By definition a paperless office is a concept in which usage of paper is greatly reduced or completely eliminated in an office environment. This means moving documents to an online cloud-based platform, resulting in a reduced cost of running business, quicker access to information, and the ability to access documents from anywhere. Over the past five years there has been an upswing in the number of court reporting agencies going paperless, which in turn has caused a change in the entire legal industry.
From exhibits and case records, to copies of transcripts, the legal industry as a whole is known to rely heavily on paper. Although the total elimination of paper may not be feasible for all law firms, every little bit counts and as a court reporting agency looking to reduce your carbon footprint and lessen the amount of paper generated during the litigation process, it is your job to educate your clients on going paperless and the benefits that will arise by doing so.
Introducing a new way of doing things to the legal industry and convincing lawyers to change their ways is no easy feat. As a court reporting agency, the first step is to modify the services you offer to allow for a more sustainable, paperless environment. Here are some ways to do so:
- Offer electronic transcripts – Rather than providing your clients with a hard copy of a transcript, offer it to them in an electronic format. Electronic transcripts can be instantly emailed to clients, speeding up the entire process by eliminating the time it takes to send an official copy in the mail. Electronic transcripts are also beneficial because they are easier to search through for relevant information. By creating a searchable PDF, your clients can look for a specific keyword and be instantaneously taken to the relevant section of the transcript, eliminating the need to read through the document line by line.
- Offer electronic exhibits – Exhibits often use up the most amount of paper during the litigation process. Offering electronic exhibits is one way to eliminate a large portion of paper usage. Prior to any litigation event, request all exhibit copies from your clients and scan them into an online database or repository that your clients can access 24/7. Rather than printing out copies of each individual exhibit to be used during litigation, provide an online service that allows your clients to view, markup and annotate exhibits on-the-go without the need for a paper copy. Now, not only will your clients be able to access exhibits at any time, they will also be able review and study the most up-to-date official versions without having to wait.
- Require digital or scanned signatures on important documents – There are many products out on the market today that allow for digital signatures. There is no need to waste paper by printing out documents and waiting to get them signed by hand. Digital signatures are just as secure as hand signed documents and can be done from any computer or mobile device.
- Offer “paperless” discounts – Once you have the tools in place that allow you to offer paperless services to your clients, you have a better chance of getting them to take advantage of those services by offering “paperless” discounts. For example, if your client decides to receive electronic transcripts and electronic exhibits, offer a 5-10% discount off your services for being eco-friendly. As the word spreads that you offer such a discount, chances are requests for your services will grow as well.
Those are just a few ways your services can be tailored to allow for a paperless litigation setting. By doing this you are providing your clients with more than just the satisfaction of working towards a better environment; you are showing you care with services that increase their overall productivity, reduce their firm’s operating expenses, deliver more accessible & secure documents, and offer cutting-edge strategies for a greater competitive advantage.