We all know pretty much everything is digital now, so transitioning your practice from paper to digital is a no-brainer. Just think of the amount of time and space it saves you to just type in and search for what you need, rather than physically rummaging through boxes and boxes of printed documents. This applies to attorney practices of any size.
Calling a Lawyer provides you with the tools needed for keeping your cases and documents organized and safe, but going digital or online does require some effort at first, of course, it pays off in the long haul.
Here are some tips to help you make the transition:
1. Switch to a paperless client intake system, such as Calling a Lawyer:
You can handle all of the pre-legal stages of the case is to start with a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform. We offer the ability to set up paperless retainer agreements, intake forms, billing, e-signatures, etc.
2. Create a system to make sure everything is digital, and instruct everyone in your practice:
- A cloud-based storage system, like Dropbox, OneDrive, or the one offered in Calling a Lawyer.
- Software to convert your scans to text-searchable PDFs.
- How files should be named and organized.
- Invest in a great scanner, or several, depending on the size of your practice.
3. Digitize your existing paper files:
Start with the documents you´re using or might need on hand for current cases, and then move your way backwards. Only keep paper copies that are required by law, like deeds, wills, or other key documents with ink signatures, and offer the rest of the documents back to your clients.
4. Start digital anywhere you can:
Use e-signatures and electronic retainers. Save all work to the server in both Word and PDF format.
5. Scan everything as it comes in, and return the paper copies to the client.
6. Make your PDFs text-searchable:
Use OCR software like Adobe Acrobat or ABBYY Fine Reader to convert the document to a text searchable PDF.
7. Exchange files with clients and colleagues digitally, when possible: this will make things more efficient and faster.
Being paper based is a thing of a past, and with more clients paying attention to sustainability, now is a great time to switch completely to digital! Here at Calling A Lawyer we strive to make this transition as smoothly as possible.