![]() ![]() Most computers will easily accept the addition of a second screen. Yes, you really do need two computer screens! You use one to read from (as you would with paper on your desk), and one to write on. If you’re looking to make the change, you’ll need to make sure you have some tools in place before you start. Below are some pearls of wisdom (hopefully) that may help if you’re looking to set off on your own paperless journey. We learned some lessons along the way about how to make paperless work for law firms. As a new firm, we were even able to scan all the paper files we had archived since the date we opened the practice in 2005. My paperless dream was born.ĭetermined to lead from the front, I ditched the paper records first! As a private client solicitor, I had files of all shapes and sizes, and so it was the perfect testing ground for the firm as a whole.ĭespite the doubters, we quickly made the switch. Our first and only port of call for all office data was to be a computer.īack then, economic times were tough, so I wanted to make sure we processed the work we did as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. Our aspiration was simple: to do away with all paper records, and, where possible, all paper ‘tools’ (notepads, files, reference sources and so on). My firm started its paperless journey around 2008. That might sound daunting, but it’s actually pretty easy – in principle, at least! And you may well already be closer to that reality than you realise. So, to become a paperless office, all we have to do is sort all of that paper, and put every last bit of that same information on our network, in an organised fashion. ![]() It may include some or all of: cabinets full of paper files a drawer full of business cards / contact details perhaps a paper diary a full pin board sticky notes everywhere with ‘useful numbers’ on them a tray of pending stuff and a bookshelf full of publications, most of them gathering dust. But all they are is a record of something we have done: copies of emails, court bundles, attendance notes, documents and so on. The main paper we devour as lawyers is in those wonderful things we call files. Your ‘less paper’ office runs the risk of having very little less paper than before! Leave a comfort blanket, by allowing whatever paper people want, and most will grab it. You see, human nature is such that breaking with a lifetime’s habits is, at best, difficult. ![]() My view is that if you go at it half-cocked, you just won’t get there. There seems to be a lot of talk of late about the ‘less paper’ office (ie reducing paper use), rather than the paperless environment (ie going the whole way and ditching paper). It has become something that the majority of us are happy with – even lawyers! More recent advances have now removed any remaining hurdles to realising the paperless office dream. We know it, and we like it.īut the central role that IT now plays in our day-to-day lives is a relatively recent phenomenon. So much of our lives are now firmly ‘online’. The devices we now utilise are powerful, user-friendly, and cheap. If it’s not truly ‘original’, it doesn’t need to be kept – scan it and shred it! The IT journey When you really boil it down, most of the paper we stare at each day is simply copies of documents that could be reproduced a thousand times without any legal significance. But, what’s changed to now make it so easy to achieve? And what steps are needed to take your own legal practice to a place that’s free of the white stuff?īe disciplined! It’s very easy to keep stuff you really don’t need. In my view, being paperless will soon be a must for law firms. But, it’s only in recent years that it’s become a viable option for us all. The idea of a paperless office isn’t new. ![]()
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