Lawyers have a strict duty to preserve the confidentiality of the attorney-client relationship. The legal and ethical rules for preserving the privacy of client data also extend to the disposal of hard copy records. In this blog, we explain document shredding benefits for lawyers.
Information Security
The paper-centric nature of law firms makes legal records highly vulnerable to data breach threats. Documents must be organized and tracked throughout every stage of the information lifecycle. Often, personally identifiable information (PII) is most susceptible to compromise during disposal. Law firms with in-house shredding practices unwillingly put PII at risk. Employee errors and negligence are key factors in breaches of PII and other confidential data. All it takes is a single document falling into the wrong hands and your firm could suffer lasting reputational damage.
A paper shredding service helps your firm reduce its data breach and liability exposure. Your shredding provider places secure shredding collection containers throughout your office, allowing for secure disposal of case files, HR records, and financial documents. Depending on the volume of information your firm needs to destroy, the security collection containers are collected on a daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis and your documents are professionally destroyed.
Workflow
Managing thousands of legal files is no small task. Law firms are notorious for holding onto boxes of expired files and legal reference materials. This “pack rat” tendency can have a detrimental impact on your firm’s productivity and bottom line. Partnering with a document shredding provider who offers a one-time paper shredding service can help your firm reduce clutter and improve its workflow. Whether once a year or occasionally throughout the year, your provider destroys your documents based on your unique needs.
Compliance
Your file disposal practices should align with state bar rules and provide verification of the date of disposition. When your closed client and practice files are destroyed by a document shredding company, your provider offers a Certificate of Destruction. This document includes the date, location and summary of files collected and destroyed for documented proof of your organization’s compliance with state bar statutes and information governance laws.
Environmental Sustainability
Given the immense volume of paper resources utilized by law firms, a sustainable document shredding solution can help your firm reduce its carbon footprint. After destroying your documents, your shredding provider transfers the shredded waste to an authorized recycling partner for certified recycling.
Richards & Richards offers NAID AAA Certified shredding and destruction services for businesses throughout Nashville.
For more information about our shredding services, please call us at 615-242-9600 or complete the form on this page.