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Published: Tuesday, 31 March 2015 14:00

Written by Pearl Scan

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You are draining the budget, wasting time and running out of space and now you’re looking for a better document management solution. Let us present the case for legal document scanning with the ultimate guide.

So, you arrived at the office this morning ready to work on your assigned cases. You walk into the office to be met by that familiar sight of a wall of files ‘organised’ in alphabetical order with bits of paper trying to escape here and there.

As usual, you set aside the first half an hour of the morning to retrieve the files you need for your first case. Once this is done you set to work on the files only to realise you need to refer some to other members of staff to work on. This stalls the large majority of the work you had planned to do that morning.

What do you do? Do you just accept the situation and prepare yourself to work overtime to deal with the backlog when it comes through? Do you shrug your shoulders and utter the words “ahh well, that’s life”? Or do you actively look for a better solution?

My bet is the latter, or perhaps you’ve just stumbled on this article without realising you have a problem (great!). Either way, I’ve caught your attention so let me offer you a solution that could transform efficiency, office space and even the company budget; legal document scanning.

What is Legal Document Scanning?

Legal Document Scanning is pretty self explanatory; the process of digitising documents associated with the legal business to be stored electronically rather than in the traditional manual way.

Although it is a fairly recent practice, a large number of businesses within the legal sector have now started to adopt digital document processes because they have found themselves backed into a corner with manual document storage (sometimes literally).

Whether they have found themselves in the situation described above of the long list of scenarios that has seen companies going digital, including lack of space, looking to save costs and wanting better document security, legal document scanning is the solution that everyone is looking for.

What Can Be Scanned?

What use is a solution that only helps you with part of the problem? For this reason, any document or file associated with legal work can be scanned from as small as a till receipt right up to large format plans, maps and drawings. Some of the more common documents scanned include;

• Case Files
• Disclosure Documents
• Financial Files
• Claims Files
• Police Reports
• Contracts
• Wills
• Reference Materials
• Property/Mortgage Documents
• Death Certificates
• Trusts
• Deeds
• Litigation Documents
• Correspondence Documents

How Will It Help?

Scanning legal documents and managing files digitally has been proven to bring a wide range of benefits for companies within the legal sector.

Cost Savings

A great deal of money is lost with manual document management and most companies don’t even realise it. From extortionate off-site storage for files that overrun your offices to money wasted on unproductive admin tasks and file loss or damage. By going digital with your legal files, you can abolish storage costs as well as secure and organise legal files in a more manageable system.

Space Savings

Once you have digital copies of all of your legal files, you will no longer need to store the hard copy documents in your office so they can be securely disposed of leaving you to better utilise the office space.

Time Savings & Efficiency Boosts

Managing digital documents is a much quicker and easier process that doing it manually because the file you need can be found with a simple text search. They can also be shared digitally and all parties can work on the same document at once if needs be. This means that cases can be completed quicker which will bring office-wide efficiency boosts.

Increased Security

Paper files are, and always will be, susceptible to loss, theft and damage but digital files offer a solution to this with file encryption, password protection and the ability to quickly create multiple copies to be stored in different locations.

Where Can I Get My Legal Files Scanned?

Here at Pearl Scan, we have been providing legal scanning services for over a decade. We are trusted by many respected industry professionals and companies and our services are fully accredited to ISO quality and security standards. We handle the entire scanning process so you don’t have to worry about delivering your documents to us or even setting up a system if you don’t already have software or a system in place.

Got any more questions? Give us a call today and we can also provide you with a free, no obligation quote for the scanning of your legal documents.

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Published: Tuesday, 24 March 2015 14:00

Written by Pearl Scan

Hits: 3628

When faced with a document management problem, some people get can get overwhelmed with the amount of options out there. So today I’m going to give a quick rundown of those options and which could be best for your legal documents.

The most important thing to remember with document management is that, contrary to popular belief, there is not necessarily a right or wrong way to do it. The important thing is to choose a method that works well for you and your company and one that brings you the benefits you need.

Manual Document Management

As the original method of storage, hard copy holds a certain element of nostalgia which lets companies ‘play it safe’ without giving much thought to the document management process. Storing legal files and paperwork in filing cabinets, boxes and folders was always the way they were stored before the digital age took over and some legal firms feel that this management method still suits them best. It calls for a great deal of organisation and a fair amount of budget but, just like the fact that you keep using your favourite mug despite the crack developing in the handle, some people like to stick with what they feel comfortable with.

Digital File Management

The digital age has had a huge impact on the way companies manage their legal documents by bringing a number of different platforms to suit the needs of any business. Some companies are even digitising their old files so they can keep both old and new documents in the same system.

Single Location Management

Digital files can be stored and managed in a single location such as a device like a computer, tablet or laptop as well as storage mediums like CDs, USBs and DVDs. This is helpful for individuals wanting to reap the benefits of going digital without the need for complex networks.

Shared Networks

For larger companies, shared networks provide a great document management solution. Digital files can be accessed by a large number of staff meaning cases can be referred to relevant parties quickly and easily without the need to spend costs on printing and sending them manually.

Cloud Platforms

Cloud platforms provide not only a way to share files with colleagues but also a good backup option for files. If company systems fail, files will still be able to be recovered from the cloud which is a great security guarantee.

Document Management Software

Lots of companies in the legal sector are now using software to aid the way they manage documents digitally. These softwares range from the complex to the simple but each with a main goal in mind; making it easier for you to manage your legal files. Using a software can help to speed up file retrieval, improve organisation as well as overall business efficiencies. This is especially useful for companies dealing with a great deal of documents on a regular basis (which is generally common practice in the legal sector).

Pearl Scan Can Help

Here at Pearl Scan Legal, we strongly believe that digital document management can benefit a lot more companies than manual storage can. We are a document scanning company that provides scanning services and document management solutions for legal firms across the UK.

We handle the entire scanning project from collection of your files and documents right down to delivery of your digital documents as well as free consultancy to ensure you get the most out of going digital. We can also provide the use of our specially developed document management software, Halogen, free of charge.

If you would like some more information about how we can help you to scan your legal files and set up a fully manageable system, get in touch and we’ll be happy to pass on some of our extensive knowledge of digital document management.