmation Page (Questionnaire) > Page Heading: Enter the heading that appears on the custodian confirmation page.Instruction text: Enter instructions for custodians before they answer the questionnaire. Use this text to explain what custodians must review or complete before acknowledging the notice.Question prompt: Enter the question that the custodian must answer as part of the acknowledgment process. Click Add Question to enter a new question.Type: Select the response type for the question, such as Yes / No, freeform text, single choice, or multiple choice, depending on the available options.Require Answer to Question: Select this option to make the question mandatory. Custodians must answer required questions before they can complete the acknowledgment.Add Question: Select this option to add another question to the questionnaire.
    Send a copy of changes to admin Select this check box to send a notice summary email when the legal hold notice is created or updated. The summary is sent to the email address shown next to this option.
  5. To save the notice without sending it, click Save as Draft. You can edit and send the draft later.
  6. To send the legal hold notice to the selected custodians, click Send Now.
  7. To discard the current changes and abort changes, click Cancel.
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