It's here somewhere

Solicitors are not the tidiest people in the world. How tidy their houses may be is, of course, a matter for them, but when it comes to the office, it is a concern for the client, as well as the firm's insurer.


The problem with a paper-based work environment is that there is plenty of room for error, as well as anger and anxiety in looking for missing files, letters, instructions, and notes. Indeed, if a law firm were to allocate a category in its time recording to 'searching', it might be surprised at just how much fee-earning time is wasted.


All that is needed is a degree of organisation and discipline. The state of some files that are sent in to insurers' claims departments leaves much to be desired. Some are held together by elastic bands, and are spilling over and have split spines. On opening the file, it is apparent that the post is filed out of date order, simply left in the file or missing. Numerous copies of the same draft document are present, but there is no sign of the draft that gave rise to the error.


Partners must lead from the front as bad working practices at the top are often reflected across the firm or department. Here are some suggestions:


  • Avoid using the floor for storing files: it makes them difficult to find and poses a health-and-safety hazard. A secretary sued one firm for a large sum after she tripped over some files and broke both her wrists. Employers have a statutory obligation to provide a safe working environment.



  • Do not leave post lying around on the desk or in an in-tray; put it in the file.



  • Attendance notes should be dictated as soon as possible and again put on the file without delay.



  • Keep desks clear, or at least as clear as possible. Use filing cabinets for storage.



  • Avoid hoarding - many a solicitor's window sill is covered with old newspapers, magazines, and other items that they 'will get round to reading some time'. Check, and either file them or bin them.



  • E-mails generate even more paper. If you print them off (which you should do unless you are operating a purely electronic file), file them immediately. Do not do what one solicitor did &150; he printed all his e-mails for the past three months and left them for his secretary to file while he went on holiday. Do it daily.



  • Have a common policy across the firm or department of which everyone is aware. This makes looking after an absent colleague's file much easier. People will know where to look for something.



    • This column was prepared by AFP Consulting, a division of Alexander Forbes Risk Services UK