On several listservs I belong to, as well as in occasional blog postings, people say that there is a problem with going paperless.  The problem they all see?  Long readings on a computer screen.  A lot of people have a problem with reading a 45 page motion/brief/case on their computers.  I say there are two reasons this isn’t an issue.

First, if reading a document on your computer is such a strain on your eyes, you need to invest in a better monitor.  In reality, you probably read a lot on your computer and don’t necessarily notice it.  I think that it is more a psychological issue — it seems harder to read a long document online than the NY Times — and the times is a whole lot longer.

Second, just because you maintain a paperless filing system doesn’t mean you have to read everything electronically.  A lot of the time, motion papers, discovery etc… will come to you in paper format.  That paper is then scanned and electronically filed.  Usually, the original papers (minus anything you absolutely have to maintain in original form) are then sent to your client.  Well, you can read through things the first time in the original paper format before sending it off to the client.  After that, the indexed and filed electronic version of the document will probably suffice for whatever your needs are.  I also don’t think that the “reading long cases online” is so much of an issue.  So much research is done electronically, and I don’t believe that all these people are printing out cases to read them.  Even if you do, you can always print these documents and either (a) save them in a binder or (b) get rid of the copies [I'm sure people believe this is wasteful, but if you're paper-training a dog or have a bird cage to line, these papers could be useful].

So you can have a paperless filing/organizational structure without having to sacrifice the ability to read the occasional document in hardcopy.

Today I started a new job at a small law firm.  I sat down at my computer and booted up.  Apparently, the last attorney to use the computer didn’t like to use folders to organize things.  I found nearly 100 files saved to the desktop.  This was literally so bad that, when I moved all the visible files to a single folder, 30 more popped onto the screen.  I then opened the My Documents folder and saw ~300 files just floating around.

I had to spend about 30 minutes just cleaning this stuff up this morning.  Even so, all I managed was to get the files sorted into folders by year, and then install a desktop search client to index all the files, so I could find things when I needed them.

Unfortunately, the people who need to hear my plea are probably the same people who aren’t reading blogs, but everyone:

PLEASE LEARN HOW TO USE FOLDER TREES TO ORGANIZE YOUR FILES (at least in some capacity), and if you know someone who simply leaves all the files lumped in one place, spend some time showing them the benefit of organization.  Please.

Some people might ask, why go paperless?  Why go so high-tech? I figure there are a number of benefits to a paperless office:

1) Organization: It’s much easier to organize everything electronically. You can cross-index individual files so they can be a part of multiple cases, you can organize and re-organize files whenever you want. Of course, the key is to decide on a single organizational method and to apply it uniformly. The organizational benefits of going paperless disappear if there’s no rhyme or reason to your system.

2) Storage: Assume the average client file takes up 1 gb of space when converted to PDF (I’m sure the average file doesn’t take nearly that much space, but I could be wrong). A 300 gb external hard drive measures in the realm of 1.5″x5.5″x8.5″. That means you can store 300 client files in a space a little bigger than a paperback book. You can keep a complete backup of those 300 files in the space of basically a second paperback book. Think of how much room you would need to store 300 paper files. This is important because eventually, space becomes expensive. Also, storage becomes safer — a fire could wipe out all your paper files. If you have everything stored electronically, you could have a number of backups stored in different locations.

3) Portability: One of the problems attorneys face is the fact that there are only so many hours of a day. One of the benefits of going paperless is the ability to work wherever you are. For example, let’s say you have two hearings in the morning — Case A at 9 am and Case B at 11 am in the same courthouse. You also need to get some work done on Case C. One of the benefits of being paperless — you have your files for Case C with you. Of course, you could always just bring a paper file with you, but at some point the paper file might just be too large to take with you. Additionally, when you’re returning calls while waiting at the courthouse and you talk to the client for Case D, you can access their file to answer questions.

4) Easier collaboration: Whether you are working in a small firm setting or collaborating with another solo or firm attorney, it’s much easier to collaborate electronically. From sending files back and forth via e-mail to keeping files stored on an extranet (for outside collaboration) or an in-office network (for small firms), it’s simply easier — no need to have to figure out who has the file and then have two attorneys need it at the same time (and of course, if each had a separate copy, then you’d have to worry about making sure both were complete and updated).

5) Immediate updates: If you have an assistant/paralegal/associate at the office, you can get documents when you’re not in the office. Whomever’s there can take the document, scan it, and e-mail it to you.

6) Search capability: When you have all your files stored electronically, you can utilize the awesome power of desktop search software. Using this software (which will index all your files), you can locate relevant information in your files. Desktop search software will search the text of your files so you can find arguments you made in earlier briefs and motions, and you can go right to the relevant spot in a long file. Just imagine if you have 500 pages of medical records in a case and you are looking for a specific entry. Which is easier — searching 500 pieces of paper or searching a file?

7) Virtual help: Having a paperless office will make it easier to utilize virtual workers. While I’ll post more about virtual workers later, I’ll simply say that it’s easier to use virtual worker services when you’re electronic. After all, when you need the worker to reference the file, it’s easier to e-mail them instead of photocopying and shipping the file.

While there are more benefits of going paperless, these are the basic reasons I’m planning on going paperless. Well, besides the fact that I’m a techno-geek at heart.