What procedures do most law firms follow regarding the filing system?

jimmy joe 876: What procedures do most law firms follow regarding the filing system?
What procedures do most law firms follow regarding the filing system? Why is a filing system important and what type of files are in a typical law firm?

This question was a discussion question and could not find in my book and could not find on the internet. I am studying to be a paralegal, any help would be great.

Answers and Views:

Answer by r m
Files…wow that’s really broad.

Pretty much everything you receive you keep.

That includes: Fax receipts, duplicate copies of anything filed with the court, interview notes (really any notes), expenses (individualized by association with clients – paper, hours spent, legal research costs).

Generally things are kept in binders. A client can have anywhere from 1 – 12 different binders. It’s usually up to the attorney to decide what goes in them. Ours go like this:

Client intake binder (pretty much all correspondences with the client – interview notes, initial investigation/incident report, med rec. disclosure consent forms, fee-schedule agreement, representation agreement)

Medical Records (self-explanatory)

Litigation Binders (there can be a lot of these, Discovery from plaintiff, Discovery from defendant, Motions, response to motions, witness lists, witness correspondences, orders, motions in limine)…

Research Binder (all legal research divided by issue)

Deposition folder (all transcripts of depos)
————————————————————–
Filing’s important because you can get sued if you don’t organize. Also it’s important for efficiency; this is why some firms have research and drafting banks. So when you come across the same research issue or item to be drafted you can just look it up in your own files instead of paying to search for it or see what a document should look like.

It’s also important because you can get into client conflicts of interest if you don’t remember who you’ve represented in the past and why.

-Phew-

Good luck in your discussion.

Answer by C J M
My friend is a secretary in a law firm and they use alphabetical. However, some firms may use case numbers. I am surprised that your paralegal course does not cover this issue. Check with your reference librarian at your school or the local public library. They have wonderful resources for you to look through. If you call the reference librarian, she may even be able to tell you which web sites are good. Just a suggestion.