Paper cut – the digital office | Features | The Lawyer

Paper cut – the digital office | Features | The Lawyer

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A paperless environment is the ideal, but how realistic a proposition is it?

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In brief

Like every other industry, the law is moving from analogue to digital and paperless document management is now a reality. But how should firms handle the changing environment and what sort of issues should they be keeping on top of?

Q: Do you think that a ‘paperless’ law firm office is ever going to be a possibility?

Gareth Ash

Gareth Ash, chief information officer, Allen & Overy:

It depends on what one defines as ‘paperless’. More and more legal work will be conducted in virtual files, client extranets and collaboration spaces. Workflow systems will increase in usage to control most legal processes, while document automation and other tools will replace much of the ‘hand crafting’ of documents. Therefore, the need for paper will diminish.

However, the lawyer’s personal preference to read hard copy will remain. But the influx of Generation Y, used to reading from a screen, the rising tide of mobility devices that are not suited to printing and the advance of eBook-type applications will mean the preference to read hard copy will start to fizzle out.

Ben Weinberger, director of IT and facilities, Bond Pearce: Paperless, in reality, is a relative term. I think it’s possible – and likely in the near term – that paper should be unnecessary for most firms.

We’re converting our remaining groups to electronic files this year; that doesn’t mean we’re eliminating paper, but it means we’re eliminating the need for storing files in paper format. People will still hold paper in their hands, though, as they may prefer to work on it in that format. However, they’ll have no reason to keep that paper, so when they’re no longer working on it (as work-in-progress) they can simply recycle it.

Paul Caris, chief information officer, Eversheds: For many lawyers paper documents are a way of life and resistance to change is high in this area. Nonetheless, the concept of a (nearly) paperless office is still realisable, as mobile devices and platforms allow us to find new ways to deliver the same services.

At Eversheds we monitor our paper consumption and over the past few years have reduced significantly that consumption by introducing technologies such as the iPad and encouraging our lawyers to access our document management system from any device using our Eversheds Anywhere technology.

The ‘paperless revolution’ will not happen easily, though. It will require a change in attitudes, and in particular challenging accepted wisdom, such as the requirement for physical signatures on documents. All of these are issues for which tools already exist and, coupled with a workforce demanding the same benefits in their work life as in their personal, this will drive the adoption of paperless working practices faster than ever.

Ciara Mooney-Bell

Ciara Mooney-Bell, London head of IT, Baker & McKenzie: Not really. A completely paperless office is probably impossible to achieve. Even if a firm has moved to full electronic document and records management there’ll always be some records that have to be managed in hard copy for legislative, statutory or business risk reasons. Client processes might also require paper sometimes.

But, if by paperless office we mean continuing to reduce paper, then yes, that is viable.

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