I just hate trees.

You guys need to move into the 21st century. As an attorney I get lots of documents and filings. All of it is scanned through my ScanSnap S1500 which automatically scans both sides of the document, can hold 50 sheets of various sizes of paper (all the way down to gas station receipts), converts to searchable text in a pdf format. All I do is send the documents to the appropriate file. I then have a free software called "Copernic" that I use to search for any document anywhere on my computer.

For back up I have redundant hard drives and a Seagate Free Agent Go pocket hard drive that automatically backs up when there are any changes on my computer which I take home every night.

Clients are required to have email as I don't want to waste their money and my time mailing documents. Same with opposing counsel.

Your my hero.

I am trying to get to 100% paper free. For every argument (outside the govt. red tape stuff) I see here I think of an application that will work for that.

You know there is a sticky note app you can download and use just like a sticky note on your desktop? scratch notes if you need to jot down a sketch etc..

I used to review my cadd files off a print, now I like to review the actual cadd file. I can click here check there to make sure everything is as it should be. I actually had a drafter that made a nice picture that printed out fine, when we went back to the cadd files years later we discovered his drawings were pictures and nothing more. The technique he used was all shortcuts rather than taking another 10 minutes and doing the job right.

My only hang up right now is taking the days worth of work into the field, right now was carry folders and stapled papers. I am trying to get to 100% laptop where we upload the work onto the field laptop (or PDA) and they work from that all day.

If I get off my lazy buttocks and think this through I should be able to implement it in a couple of weeks time.

Actually, most of my dealing with the Federal Gov't are electronic without paper. They are GIANT PDF files. With some of the State government, you HAVE to send a fax, or mail paper. Drives me crazy. In the few cases where we do e-mail, I have no doubt that they are printing everything anyway.

ot my firm, most of the documents and tax return information is stored as paperless on CD's, hard drive (backed up daily) and/remote data storage with back up.

So much easier to retrieve documents vs. digging through files cabinets and storage boxes.

However I had an auditor request hard copies of original invoices paid by a client; if it was available.

we will print and fax stuff to the US guv. so we can PROVE they got it.

they have (and will) claim that they never got Email, filled in web forms we have sent AND even that they did not get stuff sent USPS Certified, with a Return Receipt.


Also, if it is real important I do what your wife does redbeard, I print it out and edit it by hand.

I require interns - either science ones or legal ones - to give me final copies in print and MS Word form. I read the printed ones, then modify the elec. file.

Same for all others I supervise, even if PhD's.