What is a Legal Binder?
Legal binders are sturdy, pre-printed binders that are specifically manufactured for the legal industry. Designed to hold and organize key documents, these binders feature tabs and spine labels that allow attorneys and their legal teams to separate different matters, cases, departments, or clients in a single binder.
The multipurpose legal binder offers a way of organizing papers that can be adapted for any type of law firm; they can hold a non-binding bankruptcy petition packet, a single contract, or an entire depart ment’s documents . These durable, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) vinyl binders come in a variety of standard sizes and colors, from 30-50mm (2.5", 3", or 4") to cord or web elastic straps, virtually every type of legal binder organization system is available. In addition, when produced as uncontrated binders, legal binders can be custom made with foil stamped logos, spine labels, and indexing ribbons.
Types of Legal Binders
Legal binders are not "one size fits all" products. But it’s hard to know the differences just by looking at them. You will find legal binders in a variety of sizes, types of materials and types of hinge mechanisms.
Sizes: Binders come in various "ring" sizes measured in inches. Legal/letter binders are 2 legal sizes (small and large). They are 1.5" to 4" rings. Binders are also available for A4 paper and for .625" of file notes. 3-hole punched paper fits 3-ring binders. 5-hole punched paper fits 5-ring binders. Many people complain about the difficulty in finding folders and binders that fit for A4 paper. Using folder separators help get around that problem.
Materials: Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), vinyl/paper composite board and pressboard are the most commonly used binder materials. PVC plastic is water-proof, chemical-resistant and durable. PVF is very similar but not as pliable as PVC. Pressboard is stronger than binder board, and lasts longer when used as a material for legal binders. The material is thicker yet flexible enough to bend at the spine. Vinyl/paper composite board is generally as thick as binder board, but more chemically-resistant, moistureproof, and tear and puncture-resistant and more durable than pressboard.
Hinge Mechanisms: The same way a ring-sized binder accommodates different-sized holes punched through sheets of paper, the hinge mechanism on the spine of a binder allows the binder to expand and contract to change its width. An expandable binder allows the user to fit more pages into the binder and therefore carries more weight. This presents some problems when a fully loaded binder does not fit comfortably in a briefcase.
These characteristics can lead you to the right binder for your needs. Anyone looking for legal binders or organizers should look at size, material, and hinge mechanism type. These will make the process of selecting the right binders easier for you.
How to Select the Right Legal Binder for You
When it comes to cases with significant legal documents, the last thing you want is to have those documents organized in an inefficient manner of hard to access/order. While these issues are normally a result of things like an unorganized lawyer or poor digital filing methods, the most common issue involves the option of physical document binders that many seem to overlook.
In law offices across the country, there is one vital tool of the trade that remains overlooked by so many – legal binders. While many law firms use multiple paper filing systems (drawers, boxes, shelves), as well as digital filing systems (hard drives, cloud solutions, etc.) to store documents from each case, few seem to realize the benefit of compartmentalizing paper documents by investing in multiple different types of binders to store their case files.
One of the primary benefits of using binders for your legal documents is durability. These binders are built tough and designed to last. Given the amount of time you can invest in a case, you’ll want to have something sturdy to store those important documents. So if you come across something that looks flimsy, steer clear.
Most file folders – tabbed and pocket – fit nicely into all legal binders, but be sure to choose the right binder size when creating your case filing system. If you typically use 2-inch file folders, invest in legal binders with a 2-inch capacity. For 3-inch folders, go with a 3-inch binder. While this may seem like an obvious step, just remember that this 1-inch difference can make a difference. Imagine what could happen if you were to choose a binder with a 4-inch capacity, then almost a year’s worth of documents starts to pile up in just one folder.
The other thing to consider when buying binders for your case files is the colors available. While some cases (i.e., criminal cases) should only be stored in red binders, others (i.e., family law cases) should be placed in blue binders. If you’re not sure about the proper binder colors, check out our previous post on the subject. There you’ll learn how different binder colors work as visual indicators to help you stay organized during a case.
Another important feature to keep in mind with legal binders is labeling. Traditional file folders that are placed inside of binders typically feature tabs for indicating things like dates, sub-categories, etc. But with binders, you can take things one step further by investing in binders that allow you to build your case file using side (or spine) labels. This quick, easy labeling method will make it convenient to note the type of case, date, and client’s name, among other things.
The Advantages of Using Legal Binders
The benefits of using a legal binder go beyond just improving the organization. You will discover that legal binders can actually improve the way you do law. Using a legal binder will:
- Organizes: When your documents are in disarray, you miss appointments. You look unprofessional. Your distraction increases your stress levels. Lawyers work better when their documents are organized.
