J. A. Powell, Jr.
A few months ago I wrote in this column about moving to a paperless office. My vision is that every piece of paper of every file will be scanned into the computer and the paper discarded. Everyone in our firm would be able to access the file from their desk through our network and from home through our call in system. I have been investigating this idea since I wrote that column and have found that it is technologically feasible. The problem is that I have not been able to build up the courage to make the switch. The idea of not having a paper file is frightening.
Recently my firm took a baby step in the direction of moving to a paperless office. We are creating a paperless file warehouse. When we close a file, we have it sent to our "D/O" room. (Don't ask me what "D/O" means. It was used long before I came along and no one else can remember what it stands for.) There the file sits for years until it is discarded. If the file is needed, we send someone down to the "D/O" room to retrieve the file.
Our "D/O" room holds about ten thousand files. The problem is that it is full. None of the attorneys wants to take the time to purge the files. We do not want to delegate this duty to any non attorney for fear that a file that must be kept forever might be destroyed.
I proposed to the other attorneys that we scan the files into the computer and discard the paper. Their first reaction was not no but NO!!!. I pointed out that banks, the IRS, insurance companies and some courts are imaging all their documents. I pointed out that the files would be more accessible. I pointed out that they would have to spend a Saturday purging files. They began to be persuaded by my arguments and said "let's give it a try".
The first thing we did was to examine the files and determine what needed to be scanned. The amount of duplicated documents that our files contained was an eye opener. The same medical records were in the medical records section of the file, attached to the settlement demand letter, and attached to the Requests for Production Response sent to our friends at the defense firms.
We set up procedures for the secretaries to follow when they close files. Duplicate documents are to be purged. Paper clips and other items that can not be scanned are removed. Items that should not be destroyed such as original deeds are put in a separate file for permanent storage.
The file is scanned and stored on the network hard drive. The original file is sealed and placed in the file rack in our copier room. After two weeks, the original file is destroyed. This delay is to allow for the network backup system to make two weeks worth of tapes of the scanned files. We back up our network with two different tape backup systems.
Once we have scanned about 600 megabytes of files, the scanned files will be put on a CD-ROM disc for permanent storage. A second CD-ROM disc will be made and stored out of our office for safe keeping. This may sound expensive but it is not. A CD-ROM disc holds over 15,000 pages and costs about five dollars. We will spend less than $100 per year for the blank discs. We now spend over twice that much on storage boxes.
We bought a high speed scanner and assigned our runner the duty of scanning the files. Before, she often had to wait for someone to send her on an errand. Now she always has something to do. She can easily scan in one day the number of files we close in two weeks. She is also scanning the old files and should be completely finished in six months.
There are numerous advantages to this system other than saving space. Now, anyone needing a file can just pop the CD in their computer and pull up the file. The image of the file can be printed and in most cases the printed image looks better than the original. The chances of a file being lost are reduced because the computer can scan the files to find the one that is needed. Also, there is never a need to purge old files. They can be kept forever.
We have been scanning for three weeks and the results look good. I will report next time on the success of our system.
In last month's newsletter, I reported on a new dictation system called the Dictaphone Boomerang. It is without a doubt the best way I have found to dictate documents to my secretary. The more I use it the more I like it. The sound is crystal clear and I have noticed that the error rate from my secretary being unable to understand what I said has dropped considerably. If you are needing a new dictation system, take a look at this one. If you want to see mine in action just give me a call.
I can not believe how cheap computers are getting. I saw in the paper last week a 180 MHz Pentium class desktop machine for $699. This week the minimum you should buy is a 180 MHz with 32 Megabytes of memory, 2 gigabyte hard drive and a 17 inch monitor. Next week the minimum will probably change.