8 Documents lawyers should always destroy

Shredding should be just as important to law firms as it is for small companies and families. Dealing with confidential client information means as a lawyer, you must be proficient about protecting that information, even when you no longer need it. Shredding is a safe and secure option.

After a file has been closed, you may not need to keep certain information from the case around the office, taking up storage space and potentially costing money. Do your research first, as the specifics of what needs to be kept may vary from one jurisdiction to the next based on state laws.

Here are some general examples of what you might want to shred from a closed case around your firm or law office:

1. Opinion letters: These are any documents that provide the lawyer’s interpretation of applicable laws for the case.
2. Factual summaries: These summaries are stories or narratives from clients.
3. Witness statements: These statements are the summaries of evidence which were verbally stated in a legal trial or used in place of a witness testimony.

Aside from closed case information, you might consider shredding other types of clients’ sensitive documents around the office, such as unneeded financial information (excluding trust agreements for most states).

The following are items that can compromise client identity if not properly destroyed:

1. Billing for past clients
2. Records of time logged or past clients’ hour totals
3. Outdated records that feature income tax information
4. Financial documents that contain other instances of statute of limitations
5. Voided/cancelled checks and out of date bank statements (High priority should be given to these statements as they carry heightened identity risks for clients if they are simply tossed in the garbage.)

With all that paper, you’ll need more than your regular office shredder to do the job. Give us a call! We can set up a time to bring our mobile shredding truck to you and get all your shredding (paper, products and hard drives) done in one day.