Have you ever been to a legal office that went completely paperless? If you normally work in an office that still uses paper, you probably felt like you are 20 years in the future. But this future should have happened 20 years ago in your office, too. Why does this all matter?
There are multiple factors you should consider when you are running your office.
- Environment
The environment is important on so many levels, we can’t even touch all the points here, but long story short… This is the place where you and your employees spend many hours of your time. Maybe you got numb over the years to all the hoards of paper around you. But not everyone thinks like you. The hoards of paper everywhere you look are a scary mirror of how much work you have to accomplish. It looks messy and feels like in an accountant’s office in 1985. This mentally drains a lot of people, maybe not you, but maybe the new ace you somehow managed to recruit last month. They won’t be staying to work there for much longer. Stacks of paper can also be a trip hazard if not stored properly, but we assume you know that very well! - Cost
Having everything in a digital form is simply cheaper and quicker to navigate. Maybe you would argue that the CRM system some sales guy pitched you is more expensive, but for the forest, you don’t see the trees.
When calculating your operational costs, for your printer and paper, don’t forget to add:
– Hiring a legal clerk who will scan and file everything
– Time when your printer is broken, out of paper, etc.
– Time when you have to look up something in your files
– Storage
Still cheaper? - Convenience
After the pandemic in 2019-2022, most law firms realized that working from home is the future of everything. Your employees probably started disappearing and if you haven’t had options planned ahead for them to work online, you may have run into a roadblock. Now working from home became such a norm that you won’t even be able to recruit anyone without giving them the option. Therefore, they need to be able to access their files in digital form. - Saving the Earth
Yes, we only have one and we use wood much faster than we plant new trees. This being said, you can use the fact your office is paperless for PR purposes and some of the environment-conscious clients will award you for this fact. That’s a win-win situation.
We hope this article will nudge you the right way and you will be able to make the switch to paperless without much friction. It will make you a faster, more efficient, and a better looking modern law firm of the 21st century.