The written word is central to the practice of law, and documentation is at the heart of most civil litigation. That's why the legal profession was an early adopter of digital imaging. It offered a means to store, search and retrieve huge quantities of documentary evidence, case law and legal precedent faster and more efficiently than ever before. Each case may require the compiling of a vast new database of scanned images in a short period, and access to those images is needed only for the duration of the case. Scanning, indexing, storage and retrieval requirements, therefore, can change sharply from month to month, even from day to day. This makes it difficult to manage an in-house imaging center, not to mention justifying the capital investment and personnel costs involved. The solution is to use an outside imaging service company to scan, index, store and provide retrieval, or to supply scanned and indexed images to the firm's in-house storage and retrieval system. This provides the flexibility that firms need, because cost varies with volume and capacity can be quickly expanded or contracted to match requirements. An important consideration, however, is confidentiality. This is of paramount importance in a case, and the imaging service provider must have the systems, procedures and technology in place to protect the firm and its clients. |
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