THE NEW NORMAL FOR LEGAL STAFF

For years now, the push for businesses to implement ‘’work from home policies’’ and practices has been a conversation piece that’s never really taken off. The legal profession is typically slow to change, but being forced into the situation by the global pandemic, it has become clear that legal work can be done effectively and efficiently whilst working from a home office, or the kitchen table.

Due to coronavirus, working from home has rapidly become the chosen way of doing business for many industries, including the law. According to a new study involving legal staff, nearly two thirds of those who took part want to continue working from home after the lockdown restrictions are lifted. A third stating that not having to commute to the office was the top motivator, followed by not having to sit through so many meetings and a fifth cited the cost saving of not having to travel in daily.

What Happens Post-Lockdown?

Through talking to individuals within the legal profession, it has become clear that work from home policies are indeed going to outlast the pandemic, with many offices remaining empty and even closing, saving on rent, cleaning, parking and more. With this in mind, there are certain aspects of the working from home situation that requires a lot of care around handling confidential documents and the storing of these files.

Having access to a cloud based documentation is great and is very secure, however having physical copies of documentation around the house can cause its own problems. From family having access to the workspace where you complete your work, to the prying eyes and hands of children that can easily misplace something that they may have knocked off your desk or kitchen counter. Storing these documents at home can be overwhelming and can lead to your home office feeling cluttered and disorganised. Admin at home can be a large task too, with the cataloguing and managing of the legal records that you have started to accrue, this can be very time consuming, not to mention frustrating.

Adhering To GDPR Regulations

Legal documents should be securely stored but easily accessible, as some files such as wills will have to be retrieved at an indeterminate point in the future. The introduction of GDPR regulations in 2018 have made it more important than ever to ensure all of your legal documents, files, contracts and records are appropriately stored and easily retrieved.

At Flexible Storage Solutions, we collect, index and store all of your documents and legal records in our specialist archiving centre. Our storage services can be tailored to your specific needs and range from will storage to long-term ‘deep storage’ to an online file management service that gives you full access to manage and retrieve documents via the Flexible Storage Solutions website.

Legal Document Destruction And Confidential Waste

Legal documents and records can build up very quickly. Any files that are no longer useful or have exceeded their retention period will need to be securely destroyed. Do you have a confidential waste bin? Or are some legal documents ending up in a see through recycling bag that goes outside on a certain day of the week? Having a confidential waste bin located in your home office is a great way to ensure that the most sensitive of information and documentation is dealt with in the correct manner. Our team can arrange collection of the bins on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis dependent on your needs

At Flexible Storage Solutions, we can ensure that your confidential documents are professionally shredded with our fully licensed partner company, certification will be issued after every destruction.

By taking advantage of our legal document storage services, you can securely store, track, dispose of and manage all of your legal files without worrying about finding the space in your home office to keep them.