In today’s digital age emails, files, drafts, proposals and all sorts of legal documents of a law firm are generally sent and archived in electronic format. Commonly, these files are achieved by way of WORD or PDF. However, there are a variety of other records that additionally exist in other styles, such as images, pictures, mobile phone screenshots, maps, illustrations, and so forth, which may be generated periodically or automatically.
It is very important that everyone involved (be it attorneys or their staff, or their clients) be able to successfully save, transfer, and/or fetch data in a short time. In some cases, files need to be recalled or obtained faster and other times files require to be remembered or obtained later on.
When one implements a “basic naming convention”, this can be achieved rather quickly, regardless of when you are trying to retrieve it. Basic naming conventions need to include relevant details (and also should be considered beforehand), such that anybody can easily retrieve the document, e-mail, or various other information, say, in two decades from now.
Pertinent information in basic naming conventions (depending on your desired case management software or filing system) might include details that consists of few component or every one of the following: author name, case name, county name, state name, title of document, and/or the day it is drafted, signed or filed etc. Depending upon whether you are sending out an e-mail or saving a PDF, WORD, or various other document, you most likely intend to consider a few of the following basic naming conventions. Standardized implementation of naming convention across the firm is very important.
- AUTHOR NAME – TITLE OF DOCUMENT – [SENT/DATED/SIGNED/STAMPTED] DATE
Jason –Patrick Demand Letter – 09-25-2020 - FROM – TO – TITLE OF DOCUMENT – [SENT/DATED/SIGNED/STAMPTED] DATE
TJ – AK – Engagement Letter – 09-09-2020 - PLAINTIFF LAST NAME – DEFENDANT LAST NAME – TITLE OF DOCUMENT– [SENT/DATED/SIGNED/FILED] DATE
Smith – Jones – Complaint – FILED 2-12-2019 - CONDENSED NAME OF CASE – CONDENSED NAME OF TITLE OF DOCUMENT– [SENT/DATED/SIGNED] DATE
Andy – John – JUDG – 05-01-25 - YYYY/MO/DAY –TITLE OF DOCUMENT — CASE NAME
2006-06-17 – Settlement Agreement – Smith – Andre
These are few examples of Basic Naming Conventions followed by us. TLD that has named and renamed tens of thousands of documents, files images, emails etc for small, mid-sized and large law firms and debt collection agencies.