If you are like most law firms, you have a room dedicated to boxes and boxes of case files and in many instances, off-site document storage, where recurring monthly fees cut into your firm’s profits. These files are the backbone of your law firm’s intelligence and livelihood. So, why are you leaving a critical aspect of your businesses at risk and reducing your profits?
Below are three reasons why you should make your law firm’s case files electric—and ditch the law firm file room and off-site storage.
Access to sensitive legal documents and client information is difficult to manage with confidence when working with paper files. With compliance standards evolving at a rapid pace for all industries, including law firms, ensuring access to documents and files is secure and tracked is escalating in importance for your business and your clients. When case files are only manually maintained—and shipped off-site for storage—confidentiality can never truly be guaranteed.
When disaster strikes your business (or your off-site document storage facility) without warning, you will not have time to rescue those boxes of paper files from fire, flood, tornado or even a leaky roof or burst water pipe. Duplicate copies in multiple file cabinets simply will not protect you from losing business critical data. Paper files put your law firm at risk of being unarmed with client files, evidence and data needed to win your case.
Your legal case is moving at the speed of modern, mobile business and you must ensure that you are armed with evidence in your law office, at your client’s office or—most importantly—in the courtroom at all times. Paper files are not accessible anywhere other than in the legal file room. Digital files can be accessed and managed from anywhere, at anytime, securely.
Last, but not least, you are operating a business for profit. Recurring monthly fees for off-site storage add up quickly, as does the cost per square foot on the lease for your law office. Digitizing files is less expensive and will help boost your bottom line for the long-term.
Many cost-effective document management software tools exist today that allow you to scan old case files, store, retrieve, manage and share those documents electronically, from anywhere at anytime. This allows you to secure your law firm’s client data, ensure case files are backed up for disaster recovery and you have the information available to win your case—anytime, anywhere.
Don’t wait! Learn about electronic document management of case files, ditch your legal file room AND off-site document storage.
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Jason Stringer, Account Sales Representative, IT Services
Jason champions productivity and efficiency through integrating hardware and software solutions into workflows helping customers solve business challenges. Studying Business Administration, Jason attended Calhoun Community College. He is based out of the Huntsville, Alabama office.