What could this look like at your firm?

OPPORTUNITY
A California-based law firm faced operational and compliance risks on two fronts: an off-site storage footprint and a lack of firmwide information governance protocols to manage records lifecycle across departments. The firm is a member of PilotLegis, a group of law firms focused on risk management initiatives. Mattern is partnered with PilotLegis to develop a series of modules that assist their member firms in strengthening information governance programs. To address both challenges, the firm took advantage of two Mattern modules to design and implement a dual-track strategy: eliminate legacy paper risk and establish a clear, defensible IG framework.

PROCESS
Mattern delivered a coordinated approach across two engagements:

1. Historical Off-Site Records Cleanup
Inventory Profiling: Categorized stored boxes by age and content type
Retention Risk Assessment:
- Benchmarked firm’s 5-year policy against industry standards
- 73% of inventory exceeds firm’s own retention schedule
Disposition Strategy:
- Immediate destruction of 10+ year-old boxes
- Review and digitize boxes aged 5–10 years lacking content detail
- Destroy administrative records older than 7 years
Staffing Model: Provided labor and cost estimate options (internal vs. temporary hire) to complete records cleanup while delivering ROI
Bulk Shred Negotiation: Assisted firm in negotiating reduced bulk shredding rates

2. Firmwide Information Governance Framework
Workflow Assessment:
- Evaluated client intake, email handling, mail routing, records scanning, and matter mobility processes
Retention and Risk Alignment:
- Compared firm’s practices to peer firms
- Identified decision points for client disposition notifications and practices that deliver defensible destruction
Strategic Recommendations:
- Guidance to declare electronic records as the official file
- Practical measures to avoid paper accumulation
- Change management plan for policy rollout
Technology Enablement:
- Introduced scanning technology to improve matter team access to information
- Introduced disposition automation options to improve program compliance

RESULTS
The firm now has enhanced the tools and structure to manage records across the lifecycle, both historically and going forward.

Projected Cost Savings:
- $15,168 in annual storage costs targeted for full elimination by 2027
- $5,000 in estimated bulk shredding cost reduction
Risk Mitigation:
- 73% of inventory qualified for defensible destruction
- Defined client notification process and destruction strategy for legacy matters
Operational Improvements:
- Electronic-first policy implemented
- Unified practices across records intake, management, and disposition

In Mattern’s experience, firms that align historical cleanup with policy modernization achieve the most sustainable gains. The firm is positioned to operate with clarity, control, and confidence in its records management practices.

PROJECT TESTIMONIAL
“I was very impressed with the depth of knowledge and clear perspective provided by Mattern. There was some validation of what we do and some action items that made sense.
I’m moving on these new procedures and it’s going great so far. Thank you so much for your help – it has been great working with you!”