As a small firm or sole practitioner, you’re probably wearing many hats to make your business thrive. In addition to practicing law, you’ve got to handle and maintain records for e-filing, e-discovery and your own business tax preparation. It’s a lot to track and maintain, and the stacks of paper can be costly to store. That’s why many small practices have made the decision to digitize as much as possible, with cloud storage replacing file cabinets.
You want to capture the data you need, quickly and accurately, and organize it in a secure, manageable manner. So, you’re going to need a scanner, but it’s a good idea to carefully consider your specific situation and requirements.
Confidentiality and compliance
Before you even look at a scanner model, you might find yourself pausing to think about confidentiality and compliance with regulations and professional best practices. Highly sensitive information – from affidavits to client identification – needs to be secure and accessed only by authorized people. Choosing safe digital storage and implementing processes to manage file security is just as important as locking traditional file cabinets and maintaining physical office security measures. Check out options like Dropbox, Google Drive and Box. If you already use a cloud-based practice service like Rocket Matter or PracticePanther, you’ll want to make sure these systems work together seamlessly.
Accuracy and usability
Your goal is to exchange piles of paper and bulky file cabinets for sleek digital folders that are searchable and work effortlessly with e-filing, e-discovery, and file and practice management systems. But success with that effort hinges on the fidelity of the data captured during the scanning process. Poor image quality or cut off text can mean incomplete and lost data, having files rejected by the courts, spending time tracking down originals, and missing deadlines.
At the end of the day, however, you also want the scanner to be easy to use. Because you’ll likely process hundreds of documents per quarter, you probably don’t want to spend hours learning new technology or dealing with paper jams and mysterious error codes.
Meeting the rigorous requirements of lawyers
Is there a scanner that meets all these requirements: easy to use, not too expensive, and works with secure storage? fi and ScanSnap Series scanners are made to meet the demands of law practice situations.
The fi-800R is an ultra-compact yet highly versatile scanner capable of scanning all types of documents, even passports and IDs. It has robust features including reverse feeding and Active Skew Correction – an industry first! The model provides an agile and efficient scanning experience no matter how small your desk. Because of its U-Turn Scan and no need for a paper exit tray, the fi-800R fits into tight spaces. The PaperStream Capture software will also recognize pictures of faces, such as on an ID or passport, and will automatically rotate and turn them around to the correct position.
If your practice is growing, consider the ScanSnap iX1500 – the flagship model of the ScanSnap. It simplifies the scanning process for a variety of documents shapes and sizes. Although the machine is sophisticated, how you use it is so easy. The scanner includes wireless connectivity, an intuitive touch screen and advanced software that converts pages into fully editable files, including searchable PDFs. It includes automation functions, intelligently adapts to your preferences and continues to evolve to meet your needs, so you can work smarter. The iX1500 also has integrations with several popular cloud applications including, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, and more.
Choose the ScanSnap iX100 for an excellent mobile option. This model features a dramatically compact battery with USB charging option. Whether scanning receipts, forms, pictures, or plastic cards, the iX100 takes scanning away from the desktop. Completely wireless and weighing just 400 grams, the iX100 brings mobility and wireless scanning to your Windows or Mac computer as well as iOS or Android device.