Law firms must have a strategy for legal document scanning, management
These days, many law firms across the country, regardless of size, recognize the opportunities presented to them by backfile bulk scanning and ongoing use of document management software. As a consequence, those that haven't yet made the transition from primarily relying on paper files to getting documents digitized may now be trying to lay out a strategy for doing so.
Given the intricacy of backfile scanning in the legal industry, and the need for sensitive information in legal documents to stay protected, most law firms choose to do a lot of their scanning in-house rather than outsourcing it, according to Law.com. While that helps avoid some potential pitfalls, even when working with a company specializing in such scanning, others can crop up.
Things to consider
Among these issues is the fact that, in many states, there are legal requirements for keeping physical copies of original documents around, even if a digital copy is made for in-house use. To that end, it's vital for law firms to make sure they have good systems in place for maintaining physical copies as necessary while also putting the files into a document management system.
The benefit here is simple enough: By making their old files instantly searchable – and ferrying them to the right people on-demand through automated workflows – they can make a lot of the legal research needed in day-to-day operations significantly more efficient.
Finding an ongoing solution
Once backfile scanning is completed and firms start relying on their document management platforms every day, they still have to account for the massive quantities of new documents that need to be scanned into those systems each week, according to The Indiana Lawyer. A little research into the right scanners to meet their requirements, based on current and potential future needs, can help decision-makers determine which equipment will work best for them based on their budgets.
Once that is done, it's also important for firms to have clear processes in place for how to scan files into the system and how workflows will be set up going forward, so that nothing gets lost in the shuffle. That kind of homework can go a long way toward ensuring new technology adoption of this type goes off without a hitch.
