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01 November 2018 / Matthew Kay , Natasha Adom
Issue: 7815 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology
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Taming the paper monster

Shred, store, or secure? Matthew Kay & Natasha Adom tackle the archiving conundrum

  • Law firms are increasingly seeing the benefits of cutting down on the paper and moving to the cloud.

What is that lurking in the storage cupboard, threatening to strew papers across the floor and make it so hard to find the one document you really need? It’s the paper monster. Beware…

It is no surprise, in the current economic climate, that there are increasing efforts from law firms and businesses alike to cut down on the paper they retain and use by using cloud-based IT and archiving systems. The driver for this is typically to reduce costs (of printing and of storing such documents), increase efficiency, or to decrease the environmental damage paper use is causing. However, there are also other hidden benefits to businesses of taming the paper monster—for example, modernising the workplace to allow agile working initiatives.

Shredding bad habits

There is a vast range in the types of archiving systems that are being used across the legal field.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

Muckle LLP—Roland Fairlamb

Muckle LLP—Roland Fairlamb

Specialist associate solicitor rejoins Muckle’s leading employment team

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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