- Shows you care: Legal Binders show your opposing counsel, clients, and professional community all the small touches you make to look and act professional. It tells them you care about your work. Clients value their lawyers when they see attention to detail in their legal documents.
- Boosts efficiency: You get where you are going faster and easier. You don’t spend valuable time flipping through your documents to find what you need. You do not have to worry if the judge or your client will understand your work. Well-organized legal documents get you more clients when they present well.
- Enhances compliance: Clarity in your primary documents reduces mistakes and misunderstandings. Organizing your documents helps you spot inconsistencies and other issues that need addressed. Clients trust their lawyers when they confirm what is expected from both parties at first sight.
- The perceived value of your business skyrockets. When you present the best to your clients, opponents, and the community, your confidence begins to shine through. You feel good about yourself. You instill confidence in others.
- You feel great about yourself. You win more of your cases. You get more clients. You can choose the more challenging cases because you handle what comes through the door better.
How to Organize Papers in Legal Binders
Once you understand the various types of legal binders available, you can begin to think about how best to organize the documents you have or need to put into a legal binder. Essentially, there are two keys to organizing this important material: categorization and tabs or dividers.
Though you have a variety of choices in categorizing the documents you’ll use for legal binders, there are common categories that tend to guide many organizing systems. Common categories include client, pleadings, correspondence, and practice information. The client category is generally useful for organizing documents relating to a particular case. The pleadings category can be helpful in organizing the pleadings and motions to be filed in your case or that have been filed by opposing counsel. The second part of organizing pleadings is organizing your own proposed orders and opinions as well as your own pleadings . Included in this section may be notes, highlights, and mark-ups of pleadings filed by your opponent. The correspondence category should include correspondence that pertains to the case. Practice information includes anything that helps lawyers better handle their cases, including articles, how-to documents, forms, important opinions, or research.
The other major way to organize documents in legal binders is using tabs or dividers. Tabs can help document organization in several different ways. First, you can use them to separate out various sections. For example, if you have several pleadings to file, you can group them by type, i.e., proposed orders, motions, petitions, etc. Another way to use tabs is to show a chronology of documents that have been filed or are being filed. The items divided by the tabs can be used as a legal workflow tool to enable you to organize the documents that need to be filed together and then use them to file your documents in an organized fashion.
How to Care for and Update Legal Binders
Maintenance and updating of legal binders
When you first set up your legal binder, it should include a Table of Contents or Index that lists all the sections and tabs of the binder. It’s always a good idea to review your Table of Contents and Index on a regular basis (maybe once a year or as your practice changes and grows) to make any necessary updates. Once you determine what changes are needed, just as in the initial setup, the best time to make those changes is right away before you file new documents. Don’t wait until you have a huge stack and then are overwhelmed by having to go back and update every single binder.
Legal Binders: The Future and Emerging Trends
As technology becomes ever more integrated into all aspects of life, it is not surprising that legal binders have also evolved. Some legal professionals have abandoned physical binders altogether, relying on cloud-based storage and case management systems to keep their documents organized and on hand at the touch of a finger. However, among the steadfast practitioners of paper files there has been a shift to digital integration. Many binders are now equipped with electronics that allow practitioners to capture images and store them digitally, while retaining the paper document in the binder, with or without the need for alteration of the binder itself (e.g., without lamination of the pages or use of paper with a special ink).
For example, some legal bindings come equipped with optical character recognition (OCR) capability. These bindings allow a practitioner to scan in a document or image, then index the document so that it can be stored in a cloud-based system, such as Evernote and Clio. Documents or images can then be quickly retrieved through a powerful keyword or phrase search function that searches both the content of the document or image as well as the metadata (if applicable) . Those binders that do not have built-in OCR capability can usually be purchased separately.
In addition, some legal binders now come with digital displays that allow the user to view and interact with electronic content on the display screen, while leaving the paper document safely in the binder. For example, a legal binder can feature a display that can play audio or video files while simultaneously displaying any other content contained within the binder. This allows a practitioner to easily view and display multimedia content, such as instructional videos or audio files of client meetings or phone calls – even while sitting in court, quickly switching from viewing the video on the display screen to viewing the physical document through a scanner integrated into the legal binder.
With respect to ecological awareness, some legal binders are being constructed with paper made from sustainable resources, such as bamboo, hemp, and tree-free paper. In addition, the covers and inserts of these binders often contain post-consumer waste or are constructed with biodegradable natural adhesives. The paper contained in these legal binders is often recycled locally, further reducing the carbon footprint.