What’s In Store: One Strategy for Dealing with Old Client Files

If you run a law firm that’s been around for any length of time, you’ve probably got paper files stored somewhere, taking up space, and costing you money.  And, law firm owners tend to treat that as a ‘forever’ investment; they don’t see a way out of holding onto those paper files for all time.  But, there are some steps you can take, to get rid of the hassle of long-term paper storage. 

 

The first thing you need to know is that lawyers are not expected to hold onto client files forever.  In every state, client files may be destroyed after a certain period of time, after the representation has closed.  Even so, most attorneys prefer to be cautious, and to hold onto those files for as long as the practice is in operation.  Now, that’s fine; that’s a viable choice.  But, the question becomes: In what format do you retain that data?  At this point, it’s clear that the best and most secure way to manage client files – especially for long-term storage – is to scan all documents and save them in an encrypted cloud database, with a backup.  That’s a great job for a firm administrator, or an intern, to push through. 

 

So, what do you do with all the paper files, then?  Do you just shred them in a secure fashion?  Yeah, if you’ve got nothing else to do with them.  However, there is an alternative, to consider. 

 

Even as you scan your client files, you ask all of those clients, whether they would like to pick up the paper versions of those files, to keep them for themselves.  Now, that sounds like real work; so, why would you do that?  Well, because it’s the best ‘remarketing’ campaign you’re likely to ever engage.  One of the best places to find new work and referrals is through your existing clientbase.  Most times, you only reach those folks via email communications (if you communicate with them, at all) – but, this is a way to set up a number of in-person meetings with as many of your former clients as you can.  That process will generate new work for you, and is worth the effort. 

 

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