20 Sep Four Document Retention Guidelines for Your Law Firm
Law firms in Arizona must comply with state and federal document retention guidelines to protect their clients and safeguard attorney-client documentation. Implementing an office-wide protocol for document retention, sharing, and destruction will prevent compliance issues and fines that could result from mishandled documents. You will also maintain your reputation as a trustworthy, reliable law firm.
Establish a Document Retention Policy
A document retention policy outlines your protocols for the generation, transmission, collaboration, retention, and destruction of client documents, financial documents, and personnel documents. Establishing this policy will help you comply with laws and regulations and ensure everyone in your office understands what is expected. You can limit your liability for loss, theft, and unauthorized access to client files and maintain your reputation by adhering to a document retention policy. You can use records management software to track the lifespan of documents, log access and transmission of documents, and trigger notifications when it is time to destroy documents.
Retain Client Files for the Proper Length of Time
Some client documentation may need to be saved in its original form. Documents with original signatures may need to be stored onsite in a secure storage area for a certain period of time. In most cases, five to seven years is the appropriate retention period, but the length of time varies depending on the type of document and the state in which you practice. You should be familiar with Arizona’s regulations concerning the retention of certain types of legal, financial, and personnel documents. Other documents can be stored electronically. You should also consider storing copies of all documents electronically so that if your office building or storage facility suffers from a fire, flood, or theft, you will still have copies of important documents.
Properly Destroy Unneeded Files and Documents
When files are no longer needed or their retention period has expired, you will need to destroy them in accordance with local and federal document destruction regulations. Most law firms hire a third-party document destruction company to pick up documents from your office or a secure storage location and destroy them by shredding them. The company should then give you a certificate of destruction.
Maintain Compliance When Sharing Documents
You may occasionally have to transmit client documents to third parties. When doing so, you should make sure you don’t violate client privacy or that you have written permission from the client to share specific documents. When sending documents electronically or in hard copy form, make sure to prevent unauthorized access, redact documents as needed, and get confirmation of delivery from the intended recipient.
At Arizona Business Equipment, we ensure local Southern Arizona law firms have access to the latest office equipment, including fast, high-tech printers and scanners that allow you to quickly organize, transmit, and retain important client documentation. We also offer fully integrated cloud printing solutions that offer access to electronic document transmission and printing. We are committed to highly personalized business equipment rental services, equipment maintenance and repairs, and tech support services. Call us at (520) 888-2679 or contact us online with questions.