The Paper(less) Chase
Back when we worked at a law firm, one partner was obsessed with the concept of the “paperless office.” He wanted to have as many documents as possible scanned and stored electronically, in order to eliminate any unnecessary use of paper. It was a bit OCD of him, and his jihad against paper was viewed with mild amusement around the firm.
Perhaps this partner was ahead of his time. Back in 2006, law firms were described as the “last frontier in going paperless.” But now the trend is moving strongly in the direction of a paperless world. These days it seems that everyone wants to go commando.
For one firm’s interesting approach to the paper deluge, check out Law.com. Steven Butler, of Linarducci & Butler, describes how his firm has gone paperless:
To reduce the demands on the office filing system and gain faster, electronic access to client documents, we made a bold decision: our firm was going to scan incoming mail and faxes, route them using office e-mail and work electronically. The firm turned to eCopy ShareScan document imaging software operating on our network-attached Ricoh multifunction peripheral.
(An aside: for a firm that’s this technologically advanced, Linarducci & Butler might want to invest in an overhaul of their website. It reminds us of the days when we surfed the web via our parents’ AOL dial-up connection.)
Here are some of the virtues of going paperless, per Butler:
Our staff has welcomed the move to a paperless office because their volume of cases is easier to manage electronically. Now, they no longer need to worry about searching for missing files. And, for the first time, the firm is getting rid of filing cabinets and reclaiming office space.Also, having the documents in electronic formats means multiple people can access and view the same document simultaneously — as opposed to making additional paper copies.
Even our firm’s senior partner — who is like most attorneys — a hoarder of paper — has also embraced the change. Now, he can view the same information whether in the office or at home preparing for a hearing.
What’s your firm doing to save the trees? Do you like the notion of the “paperless office,” or are you a Luddite too attached to paper documents? Feel free to discuss, in the comments.
Law Firm Done With Paper [Legal Technology via Law.com]
Law firms are last frontier in going paperless [Phoenix Business Journal]
(43) Comments
Comments
Best reason to go paperless: paper cuts.
First
PE tweet from today:
A proper shoeshine should cost $3. Exceptional service merits a $1 tip, provided there is no chitchat.
I can't decide whether I hate paper cuts or carpal tunnel worse. Hobson's choice.
Hello #2, this is Fail calling.
Ever had a Redweld® cut? Those are the WORST.
If paper manufacturers reasonably relied on the assurances of law firms that they wouldn't go paperless, wouldn't they have some sort of promissory estoppel claim against law firms, to the extent their reliance on the assurances was reasonable? I believe Section 90 of the Restatement is very clear on this. Damages could be enormous.
Just thinking out loud here, but if someone prints out something (for free) for me to read, and I get a papercut from it, is there some sort of Good Samaritan liability claim that I can assert against that person?
This is stupid. Of course most offices are going "paperles." However, you can't be totally "paperless." You still have to keep originals.
Basically what happens is that these idiots say they're "paperless," where in reality, they'll still keep the original in a redweld, and even though they'll scan it into the system, you'll print out a working copy.
All they've really done is make it so that documents are stored electronically, but the originals are in the file in the file room.
The only thing "paperless" has helped with is discovery. Now there's not piles and piles of boxes of discovery in your office. Instead you send a copying service over to the client, and they copy and scan it electronically. (and then you have to print it out if you want to use it in court...)
Bottomline is that even though these asshats like to sound like they're "paperless," they're really not. Its just a catchy branding like "green"
Jackasses.
I'm not going paperless until I can mark up and highlight electronic documents in the same way I can for hard copy docs.
Latham has a few tips for reducing paper load on their web site. Something about reducing 50% of something.
I still print a "working copy" because I can't stand staring at a screen all day. But for discovery purposes I love only printing the items I need and not having to sift through boxes and boxes of junk. It does get confusing though having multiple versions of stuff as people make changes, save as a new file, and don't inform others, etc. You need a serious system that everyone in the office is on board with. I like the systems that let you electronically check something out. If it is out, other people can access it as read only and can't make changes at the same time you are making changes. Otherwise it is counterproductive.
I do admit to keeping most of my paper originals as a back up. But, I keep it off site using file storage company. In the rare event I need the paper I don't mind paying the fee to get it back.
Latham informs fired associates orally that their life is now over. The savings on pink paper is enough to buy a Paris apartment.
It's just easier on the eyes to read from paper. Also, you can mark up a paper easily, no extra hardware required. Until there is an e-ink reader that also acts like a tablet that can easily markup and highlight, I'll be printing plenty of stuff out.
Fuck trees.
Thanks to you all, on behalf of the Great American Tree Farmer Association.
It's impossible to go paperless when all the old-school partners insist on having a full document printed every time there is a new version, even if the changes are minor. Ditto for old school partners who insist on doing hand markups for everything. Even though doing things electronically is more efficient and easier for everyone, things won't change until the old school retires. The sooner the better.
Two years ago, I worked at a crappy insurance defense firm for a couple of months.
They were obsessed with this concept of a "paperless" office. They wanted to advertise the fact that they were going paperless on all of their fliers. It's like -- "Dude. The rest of the world went paperless 10 years ago. No one is going to be impressed by this."
It's was similar to bragging about moving to a touchtone phone system. In a lot of ways law firms are about decade behind the rest of business world when it comes to technology. Working at larger firms, it's not as hilarious as the "paperless office" concept, but things like photocopying and computer technology are still really outdated.
I'm not sure what it is.
every day i see my dream; every day i see my dream
every day i see my dream; every day i see my dream
who cares?? more threads about OFFER RATES.
"Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail" = FAIL.
"Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail" = FAIL.
10, have you used Acrobat Professional? It allows you to highlight text, strike through text, make comments on a page, and even produce a list of all those markups that you can use to figure out later where you've made annotations throughout the document.
