Law firm reduces risk and increases space with Iron Mountain Clean Start

Law offices are in a league of their own when it comes to information management. Every piece of information has a part to play with specific regulatory and retention policies attached to each file and asset.

For this full-service New York-based regional law firm, keeping client and other organisational files in order is necessary to ensure productivity and compliance. Well established and closely followed processes for storing, tracking, and utilising physical and digital information would allow the firm to work seamlessly, efficiently, and productively across multiple teams and locations.

Years of normal operations creates disorganisation and clutter

Years of operations, M&A activity, and employee turnover resulted in the need for the firm to clean up, organise, and reconfigure its information, processes, and office space. Through everyday work activity, it was evident that there was limited tracking, protection, and organisation of information and no way to clearly identify files. All of this led to the risk of lost productivity, over-retention, and even a data breach.

Even more concerning, some records were located in an unsecure basement storage room where another tenant of the building had access. There were no locks on the doors, and all the files were stacked on shelves or piled on the floor. Anyone could walk through the storage room and sift through sensitive client information, which posed significant risk to the law firm.

Due to the basement location, some of the files had also suffered water damage. This resulted in piles of records on the floor damaged with inches of black mold.

To add another layer of complexity, many of the firm’s legacy files were commingled with new client records, which could lead to potential lawsuits for conflicts of interest.

Complimentary assessment and definitive action

The law firm decided to call in the Iron Mountain Clean Start team for help. 

Starting with a complimentary onsite assessment of the firm’s information management procedures and space utilisation, the Clean Start team provided a report highlighting areas of risk as well as opportunities for improvement. For the first order of business, the team worked to clean up and recover the items that were damaged by water and mold. 

Following the clean up, the team worked to sort, classify, and tag the firm’s commingled and unorganised files. Any records that had met or exceeded their retention requirements were securely shredded and recycled. The team then helped inventory more than 13,000 files as well as decommission unnecessary racking and other office equipment.

Cross-functional productivity, streamlined document access

Through the inventory process, this law firm was able to clean up, organise, and, in some cases, defensibly destroy information assets. With its now updated file racking system, the firm also created more physical space and improved productivity so legal staff could focus on case work. 

This firm struggled with disorganisation, uncleanliness, and unsecured files but is now in a much better place thanks to Clean Start. By working with the Clean Start team, the law firm was able to identify and resolve security issues, clean up and recover moldy records, and drive organisation and productivity. 

Learn more about how Iron Mountain Clean Start elevates information and space management.