I have visited many law firms over the years and I can attest to the fact there are paperless law firms operating today.

I have seen them and it does work. Changing from paper to paperless takes courage and the acceptance that properly-stored electronic data is far more secure, safe and accessible than we ever thought possible.

Incoming documents
Today, most correspondence arrives electronically. It should be easy for you to associate every incoming document with the correct matter.

If you can’t do this then, seriously, get a new system!

Outgoing documents
Every document in every form should have its original stored against the matter.

If you do this you are halfway to achieving your objectives. With a good system, whenever you create a piece of correspondence it will automatically be associated with the matter you are working on.

Precedent letters, forms, and complex documents
Whether a simple letter, a complex family court form, or a deed of trust, you should have these easily available, when needed.

A good system will provide you with off-the- shelf forms and precedents, as well as a way to easily and economically incorporate your own precedents into the system.

Time recording 
Making your attendance records in a paper file or a paper ‘timesheet’ is inefficient, often inaccurate, and the cost of these errors can be enormous.

If you just record all attendances on your smartphone or desktop as and when they occur, accuracy goes through the roof and so will your billings.

To move your firm to a paperless office, it is essential that the system you are using integrates your matter, document and accounting requirements in a single application.

And to ensure that it is easy to use wherever you are, a cloud-based system is best.So, are you ready to let go of your manila folder?

LEAP is a legal practice management software solution for small law firms. For more information visit leap.com.au