Records Management and the Paperless Office in the Legal Sector

Records Management and the Paperless Office in the Legal Sector

Written by Ana Canteli on 29 August 2025

For decades, law firms and legal departments have struggled—and continue to struggle—with the accumulation of physical documents. Contracts, rulings, and case files are stored in physical cabinets, which means additional costs for storage and significant difficulties in retrieval. Record keeping has long been a key tool to increase productivity, safeguard information, and comply with the legal requirement for document retention.

The paperless office emerges as an alternative: reducing dependency on paper through document scanning and electronic storage. Today, we explain why it is time to make the shift, what the benefits are, and how tools like OpenKM can help transform management practices within legal offices.

Challenges of a Paper-Based Office

• Inefficiencies and costs: Maintaining paper files requires both time and money. Companies spend between 1% and 3% of their revenues on printing, not to mention rent for storage space and shipping costs.

• Lack of instant access: Lawyers spend on average 20% of their day searching for files, reducing productivity and slowing down client service.

• Security risks: Paper can be lost, destroyed, or read by unauthorized individuals. Unlike digital files, there are no access controls or backup copies to maintain the integrity and security demanded by regulations such as GDPR.

• Space saturation: Valuable office space is consumed by file storage. Space that could otherwise host workstations or meeting rooms is used to store documents. Paper also hinders remote work and collaboration between offices.

• Environmental impact: Paper requires cutting down trees and heavy water usage. A typical office may produce thousands of pages per year, multiplying carbon footprints and waste.

Advantages of a Paperless Office

• Value and volume: Printing and storage costs drop dramatically when physical documents are eliminated. Digital archives free up valuable office space that can be repurposed for productive work.

• Productivity: Searches in digital documents take seconds, reducing wasted time and improving client service.

• Collaboration and mobility: A document in a management system can be reviewed by multiple attorneys at once. Electronic documents are accessible from anywhere, enabling remote work.

• Security and control: Records management software provides encryption, backups, and detailed access logs. This prevents file corruption and unauthorized access—two major risks in the legal sector.

• Regulatory compliance: Offices ensure compliance with government electronic record keeping laws, personal data protection, and legal preservation regulations through automatic document retention policies and electronic signatures.

• Artificial intelligence support: Through AI integration, electronic records management systems can automatically extract dates, amounts, or names from digitized contracts, index that data for future searches, and reduce human error.

• Environmental benefits: Beyond saving money and improving corporate responsibility, avoiding paper strengthens client-facing image and contributes positively to sustainability.

Essential Technologies for a Paperless Office

• Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS): The foundation of the shift. A good EDRMS organizes, indexes, and searches files while managing versions, workflows, and centralizing storage.

• Digitization and OCR: Converting paper into searchable digital files enables rapid retrieval.

• Electronic signatures: Ensure the legal validity of contracts and agreements without printing and scanning, accelerating procedures and reinforcing digital workflows.

• Automation and workflows: Tools like OKMFlow, OpenKM’s native workflow engine, enable contracts to automatically progress through drafting, review, signing, and archiving—reducing management time and ensuring traceability.

• Backups and digital archiving: Modern systems store documents securely in static formats such as PDF/A, guaranteeing future restoration and long-term preservation.

OpenKM: A Solution for Legal Offices

OpenKM is an advanced, user-friendly electronic document and records management software, with a wide range of applications including legal compliance and legal document management.

• Comprehensive functionality: Centralized storage, classification, OCR search, and version control allow lawyers to find clauses or case files in seconds.

• Collaboration and workflows: Process automation and configurable workflows powered by OKMFlow, supported by notes, comments, and built-in communication tools for better document organization.

• Security and compliance: Granular access controls, full audit trails, and encryption make it easier to protect sensitive data, enable compliance, and maintain document control in line with GDPR.

• Flexibility and integration: Available both in the cloud and on-premise, scalable, and with open APIs to integrate with legal systems, email, and office software.

• Applied artificial intelligence: A scanned contract can be analyzed by AI, which extracts key clauses or critical dates, indexes that data, and makes future searches faster and more accurate.

• Secure third-party exchange: With the EDX (Electronic Document Exchange) module, firms can share entire case files with clients or partners through a secure, traceable portal—without relying on email or printed copies.

Success stories: Firms using OpenKM have reduced paperwork, cut search and retrieval times, and improved communication, achieving effective document management.

Steps to Launch Digital Documentation

1. Initial analysis: Identify which paper-based processes are critical and what their legal preservation requirements are.

2. Progressive digitization: Scan priority files and ensure all new records are created electronically.

3. Software selection: Choose a flexible EDRMS that integrates easily with popular applications (email, Office, e-billing). OpenKM combines digitization, automation, AI, and external collaboration modules like EDX.

4. Training and cultural change: Train staff in system use, e-signatures, and best practices. Create tailored workflows with OKMFlow.

5. Security and maintenance: Protect data through access controls, retention policies, and backups.

Here, automation and AI play a crucial role: OKMFlow ensures contracts follow controlled approval cycles, while AI reduces time by classifying and extracting data automatically. At the same time, EDX enables clients or external collaborators to securely access their case files, with traceability for every consultation or download.

Conclusion

Digital records management has become a strategic necessity for law firms. This shift requires more than scanners, electronic signatures, and a competent document management system: it demands advanced tools such as artificial intelligence, automated workflows (OKMFlow), and secure document exchange environments (EDX).

Comprehensive platforms like OpenKM bring all these features together in a single collaborative and secure environment. This guarantees efficient document management, strict regulatory compliance, and maximum protection of sensitive data.

Adopting digital transformation provides immediate competitive advantages: greater operational agility, improved service quality, and an innovative, sustainable corporate image.

In short, the invitation is clear: it is time to take the leap into the truly paperless office. Implementing a specialized document management solution like OpenKM enables your law firm to become a leader in the digital era—ensuring efficiency, legal security, and excellence in client service.

Digital transformation in the legal sector is no longer optional: it is an essential step to lead the future of the profession.