A law firm’s duty to protect client information doesn’t stop when a case closes. Client files, case documents, billing records and closed matters can sit in file rooms for years, and eventually they have to be destroyed. This guide covers law firm document shredding Phoenix practices can set up for that moment, from the locked container in an associate’s office to the closed-file purge at the end of retention.
Assured Document Destruction opened its Phoenix location in 2009 and operates from 930 S. 67th Avenue. The company is NAID AAA Certified, licensed, bonded and insured, and serves Phoenix and the surrounding metro area.
Why Client Files Need a Defined End Point
Every firm has a records retention policy, but a policy only protects clients if the destruction step actually happens. Without a reliable process, old matters stay in boxes, loose drafts land in the recycling bin, and nobody can say for certain what was destroyed or when.
Assured’s regulatory compliance page notes that FACTA applies to any business that collects customer information. Its Disposal Rule requires that discarded information be appropriately destroyed by shredding, burning or pulverizing. The same page suggests consulting your attorney or advisor for guidance specific to your industry, which for a law firm is usually an in-house conversation.
That’s where a certificate of destruction earns its place. Assured describes the certificate as proof that the job was done correctly and in line with your records retention policy, so the firm has documentation to file alongside its retention schedule.
Scheduled Shredding With Locking Containers in the Office
Drafts, misprints and duplicate copies pile up every day in a busy firm, and scheduled shredding [https://www.shreddingphx.com/scheduled-shredding/] keeps that flow under control. Assured provides free locked security containers for your office, and its security specialists cross-cut shred the contents on-site. You get a Certificate of Destruction with each shred.
After shredding, the material goes back to Assured’s secure facility, where it is compressed into 1,500-pound bales and recycled. Assured also notes that shredded paper is cut into irregular shapes and mixed with thousands of pounds of other paper, so individual pages can’t be pieced back together.
Choosing Containers for Each Part of the Firm
Assured’s secure shredding containers [https://www.shreddingphx.com/secure-shredding-containers/] come in several styles. The Shredinator fits under a desk, holds up to 60 pounds and has a tamper-proof lid, which suits attorney and paralegal offices. Executive cabinets come in Gray, Espresso, Cherry or Maple, hold 70 to 80 pounds and blend into reception areas and conference rooms.
For copy rooms and records areas, 64-gallon bins hold up to 250 pounds and 96-gallon bins hold up to 350 pounds. Both have internal and external locking systems and a molded paper slot with a deflector to prevent tampering.
One-Time Purges for Closed-File Cleanouts
When closed matters reach the end of their retention period, a one-time purge clears them out. Assured’s one-time shredding [https://www.shreddingphx.com/one-time-shredding/] is built for bulk clean-outs of stored documents, with on-site cross-cut shredding at your location or off-site shredding if you prefer. A Certificate of Destruction is provided.
Firms with a smaller batch can use drop-off shredding at the Phoenix facility, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It costs $10 per 1.2-cubic-foot box, about the size of a copy paper box. Staples, paper clips, rubber bands and file folders can stay in, but three-ring binders, sheet covers and large metal items should come out first.
On-Site Law Firm Document Shredding Phoenix Staff Can Watch
For many firms, seeing destruction happen matters as much as the shredding itself. On-site shredding [https://www.shreddingphx.com/on-site-shredding/] takes place at your location in Assured’s mobile shredding trucks, so you can watch your documents being destroyed. Because the truck comes to you, client files never have to be transported anywhere before they’re shredded.
On-site service can often be scheduled for the same day or the next day, which helps when a cleanout can’t wait. Assured’s Phoenix fleet includes nine shred trucks, and the company says its trucks can shred up to 10,000 pounds of paper per hour.
Who Handles Your Files
Assured’s Phoenix team is made up of sixteen dedicated employees. Its security specialists are background checked, drug screened, uniformed and security cleared, and they wear visible ID badges. The company also says that when you call, you will always be greeted by a person, twenty-four hours a day.
Hard Drive Destruction for Retired Computers
Client information also lives on the computers, phones and storage devices a firm eventually retires. Assured warns that formatting or degaussing a drive is not enough for secure disposal, and notes that a single hard drive can contain a warehouse full of confidential information.
Assured’s hard drive destruction service [https://www.shreddingphx.com/hard-drive-destruction/] uses a dedicated on-site hard drive shredding truck that can shred 2,000 hard drives per hour. A technician shreds each piece of media individually while you watch, and a Certificate of Destruction is provided when the job is complete. The service also covers smartphones, cell phones, flash drives, backup tapes, CDs and DVDs.
Your clients trust your firm with information they expect to stay private, even after their matters close. A routine that covers daily paper, closed-file purges and retired devices protects that trust long after the file is shut.
To set up scheduled shredding, plan a closed-file purge or arrange on-site hard drive destruction, call 602-759-5103 or contact Assured Document Destruction today [https://www.shreddingphx.com/contact-us/].
