This tip is provided by Diane Ebersole with the State Bar of Michigan's Practice Management Resource Center.

Are you among the many attorneys who are actively running a successful solo or small firm without a Document Retention Policy (DRP) in place? Perhaps you have a policy, but it is not included in your retention letter. Are you the attorney who has just always kept everything and now are the proud owner of a large room full of filing cabinets or bankers boxes full of old files? Have you considered the DRP as it applies to your business records, taxes, and payroll records? Do you have a policy which includes electronic documents and e-mail? If you answered yes to any of these questions the following websites provide valuable resources which may help you. These sites provide guidelines and recommendations. When developing the policy for your firm be sure to follow the specific rules for your jurisdiction.

 Closing the Client’s File – Lawyers USA – July 2009
http://lawyersusaonline.com/blog/2009/07/28/closing-the-clients-file/

Sample Document Retention policy from Prolegia

http://tinyurl.com/db6tna

Practice Management Resource Center Sample Closed File Check List
http://www.michbar.org/pmrc/articles/0000104.pdf