E-mail - only the paranoid survive

E-mail may have many attractions but it also has its drawbacks.

One that no firm can afford to ignore is that of the computer virus.

For solicitors, the virus poses two distinct threats.

The first is that a virus may infect a firm's own PCs and cause damage to files and data.

Assuming you have taken adequate data back-up measures, this need not be an irreparable problem - although fixing it may prove a time-consuming and annoying process.

Rather more importantly, from the point of view of a firm's commercial prospects, if your own network is infected, you may inadvertently pass on the virus to your clients' computers, causing them loss of data and disruption to their working processes.

Fortunately, there are plenty of anti-virus software applications, services and technologies, such as firewalls, available to protect your computers and networks, so it is possible to reduce the risk of virus attack substantially.

It is also worth noting that anti-virus software is a relatively low-cost application so 'we can't afford it' is not a viable excuse.

But - and this is a big but - because new strains of virus are cropping up every month, it is essential to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date.

Typically, this involves a few minutes each week downloading new virus 'definitions' - otherwise you risk finding yourself protected against redundant viruses but exposed to the latest strains.

If at this point you are starting to feel a little paranoid about the whole business of e-mail, there is a further issue to consider and that is e-mail management and storage.

As mentioned last time, once you start using e-mail, you open the floodgates and will soon find your e-mail management needs outgrow having simple in and out boxes in which to store your messages.

Typically, personal messages, junk mail and the most routine of correspondence can safely and almost immediately be deleted, but pretty soon you are going to have to implement a more formal e-mail management structure.

This should cover such issues as: which e-mails should be retained and which should be deleted; how long should e-mails be retained before being either deleted or archived; which

e-mails should also be printed out and attached to the matter file; and where should e-mails be stored - for example, in separate mailboxes for each client or work type and so on?

In larger firms, you may have to install specialist e-mail management and archiving systems, while in smaller firms your case and practice management systems may offer a suitable storage repository.

But, whatever the options, you do need a structured system otherwise you risk being unable to find those critical client/matter specific messages when you need them.

Charles Christian is an independent adviser to the Law Society's Software Solutions guide.