My experience with document management systems: why paper files are less effective and should be left in the past

     Our class discussion regarding document management systems got me thinking about some of the legal jobs I have had throughout law school and how different their document management systems were. 

    My first legal job during my 1L summer I worked at a small real estate law firm with only 2 attorneys and a few support staff probably around 7 paralegals/law clerks/receptionists. The firm was run by a younger attorney so I was surprised to see the reliance on paper files as opposed to digital. When creating a file we would initially create it in a Google docs folder and then print it all out and place it in a physical manilla folder. Although the goal was likely to have two copies of each file, one in Google Docs and one on paper that was rarely the case. As important emails or information came in from the client it was often just printed and placed in the paper file and never placed in the Google doc. In addition, when surveys or title searches were requested they were sometimes just placed in the paper file so there were often discrepancies between the two files. This sometimes led to things being done or requested twice because if you just looked at the online file someone would think a survey had not been requested so they would request it again even though it was already placed in the paper file. There were filing cabinets where files were supposed to be placed but the files were never there so we often went door to door to people's offices to ask for a certain file to place something in it or see what else was needed. This occurred especially if it was a real estate transaction that required a lot of moving parts and each person in the firm played a role. In addition, we printed almost everything for the attorneys to sign as opposed to using e-sign software. If I as the law clerk drafted a document to be reviewed I would often need to print it with each revision until it was correct and ready to sign. I was astonished to see how much paper was used each month and then subsequently shredded. 

    This was an interesting contrast from my most recent legal job in which I worked with in-house counsel in a cybersecurity company. In this company, nothing was printed and they had a very organized document management system. We did not even have access to print and if we needed to print something we had to ask permission. This system was so much more efficient and much less wasteful. Documents were easier to find and multiple people could work on different parts of a file at one time. In addition, working there I learned how dangerous paper files can sometimes be as people often leave them scattered across their desks during the work day and overnight which can lead to confidentiality and data protection issues. 

    Overall I think the shift to online filing systems is more effective, better for the environment, and likely more cost-effective for attorneys as printing and mailing costs a great deal of money and can be time-consuming. It was very interesting to hear perspectives from the class on how many firms still have a strong reliance on printing paper files. I think our generation of attorneys is less likely to rely on paper files and will be more experienced and equipped to use paperless file management systems as much as possible in our practices.