My firm's bathrooms are paperless.
to do this well one needs a super well-made document management system.
as well as large, multiple monitors as "desk space"
I never thought I say it, but I really miss Elie.
Whatever the benefits of a paperless office, it will not "save the trees." Paper manufacturers do not cut down trees in virgin forests; they have tree farms that they have planted for this purpose. In a world where all paper is recycled and no "new" paper is purchased, the number of trees in the world will decline, not increase, since these tree farms will no longer have any economic value and the land will be put to a more valuable use.
It's not good for the eyes to just look at computers all day. Paper is better...
Have a "green" billing rate. Charge $20-50 more per hour and state the file will be paperless and will use an eco-friendly server. Seems like people are willing to pay extra for the feeling that they are saving the planet. Perhaps clients will feel the same.
26 - Elie, how is you vacation going?
ATL should go Elie-less.
29 -- A public company would not have the discretion to pay extra for green service since it may only serve the direct needs of shareholders without regard to externalities, which are ultra vires. First day of corporations.
law firms?!?! paperless?!?! salaries?!?!
haha, there's a good number of paperless attorneys out there these days. many have even thrown out that last piece of paper that they thought they could use to generate other forms of paper. alas, the future will be paperless.
what about paperless government? a brief tour of a federal agency in the form of a 1L summer internship showed me that there are still careers to be had for people who specialize in picking up, stacking, rearranging, and putting back in their proper place large boxes of paper.
this sounds a like a plan to outsource our file management systems to the chinese.
Considering printing is often billed, any move towards an electronic workflow would probably make clients happy.
I hate paperless. Too hard to read the screen. Love marking them up and highlighting. It's bad enough that you have to file crap in courts by email so you need to buy more expensive and updated scanners and software.
I practice tax law and still have a typewriter to fill out gov. forms for IRS, state, etc.
first
First, although it may make sense for some "fixed" documents to be scanned and readily widely available (like filed briefs), you just don't want drafts and personal notes out there - there's just too much risk of an advertent disclosure. However, you are still going to want to have them to mark up and discuss.
Consequently, if you have to mark up and then keep track of your own paper documents outside of the "paperless" system, then all that the firm has really done is outsource their file room to your office. Congrats - you are now promoted to file clerk. Also, you can just eat the extra time it takes - or else pass on the increased fees to your clients. As a lawyer, you have the obligation to perform your work in the least expensive way for the client - not the newest way.
The "paperless office" BS is the latest over-marketed craze to try to seperate law firms from their money. Five years ago it was IM and these vendors all said "in a few years, all clients will demand that their attorneys communicate with them via IM." Guess what? No dice. You hear similar BS from all kinds of different vendors - "clients will demand.." be it video phone (dating myself), podcasting, blog for every lawyer, business cards that are CD/DVDs, etc. The vendors always have something that they want you to buy and that is either "demanded" or we should just buy because it is the latest and greatest. However, it's all crap.
If you want me to buy, get me something that is easy to use and actually helps me get my job done or do a better job for my client. Lexis (although hideously expensive) does this. Cell phones/PDAs do this.
"Paperless" offices rarely do. There can be some advantage to having electronic versions of some documents, but requiring the scanning of everything often just leads to additional expense and is mostly done for show. You can go waste money to look pretty at another shop. We need low overhead. Show me how this can reduce it or get lost.
We recently took over more than 100 trademark files from a very large firm that has "gone paperless" in its trademark practice at least. The digital files we got were ludicrously incomplete and inaccurate, making it necessary for us to have local counsel in dozens of countries check the status and details of registrations with their national Trademark Offices. This was, of course, time consuming and expensive for the client. Even worse, perhaps, the client will never have information about the registrations it acquired that could prove to be of critical importance in the future. Thanks to a "paper free" system, that information is gone forever.
We are in the process of digitizing all of our trademark files, but the paper files will stay right where they are. They are much too valuable to discard, even if digital copies are available.
If everything is scanned, it is always easy to find after 5:00 pm. I think that makes sense. Going "paperless." Who cares. People will still need to print a ton of paper.
"Paperless" has its virtues. I'm a drug and medical device defense counsel and travel a lot for depositions, hearings, trials. I put everything on my laptop and have all the e-transcripts, pleadings, briefs, relevant documents, etc. ready to go wherever I go. I carry a lot less paper around than I did 10 years ago (and it's more efficient).
Some of the older partners are a bit hesitant to accept the paperless trend.
Also, staring at a computer screen or even split screen can become mind-numbing and counterproductive after a while and, in some cases, having the physical document in front of you is much easier.
Law will never be completely paperless.
Paperless is great. Of course, we have to keep the "originals," but the "originals" are now stored in a 21st century compact fileroom where all the stacks (on tracks) are rolled right up against each other. If you need an original, you unroll the stacks apart with the big levers and get it. Very efficient and economical. I love paperless.
Well said 27. I'm always amazed by the urban nitwits who think huge old growth trees are being cut for paper pulp. This is what happens when you pack people like rats in dense highrise rat cages and don't educate them about economics - they develop a fetish for an idealized nature that doesn't exist and a phobia about boogeymen who aren't under the bed. Urban greens remind me of those poor Japanese men whose miserable lives were recently covered by The New York Times. They can't find a woman who meets their idealized view of what a woman should be so they buy body pillows bearing the image of their favorite female anime character and carry it wherever they go; talking to it, kissing it, riding amusement park rides with it; marrying it.
Pulp wood trees grow in stands just like celery or corn. They just get harvested at a slower rate as it takes longer to grow them to a marketable size. Kill off the paper industry and you'll kill off these fields of trees and the fields will be used for growing something else instead.
If you want to see the world as it is, and find real women, come see Texas. The economy's better too.