Archiving

How many law firms think about archiving beyond long term off-site archiving of the physical file?

Having recently lost access to a store room where I retained completed files, I was compelled to turn to a commercial alternative for long term off-site archiving. I made the decision there was no economic incentive or benefit to retain files older than 7 years. These older files are now shredded land fill. Lost for all eternity. When a client rings wanting to know whether the contract date for a purchase was pre-September 1985 all I can do is shrug. On this point I am researching this actual point to determine if their purchase was pre-Sep 85. The answer may lie with one of the statutory authorities who record such things.

Or you simply keep paying the ongoing price of paying monthly archive storage fees and offset the price by charging clients with a retrieval fee.

The problem of physical archives is universal for all law firms.

A better solution lies in digitising legal records on a continual ongoing daily basis. In other words maintain a digital archive, at least for all deeds and important documents like the contract of sale. Every small law firm should start by buying 1 or 2 desktop document feed scanners. The payback is not just short term but long term as there is close to a zero cost to maintaining a long term digital archive.

The NYT published an interesting article on the issue of archives contained in libraries and other important collections. History, Digitized (and Abridged)