Law Practice Management
| Publication year | 2009 |
| Pages | 0050 |
| Citation | Vol. 14 No. 5 Pg. 0050 |
Lost and Found:
Smart Data Storage Tricks for the Busy Lawyer
by Natalie R. Kelly
The one thing that seems to stand in the way when it comes to working more efficiently is not knowing where something has been saved. It's great when there is a system already in place that makes sense and works well for saving and finding documents and files. However, the lack of such a system can create one of the most time-consuming and aggravating problems that haunt otherwise, would-be productive workers, a bad system for storing and retrieving information.
Once you have mastered navigating the newest Windows world or can glide over the screens on the Mac with ease, you may still find that just simply locating data can be a problem. So here are nine tips to help you get back to work by making it easy to find and store data.
Start With Smart Policies on Filing, Document Management and Storage in General
Whether you are working with old-school manila folders or in well-organized electronic file folders, you should have a policy that everyone in the firm adheres to when it comes to saving files. For instance, you may decide that all client work files are to be stored on a shared network drive and not the machine's local c:/ drive. Naming the files is another discussion altogether, but get down the location for storing your files first. Then you can concentrate on whether to name it "Tom Jones brief 2 1 2009" or "2 1 09 Jones T - 0900187 brief on dogbite statute," or simply "jones brief 02 01 09."
Like narrowing the boundaries in a game of hide and seek, if you know that all of your client information is stored in the "CLIENTS" folder on your network, you don't have to go on a hunt over everyone's computers for something that pertains to any one client. Note: There are some times when you may need to store files on local machines or save with a folder scheme such as "ATTORNEY" instead of "CLIENT." However, most firms seem to work with the "CLIENTS" folder scheme over a shared network drive. This can make it easier to backup and keep information together.
Use Indexing and Searching Programs to Speed Up Your Search
After utilizing the standard search programs that come on your computer, Finder for the Mac or Windows Desktop Search for Windows machines, consider utilizing...
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