While the needs of the legal industry are far-reaching and diverse, the storage and safety of legal documents are paramount in importance. In today’s technological times, most law firms use legal document scanning to ensure standards of safety, discretion, and confidentiality are met in regards to the storage and sharing of sensitive legal information. Yet, while legal document scanning is the widely accepted norm within legal circles today, there are still many firms who remain reluctant in transitioning to document scanning.
Arguably, the biggest impediment for some law firms to transition to document scanning is perceived risk. Security and adherence to compliance are paramount to the attorney-client relationship. Law firms are required to maintain an unwavering and absolute commitment to confidentiality, and therefore, are aware of the abundance of stiff penalties that exist for those who fail to protect consumer or client information.
Federal regulations that exist to protect consumers and clients include some of the following: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA), Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA). While protecting the information of consumers and clients is imperative, law firms are also equally concerned about the protection of their own highly sensitive information. As such, the fear of a privacy breach can lead law firms to remain in the “dark ages” for the storage and sharing of legal information through scanning.
Firms may become very concerned with scanning documents because once documents are scanned and electronic copies stored, the original documents then need to be destroyed. The process of destroying documents safely and effectively can seem cumbersome to some law firms, and would incur additional cost in the form of using shredding services. While some of these law firms believe investing in shredding services adds unnecessary expense, as well as increasing risk and liability for their firm, the expense is more than necessary and the risk and perceived liability is far more abundant in maintaining paper records.
Maintaining a cache of paper records as opposed to creating electronic documents is detrimental to the productivity of a law firm. First, paper records take up space, and when office space is maxed out, offsite storage facilities must house those records.
Relocating large amounts of records that contain sensitive data and information leaves the law firm vulnerable to error, fraud, and irreversible damage. Aside from the cost of housing the paper records and the off-site risks involved, there is also the aspect of natural disasters occurring and ruining records. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires can occur at random and ruin entire collections of paper records, thus wiping out a law firm’s information infrastructure. In contrast, electronic documents as a scanned backup are impervious to the effects of natural disasters and remain secure through encryption systems designed for safety.
Law firms fearful of security breaches through scanning legal documents are often also firms that are less technologically inclined. Understanding that legal documents are kept far more securely in an electronic document management program than in paper files is easily reconcilable through a keen understanding of the processes and efficacy of technology. However, when there is a lack of understanding in terms of technology, a law firm not only disservices themselves from getting scanning for their legal documents, but are also furthering the level of detriment to their firm by not keeping up to date with technology.
It is fear, combined with a lack of understanding and an inability to use new technology like office scanners which inhibits firms from making progress in terms of security.
For companies who are late to the game, it can seem like an impossible task to scan the numerous documents there were stored prior to the adoption of scanning methods and procedures. For this reason, some delay making the change until the backlog is so large they are unable to handle the large volume. Procrastination can set in, and before you know it, your company is spending literally thousands of dollars to store vital documents off-site, when you could be operating much more efficiently with much less expense. One call to a professional document scanning service such as Document Pros and you won’t want to return to the way you were doing things before.
Don’t let your firm fall prey to the growing number of security breaches that exist. Look towards the future, and take the necessary actions to ensure the safety of the data that is so critical to the future success of your company. Call the experienced professionals at Document Pros today for a consultation, and find out how they can make your business safer, more efficient, and set up for long-term success.