If there’s one group of organisations that should follow the letter of the law, it’s solicitors. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Code of Conduct sets out how UK law firms must run their business. This includes a stipulation that firms follow ‘proper governance and sound financial and risk management principles’. From the starting point of a good document retention policy, solicitors must make sure they know how long to keep records – and when to dispose of them.
With years of experience, CAS is an expert at providing secure legal sector document storage. We can create a digital archive, including easy access for frequently accessed files. And we’re up-to-speed with SRA requirements, as well as broader data protection regulations. In this blog we look at legal sector document storage and focus on the challenges of document storage in the digital age.
Whatever size the law firm, CAS can offer off-site document and digital storage which follows a robust document retention policy. (The SRA’s document retention schedule provides a good template for different categories of document). A survey of UK law firms by Iron Mountain in 2016 revealed that most respondents were familiar with such policies. They also knew which department was responsible for document retention; generally speaking, this will be risk and compliance departments. However, there was still some confusion about digital documents, and especially the destruction of data.
As well as providing secure off-site storage of paper documents, CAS can digitise law firms’ document archive. We recognise that all of our clients’ needs are different, and we pride ourselves on catering to your specific requirements. With our scan-on-demand service, you don’t have to scan all your documents in one go to benefit from safe, secure archive storage and fast digital retrieval.
With our fully hosted live-file storage system, records that are in constant use can be retrieved, updated and returned to storage 24/7. For a more comprehensive digital document management system, we also have our CAS-Cloud service, hosted on servers at our HQ. Authorised partners and associates can access files from a searchable archive remotely, using a password-protected online portal.
The natural corollary of retaining documents for a certain period is disposing of them when they’re no longer needed. In fact, it may be required to dispose of them to comply with the General Data Protection Requirement (GDPR). Under the GDPR, individuals have enhanced rights over the destruction of data which they’ve shared and can withdraw consent to that data being held at any time.
Our services include secure document shredding and the disposal of IT equipment. As part of our legal sector document shredding service, all documents are double shredded to ensure they cannot be read again. The shredded paper pulp is then securely recycled according to the highest possible environmental standards. CAS is flexible in terms of the quantity and types of paper we can shred. This helps us tailor a service to each individual law firm.
Meanwhile, our secure IT equipment disposal services are fully in compliance with European directives on data protection and waste. We can take all old or unwanted hard drives and magnetic media including tapes, optical media (CDs/DVDs, Blu-ray), credit and identity cards, USB sticks, mobile phones and PDAs. They are then shredded into tiny particles which make data recovery impossible.
CAS can help law firms in several other ways, beyond legal sector document storage and data disposal. We offer a comprehensive facilities management service, with everything from efficient delivery of office supplies, to running a virtual post-room. And we can help you to move offices with our dedicated relocation service. Whether it’s the result of merging two practices, or just a new office for an existing firm, we can move you in with minimum fuss and maximum security.
If you’re looking for legal sector document storage or digitisation solutions for your law firms’ document archive, contact one of our team today.
CAS provides comprehensive and secure legal sector document storage, scan on demand, and facilities management services. For more than 20 years CAS have worked with NHS Trusts, Financial Services providers, and corporate and private clients. Our head office is just four miles from the City of London, supported by our advanced storage centres across the UK. CAS has an impressive array of international certifications (ISOs). These prove our compliance with the strictest national, European and international laws. They also demonstrate our commitment to provide innovative systems on security, confidentiality and quality control.