Previous
Insights
Legal Solution Software: 6 Benefits of a Paperless Law Office
You’ve probably heard all the “going paperless” hype over recent years. From banks to medical and law offices – it seems like everyone is getting on board with this idea. You might even know a colleague or two who’s law office is already gone the paperless route. If you’re on the fence about converting your law office, that’s understandable. With paper court filings, paper service of process, and plain old habits – going paperless can seem like a challenge – but with the wide range of legal solution software available today, streamlining the way your office performs and shifting to a paperless or an “almost paperless” work environment has never been easier.
Here are a few reasons why you should consider a paperless law office.
1. Provides cost-effective solutions
For many, the initial cost of converting to a paperless law office is a huge deterrent. But, once you consider the long-term economics, it’s actually a very practical way to save money. For starters, you’ll save hundreds each year on paper products, ink, equipment leasing, and printer maintenance. Secondly, you can save a lot of money and time on storage costs while freeing up some office space for more productive uses. As courts continue to enter the paperless era, you’ll reduce costs even more by filing court documents electronically.
2. Improves client service
Even the most organized law offices can spend a lot of time looking through papers. Instead of having your clients wait on the phone or in your office while you find their information, wouldn’t it be great to pull their papers instantly? Digital documentation improves your client responsiveness and builds the image of your firm as one that stays with the times. It’s also incredibly convenient, allowing you to share documents with clients through a secure client portal.
3. Enhances teamwork
Working digitally makes it easier to collaborate with coworkers and out-of-office colleagues. Through paperless applications such as Dropbox, and WeTransfer, you can share and edit documents instantly. Improving communication in the workplace is one of the best reasons to switch to a paperless law office.
4. Organizes your workspace
Free yourself from the never-ending sea of papers with a paperless law office! Not only will your space be organized, so will your efforts. Legal solution software replaces a sea of papers with small hard drives and online documents.
Everyday tasks are simplified, allowing you to create documents quickly and share them instantly. From document retrieval, case preparation, service of process, and court filing, everything is kept neat and easy to maintain. Through virtual desktop systems, you have the added benefit of working from any location at any time.
5. Reduces environmental impact
Did you know that the average yearly paper use in a single law office is equivalent to six forty-foot trees? The paper industry causes endangered forests, contributes to groundwater pollution, and requires incredible amounts of energy during production and transportation of paper products. Drafting legal documents without using paper is obviously a great way to reduce your impact on the environment, which is an attribute that many clients appreciate.
6. Offers added security
If you’re concerned that keeping your confidential documents stored digitally will pose a security risk, you’re not alone. However, digital data storage and sharing is very safe, and greatly reduces instances of confidentiality breaches, burglary, and natural disasters. Cloud-based workspaces, for example, allow you to backup important information, manage who has access to certain legal documents and protects your sensitive information through state-of-the-art cyber security measures.
Is Your Law Office Ready to Go Paperless?
Are you convinced yet? If moving to a digital workplace sounds like a good idea for your law office, there are some basic tools you can use to get started. There are many options and legal solution software available for going paperless depending on your individual needs. Some of these options include:
Scanning equipment –
To convert your paper records to a digital format, you’ll need a scanner. Start with newer documents, then work backwards. Create a digital filing system for keeping your documents organized.
Shredder –
Once your hard copies are converted and backups are created, having a shredder is important for keeping confidential information out of the wrong hands.
Legal template software -
is a great tool that allows you to custom-create all your legal forms digitally with ease and without error.
Digital data storage –
Whether you prefer cloud-based data sharing or another method of organization and data backup, it’s important to ensure your sensitive information is secured.
Virtual desktop solutions -
Virtual desktops allow added protection with the flexibility of working anytime and from any linked device.
Project management software –
Manage office calendars, assign tasks to office staff, and increase communication and productivity using high-quality online project management tools.
In the digital age, we are seeing more businesses transition to no-paper operations. When you think of the convenience, cost-effectiveness, and environmental implications, creating a paperless law office makes a lot of sense.
Ready to get started? Infoware’s legal solution software tools offer practical solutions for seamless – and paperless – legal documentation. Contact us today to learn more about our legal writing software, legal template software, and other innovative products!