My manager has inquired about starting to put together an outline for a Retention and Destruction policy.   My firm is looking to reduce storage costs and before they start just destroying old files that have been in storage for 10 years I would like to try to provide some documentation or argument to management that the file belongs to the client and that we need to make an effort to contact the client and get their approval before starting to destroy files.

We have nothing in our engagement letters in regards to the disposal of files.   We also have no standard letter that we send to a client informing them of any retention or destruction policy.

Currently in storage we have a mix of administrative/business records and client files in storage.  The client files range as follows - insurance defense, estate planning, probate, crimininal, contract reviews, corporate, claim management.

I already have been reading and consulting the following publications -

1) Lawyer's Guide to Records Management and Retention - By: John Montana and George C. Cunningham
2) Records Management in the Legal Environment: A Handbook of Practice and Procedure - By: Jean Barr, Beth Chiaiese and Lee Nemcheck

I know that firm's protect their retention and destruction policy as their own work.  I am hoping you can share the bare-bones outline of how you have set yours up and what basic questions you made sure to answer in them.

Thanks for all your help.

Irene Eklund
Records Specialist
Boston, MA


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Irene Eklund
Donovan Hatem LLP
Two Seaport Lane
Boston, MA 02210

617.406.4607 (direct)
617.406.4501 (fax)
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