Marshall Suzuki Law Group
Marshall Suzuki Law Group
An international boutique law firm replaces a slow multi-function printer and eliminates the cost and inconvenience of paper files.
Junji Suzuki, a partner in the San Francisco-based boutique law firm of Marshall Suzuki Law Group (MSLG), was not a happy camper.
MSLG, an international firm which also has offices in San Jose and Tokyo, specializes in financial and other litigation matters and is unique in that many of their staff are bilingual in English and Japanese, which provides them with a competitive advantage engaging clients in both the U.S. and Japan.
Like most law firms, MSLG has been buried in paper: court filings, motions, court orders, correspondence, evidence, etc. for decades. Previously, the firm relied on a multi-function printer (MFP) that combined copier, printer, fax, and scanner functionality.
While MSLG was reasonably happy with the speed and operation of the copy and print functions, they were frustrated with its slow scanning speed, which could be a bottleneck if a large case file had to be scanned.
Another issue was the cost and inconvenience of paper storage. MSLG was paying more than $900 per month combined to store its paper files off-site at multiple locations. According to Attorney Suzuki, not only did storage costs hit their bottom line, but it could also sometimes take as much as a week for him to obtain a file.
Finally, security was an important consideration. Being able to keep all files in-house, rather than sending them out to an off-site, third-party facility, insured a higher level of client privacy.
Once MSLG witnessed the speed and performance of a ScanSnap iX1600 desktop scanner, they immediately decided to install iX1600 scanners throughout the organization. First, they scanned and shredded their current paper case files, then their entire paper archive, eliminating the recurring monthly cost and inconvenience of an off-site storage vendor.
“I couldn’t believe how fast the scanning goes with ScanSnap,” Suzuki exclaimed.
Now when an attorney needs a file, all they have to do – regardless of where they’re located – is securely log on to Google Drive on their computer, phone or tablet, enter the client’s name and retrieve the files associated with that client.
Product Features
- Fast, double-sided scans up to 40 pages per minute
- Touch screen controls
- Scan business cards & receipts with automatic de-skew, image crop and rotate
- Scan directly to cloud storage (Google Drive, etc.)
- Personalized profiles
ScanSnap iX1600
The first, immediate benefit was that ScanSnap’s scanning speed of up to 40 pages/minute blew away their old device. ScanSnap provides clearer and more crisp images of each file. Also, the ability to put them on each attorney’s desk allows them to quickly reach over for document scanning instead of walking over to the MFP. Bottom-line savings also quickly added up as the firm was no longer paying hundreds of dollars every month in off-site storage costs.
Another benefit is sharing best practices with newer associates. If one of them needs to write a legal brief, such as motions and legal memorandums, they can search the online archives for examples of how the firm has successfully handled a similar issue in the past and use it as a template to write a new brief. Or, if the associate receives a court order and they’re unsure how to respond, they can scan and transmit it to a senior partner who can review it in minutes, not hours, and advise the associate on how to respond.
Attorney Suzuki has also found that ScanSnap can help him maintain and enhance business relationships on a personal level. Over the years, whenever he met a new acquaintance at a business or social function, he’s developed the habit of exchanging business cards and jotting a quick note to himself with details about the person on the back of the card. Now he scans the card (ScanSnap automatically scans both sides, de-skews and crops the image), and can use it to refresh his memory whenever he reaches out to that person. This is extremely helpful for retaining relationships with fellow attorneys, potential clients, politicians or other influential figures.
He routinely scans business receipts, which makes life much easier when it comes to getting reimbursed for expenses or his accountant needs to process his taxes. He also uses the system to archive precious family artifacts, such as family photos, handwritten correspondence, holiday cards, and family members’ school-age artwork to preserve and share whenever and wherever from any computer.
Suzuki’s only regret is that he didn’t start using his ScanSnap scanner earlier because many files that were originally faxed to him on thermal papers have faded over time and have become almost illegible.
As he noted, “[ScanSnap has] become indispensable in lots of aspects of my life and has helped me become more organized. I can’t believe that there aren’t more people using it in their paper-related business.”